Sugarland’s Kristian Bush Earns Respect With His Kids

Sugarland’s Kristian Bush‘s two children, Tucker and Camille, have weathered plenty of storms with their father, both in his personal and professional life. The Sugarland frontman says his struggles of only brought him closer to his son and daughter.

“The great news is that my kids have a real respect for me and what I do,” explains Bush. “In the last five or six years – I’m a single dad, so I’ve had to be really clear with them and really honest about what’s going on in my life, whether it’s a divorce or band being on hiatus or making solo records, or being on TV or making a musical or whatever it is, to really show them the struggle that I go through and then how I overcome it, as a way of teaching. Because of that they have really become this really cool resource for me as a human being, where they take care of me as much as I take care of them.

“And I think it comes from the honesty instead of the removal,” he continues. “You’re not supposed to be the friend; you’re supposed to be the parent. But as the parent I still think you can be honest.”

Bush and Jennifer Nettles just shared a new song, “Tuesday’s Broken,” from their recently released Bigger album. The song was inspired by Bush’s wondering how to explain traumatic events like school shootings to his children.

“I was in the airplane and I was reading the paper, and there was bad news,” recalls the singer. “It was in the northeast. There had been another school shooting. I was like, ‘Oh man, I don’t really need to be reading this. I’m trying to write a Sugarland record. I stuffed it in the pocket in front of me. It was early in the morning, cause I was trying to take my kids to carpool and then get on a plane, and then we could write by the time I got there. I was thinking, ‘What would I tell my son if this keeps happening?’

“I wrote down whatever was in my mind, just to get it out,” he continues. “I wrote it in my phone. When I first walked in the room, and saw Jennifer, she was like, ‘Well what’s on your mind?’ I was like, ‘You don’t want to know.’”

Bush hopes the song becomes a way to unite people, regardless of their personal beliefs or convictions.

“It’s not about guns or suicide,” says Bush. “It’s about kids … We’re asking, ‘Where can we meet?’ And the place I can meet with anybody is, ‘Hey man, what do you tell your kids?’”

Sugarland is currently on their Still the Same Tour. Find dates at SugarlandMusic.com.

Photo Credit: Instagram/sugarland