Brian Kelley is speaking out about his relationship with former Florida Georgia Line bandmate Tyler Hubbard, the recent closing of their Nashville bar FGL House, and the creative efforts that went into Kelley’s new solo album Tennessee Truth, which released in May.
Kelley has released two solo albums, while his former FGL bandmate Hubbard released his sophomore solo album, Strong, in April.
“All I can say is I think we’re both, I think, finding our groove in the solo world. And you never know what time can do,” Kelley told Billboard News in a recent interview.
While both have launched solo careers, Kelley says he is championing Hubbard’s success.
“He always has my well wishes,” Kelley said. “I want him to crush it. I expect nothing less than for him to do that, you know. We’re just both out here giving it hell, trying to chase these dreams, and we’ll see where they bring us back to.” He added, “He’s reached out and congratulated me and we’ve chatted through some things.”
Kelley also noted the recent closing of the downtown bar/restaurant FGL House, which opened in 2017 at 120 3rd Ave. S. in Nashville. The location is now home to Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up Bar.
“We both were obviously sad about FGL House closing,” Kelley said. “We both wanted that to continue as a real special part of our legacy, so that one, we were both texting each other on that.”
Kelley wrote eight of the dozen songs on Tennessee Truth and says he not only wrote with songwriters he has previously worked with, but also sought out new writers to bring into the writing rooms as well.
Kelley says he didn’t consider “what credentials do they have [or] how many hits do they have? I wasn’t concerned with that. I was looking for the truth and the authenticity and the ideas, every session.”
Though he released his previous solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, in 2021, he says Tennessee Truth feels like his true debut solo album.
“So Sunshine State of Mind, I love that record,” Kelley said. “I’m forever grateful I put that out. There’s so many changes in my life and even on my team and in my world, from Sunshine State of Mind to this, it’s like I’m able to really just kinda for it. Both records to me are super authentic to who I am and my voice, and also very different.”
He added that he feels the songs on Tennessee Truth, such as “Barefeet or Boots,” really encompass his lifestyle at the moment. He added, “Just sonically, I wanted to kind of make a splash, I guess you could say, and really just do what I love. I love the sounds of this record.”