The coronavirus pandemic has affected millions of people and a number of industries worldwide, including the music industry, which has effectively shut down touring as people are being asked to stay home. Included in that group is Florida Georgia Line, who was set to head out on Kenny Chesney‘s Chillaxification Tour in April. The tour has now been pushed to May 28, and band members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have been spending their quarantine time at home with their families.
“We are staying positive and finding the silver lining in being still,” Hubbard told PopCulture.com. “It’s rare for us to have this much time at home with our families, so we’re making the most of every second. And we’re continuing to be creative and keep our writing up too.” Hubbard and Kelley have been busy for months working on new music, continuing to forge ahead with their fifth studio album, due out later this year.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Thankfully, we were able to do a good bit of tracking for the upcoming album back in January and there will be more new FGL music coming… get ready!” Kelley said. In March, FGL released the album’s first single, “I Love My Country,” and recently shared an at-home performance of the song with their band.
“This was one of the first songs we did [for our upcoming project],” Hubbard told Esquire. “And it’s just made us feel so good and gave us so much joy. Considering the time that we’re living in right now, with everyone quarantined and maybe living in a little bit of fear, it felt like a song that could bring a little light to people.”
As for FGL’s upcoming album, Esquire describes the sound as “an electrified take on ’90s country.” “We’ve been craving the organic elements of what we do,” Hubbard said. “We’re taking it back to recording with a full band, and then having fun bringing in different programming. It feels like a cool hybrid of a really country feel with different elements of rock and hip-hop.”
While they’re continuing to work on new music during quarantine, Hubbard and Kelley have both been enjoying more time with their families — Kelley with his wife Brittney and Hubbard with his wife Hayley and their two kids, daughter Olivia and son Luca. Hayley is currently pregnant with the couple’s third child, a baby boy who is due later this year. “Liv is the perfect older sister and we can’t wait to see her with two little brothers to look after,” Hubbard told PEOPLE. “Plus, now I’ll have two ridin’ buddies!”
