COUNTRY STARS KEEP IT ‘FRESH’
Florida Georgia Line love Canuck fans
For Brian Kelley, there isn’t a straightforward explanation for the evolution of Florida Georgia Line.
With the release of the duo’s third album, Dig Your Roots, Kelley and Tyler Hubbard have demonstrated the ability to change — whether it be in regard to songwriting, performances or song selections.
So was this evolution a conscious decision or a natural progression?
“It was a little bit of both,” said Kelley.
“Knowing where we were at, we obviously didn’t want to make the same record. We didn’t want to make the same record from one to two, and two to three.
“We want to keep things fresh and keep doing what we do, kind of changing up the game — when you think we’re going to do one thing, we’re going to do another and that’s just being true to our artistry.
ticketmaster.ca “We’re conscious of where we think this thing is headed and we just want to be on point with that, giving our fans a little bit something different, some songs with messages that we strongly feel need to be out there. We’re just following our calling. This is about as real as it gets.”
Florida Georgia Line burst on to the country music scene in 2012 with its debut album, Here’s To The Good Times.
In addition to reaching No. 1 on the album charts, it also spawned five No. 1 singles — Cruise, Get Your Shine On, Round Here, Stay and This Is How We Roll.
Expectations were high for the second album, and 2014’s Anything Goes met those expectations. It became FGL’s second No. 1 album while adding another four No. 1 singles to the duo’s resume — Dirt, Sun Daze, Sippin’ on Fire and Confession.
The continued evolution of the band was easily evident by the choice of H.O.L.Y. as the first single from Dig Your Roots, which was released on Aug. 26.
Unlike previous singles, H.O.L.Y. is an emotional ballad about the spiritual powers of love.
Despite H.O.L.Y. being outside the realm of a “standard” FGL song, Kelley said he never doubted it would find a home with fans.
“We knew it was special, to be honest with you,” said Kelley.
“It felt like a big song and when I say a big song, I mean in terms of connecting us with our fans and having an impact. We knew that it wasn’t just a country song. You can’t put a label on that song. It’s a beautiful song, it’s a great song and we can say that because we didn’t write it.
“We were fortunate enough to sing it, to put our voices on it, put our own touch on it.
“It’s very, very spiritual. It’s a love song, and love is a spiritual thing and they really captured it with that song. It was a special experience to be in the studio and singing that song. “It’s changed our lives.” Over the past five years, Kelley and Hubbard have earned reputations as road warriors, touring extensively throughout North America.
Their 2015 tour sold an impressive 1.5 million tickets and the 2016 tour has also done brisk business.
The two took some time off in October to recharge their batteries but are returning to the road this month. The November schedule includes nine Canadian dates, including Calgary on Saturday.
Visiting Canada has been a regular occurrence for FGL, and Kelley has a simple explanation for the duo’s dedication to the Great White North.
“We show loyalty where loyalty is shown to us,” said Kelley.
“We’ve got some amazingly loyal fans in Canada.”