Tyler Hubbard spoke about going solo after spending more than a decade in Florida Georgia Line. The interview comes at the heels of Hubbardâs sophomore solo album, which arrived on Friday (April 12).
Hubbard spoke with Southern Living Editor-in-Chief Sid Evans on the latest episode of the Biscuits & Jam podcast on Tuesday (April 16). Throughout the conversation, the Georgia-born singer-songwriter spoke about what he learned from spending a dozen years in the hit-making duo with Brian Kelley, the next chapter of his career, inspiration from his family â including wife Hayley Hubbard and their three children, Olivia, Luca and Atlas â and more. Hubbard and Kelley announced they would take a âbreakâ from Florida Georgia Line in 2022. Theyâve both pursued solo projects since then.
The â5 Foot 9â star said âthere's a lot of experience that happens in 12 years. So I'm really grateful to be able to have an opportunity to take everything I learned over the first go around, if you will, and kinda reapply it into the second go around with a more mature perspective and a great support team, great management. Now I have three kids and a wife. When we started it was just me and BK and the band, and we didn't have anything to lose. We really started from ground zero the first time, and although I have sorta started in a sense from ground zero, I still have the experience, I still have the catalog and the history.â
Hubbard also said on Biscuits & Jam, when speaking about pursuing his solo career after Florida Georgia Line, âthat it's hard to do it within the confines of being in a partnership because the other partner can't relate to that or doesn't understand it. Not that we couldn't have done that regardless⌠you know, BK could've said, âHey, let's write about your story, and let's share this song.â That could've probably happened, but I think it would've struck a little bit of a different cord being in the dynamic of a band as opposed to one individual person who's gone through the story and is sharing from the heart."
Hubbard said he still has âa little bit of a fan baseâ from his Florida Georgia Line fans, and heâs ârebuildingâ a new one as he releases his solo work. He said âthere's people that have never heard of Tyler Hubbard that love FGL, and there's people that love Tyler Hubbard⌠there's kids that love my music and don't even really know âCruise.ââ Hubbard said he enjoys âbeing a solo artist where I can get super personal and super real and raw with my story and with some of my songs,â including with his family.
"I get to come home to beautiful healthy kids and a beautiful wife, and it's just a good reminder of why I'm doing it and what really matters, and I'm pulling inspiration from the life I'm getting to live and the blessings around me, and so it's almost sweeter the second time around to be honest,â Hubbard said. âThe first time was great. I'll never forget it and never take it for granted, but it's really been sweet the second go around and getting to do it the way I'm doing it."
Hubbardâs new 13-track album, Strong, arrived in time to kick off the weekend. the projct includes âWish You Would,â âA Lot With A Little,â âBack Then Right Now,â âVegasâ and other highlights. It follows his self-titled debut last year. Hubbard said via his record label that Strong is about âself-discovery: and âopening yourself up and youâre being vulnerable. âŚI also just hope brings people joy. I think thereâs a lot of fun on this album. I think thereâs a lot of joy in my heart, in my spirit, for my life and for my family, and I hope that it overflows into my music and I hope people hear the album or come to a live show, I hope they leave feeling kind of filled up with joy and just made a good memory that they can take with them.â
In the next chapter of his career, Hubbard is âreally taking my time,â he told Evans. âIâm enjoying the process. I'm really grateful not only to be doing it again, because of the pandemic and the thing that took it all away for a while, but now just this new season, getting to reconnect with the fans in a more personal way and just⌠I don't know, man. I just feel a little older, a little bit wiser and a whole lotta gratitude in my heart.â