Florida Georgia Line can officially call themselves Grammy nominees, with the country duo scoring a nomination for the 2019 ceremony for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Meant to Be,” their collaboration with Bebe Rexha.
The nod is FGL’s very first Grammy nomination, and group member Brian Kelley told PopCulture.com that the recognition is something he and bandmate Tyler Hubbard are thrilled to have received.
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“It’s a good nod of the hat, probably the biggest one we’ve gotten and one we’ve wanted for a long time,” he said. “Got a lot of respect for the Grammys. It’s a huge night, it’s probably the biggest night in music. And to be nominated, it’s very humbling. And we’re just excited to be there, be in the mix.”
“Meant to Be” is up against Dan + Shay’s “Tequila,” Little Big Town’s “When Someone Stops Loving You,” Brothers Osborne’s “Shoot Me Straight,” and Maren Morris and Vince Gill’s “Dear Hate” for the Grammy this year, and has been one of Florida Georgia Line‘s most successful songs to date.
“‘Meant to Be’ was a massive song for us,” Kelley reflected. “I’m glad that everybody wanted to make that point and show us that they knew that too. So it’s super special and more motivating to get this new music out and continue to write and see where we can take this thing.”
In addition to smashing records for Florida Georgia Line, “Meant to Be” also launched Rexha to a new level of stardom, with the track spending 50 weeks at the top of Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart. At 35 weeks, it became the longest-running No. 1 song on the chart and also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 all-genre chart.
Despite that, Kelley noted that he and Hubbard continue to push themselves with their work and never set out to do the same thing twice.
“You never replicate. The only thing you match is where your ear says, ‘That’s a good song. That’s a great song. No, that’s a hit,’” he explained. “You don’t try to say, ‘Hey we need a song like this.’ You go in the room and say ‘Hey, the bar is up here. We need a great song, a hit song.’ We don’t try to write anything but that. There’s no, ‘Hey I heard this on the radio, we should try that.’ That’s not true artistry.”
The 2019 Grammy Awards will air from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10. Shortly after, FGL will release their fourth studio album, Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, on Feb. 15.
Photo Credit: Getty / Ethan Miller
