Grammys 2019: Florida Georgia Line Celebrates First Nomination with ‘Meant to Be’

Florida Georgia Line never dreamed their “Meant to Be” collaboration with Bebe Rexha would break records by spending 50 weeks at the top of the charts. Nor did they imagine that they would receive their first-ever Grammy Awards nomination, for Country Duo/Group Performance. As the duo, made up of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, prepare for the Grammy Awards ceremony this weekend, the guys still can’t quite believe their good fortune.

“That song’s just been … life-changing,” Hubbard told ABC News Radio. “Another career song, as we call it. It’s broke so many records and made so much history.”

“It was all so unexpected and kind of out-of-the-box and un-traditional,” he continued. “So it really just made it that much more special, getting to write it in L.A. with Bebe, just to have it released on her EP first, and to see the traction that it gained.”

“Meant to Be” is still on the charts and all over radio, well over a year since it’s October 2017 release.

“It’s just a song that seems to never go away, in such a great way,” Hubbard said. “Every night when we sing it, the fans love it. And it’s just a reminder for us of where we’re at and how thankful and humbled we are by having such a big song that’s really changed our life and changed Bebe’s life, and continues to expand our market to more of a global fan base.”

“Meant to Be” was never intended to be a country hit. But after the three artists saw how well it was doing at pop radio, FGL decided to release it to their genre as well.

“It did so much early on,” Hubbard recounted, “that we decided we needed to single it as well to country radio.”

The Grammy nod marks their first, a perhaps belated acknowledgement for an act that has consistently topped both radio and album sales charts. But to Hubbard, the accolade came right on time.

“To finish it all off with our first Grammy nom, it feels like we’re the new kids on the block,” Hubbard said. “And it feels awesome.”

A new version of “Meant to Be” will appear on Florida Georgia Line‘s upcoming Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, which will be released on Feb. 15.

The 2019 Grammy Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 10, at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Rebecca Sapp