Florida Georgia Line Is Officially ‘Taking a Break,’ Will Use ‘Last 12 Shows’ To Celebrate the Duo’s Legacy
“I think ‘taking a break’ is the proper term, as opposed to breaking up,” Hubbard explained.
Florida Georgia Line; Photo by John Shearer
Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley recently celebrated a momentous career milestone when the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened its new exhibition, Florida Georgia Line: Mix It Up Strong.
While visiting the exhibit, Hubbard and Kelley clarified breakup rumors, which have been circulating for months, and addressed the future of the duo.
“I think ‘taking a break’ is the proper term, as opposed to breaking up,” Hubbard shared in an interview with People.
“We’re not going our separate ways,” Kelley added. “We’re taking a break from recording our music.”
Last year, Hubbard and Kelley both launched projects as solo artists. Hubbard was featured on several tracks, including Tim McGraw’s “Undivided,” Lathan Warlick’s “My Way,” and Nelly’s “Country Boy Do.”
Kelley shared his debut solo album, Sunshine State Of Mind, which features 17-tracks, including his first single “Beach Cowboy.” Fast-forward to 2022, Kelley announced plans to embark on his first-ever solo tour in support of the record.
“We’re being artists. We love creating. And so a couple of years back, we started writing without each other and trying different writers, and now we’re both doing that with our music,” Kelley explained.
While the duo is taking a pause from recording music together to focus on solo projects, Hubbard and Kelley do promise to fulfill their upcoming concert appearances, despite scrapping their 2021 I Love My Country Tour. Citing concerns over the pandemic, the tour was abruptly canceled, leaving fans wondering what the future would hold for FGL.
Over the course of the next year or so, Florida Georgia Line has a dozen tour dates remaining, including appearances at Barefoot Country Music Fest, Country Fest, Boots & Hearts, several Country Thunder Festivals and more.
“We’re sort of using these last 12 shows as a time to celebrate FGL, celebrate the fans, celebrate each other,” Hubbard continued. He then added that after their 12 festival dates, they will continue to “support each other on the next chapter of our musical and creative journey, which is gonna be individually for a while. So we’re excited.”
Hubbard and Kelley previously shut down breakup rumors in early 2021 during a nine-minute Zoom video chat, which they filmed and shared on Twitter.
“We’ve always been a package deal,” the Georgia-born singer said. “Just to clarify, FGL is not breaking up so anyone who says that, from the mouth of Tyler and BK. We’re not breaking up, we’re just venturing out.”
This may be a little long but it’s real and that’s what FGL is all about. We love our fans and want to share with you guys everything we are working on and excited about this year. Here’s to 2021 being the BEST YEAR YET. Let’s gooooo! pic.twitter.com/1tYzVGpLI6
— Florida Georgia Line (@FLAGALine) January 2, 2021
The “Meant To Be” singers also clarified the rumors in November of 2020 during an appearance on Storme Warren’s Exit 209 podcast, which they used to “clear the air.”
“We’re feeling stronger than ever,” Hubbard told Warren. “We’re loving and supporting each other through even all the chapters that we’re in now and, uh, excited about the future.”
Florida Georgia Line released their fifth studio album, Life Rolls On, in February of 2021, which is the last project that the duo have worked on together before pursuing their solo careers.
The Florida Georgia Line: Mix It Up Strong exhibit is open now and runs through January 1, 2023.
Tickets to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are available to purchase HERE
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.