HARDY Reacts to Joining Florida Georgia Line's Can't Say I Ain't Country Tour

Rising star HARDY earned one of the most coveted spots on the road this year, when he was invited to join Florida Georgia Line for select dates on their Can't Say I Ain't Country Tour. HARDY, who has been friends with both Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley for several years, plans to take as many notes as he can from the superstars while on the road.

"Being FGL, they're really involved with me and my artist stuff and my deal with Big Loud [Records]," HARDY told PopCulture.com. "Once I signed my record deal, I think it was pretty understood everybody was just like, 'All right, we're going to have him out next year.' I think Tyler said something to me last year. Tyler and BK about, 'You know, you're going to be doing arenas with us next year.' And I was just like, kind of my heart started beating a little bit. I couldn't be happier about it. I'm really excited."

HARDY initially met both Hubbard and Kelley through his sister, who went to college with both of them. But after FGL became a superstar act, HARDY lost touch with duo. Although he didn't see them on a regular basis, the guys kept tabs on what HARDY was doing with his music. So when they ran into each other at another party, Florida Georgia Line wasted no time in reconnecting with HARDY.

"The second that I ran into Tyler, he was just like, 'Dude, like long time no see,'" HARDY recalled. "And it was just a really, really, really cool thing. Just kind of a life changing moment because I just was like, 'This is really amazing that they've come so far,' and I was just like a nobody back then. And that he would still remember me and that they would in general, both the guys."

HARDY started joining Florida Georgia Line both on and off the road, writing with them as much as he could.

"We just kind of hit it off, started hanging out in town and just, you know, hanging out in the studio with [producer] Joey Moi," he added. "It just kind of snowballed into, blossomed into a beautiful friendship."

Meanwhile, while HARDY waits to begin his run with Florida Georgia Line, he's on the road with his good friend Morgan Wallen, serving as the opening act on Wallen's If I Know Me Tour.

"It's fun. It is really fun," HARDY gushed. "And that makes it a lot easier because he and I have been really good buddies now for about two years, maybe even more. Our band and his band gets along great. It's just a great time and the shows, his fans – they show up and they're rowdy and they're ready to party. And I'm starting to see even some of my fans out there and singing along. It's just amazing. I love to travel.

"I'm from a small town and I've always had this just ambition to see every city in the country and I've pretty much been riding with FGL but with Morgan too," he added. "I've really gotten to do that. And it's just an amazing experience. And it's new for me but I'm loving every bit of it right now."

Find a list of all of HARDY's upcoming shows by visiting his website.

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Sweet Talk PR/Nick Swift