Tyler Hubbard—formerly of the duo Florida Georgia Line—recently shared some insights into the world of genre-hopping. When asked for his thoughts about Beyoncé releasing her country album, Act II: Cowboy Carter, he admitted that he’s heard that whole “is it country or not” thing before.
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“It’s not up for other people to decide who you are,” he said, speaking with Taste of Country. “You can be whatever you want to be and whoever you want to be, and I think everybody has their own definition of what country is.”
He then shared more of his thoughts, saying, “At this point, who really cares. If it’s good music, it’s good music.” Hubbard continued, “At the same time, it’s kinda cool if someone’s not as country, if you will, or maybe that means they’re bringing more people to the genre and giving us more exposure, which I think is really cool.”
Hubbard himself is no stranger to genre blending. With Florida Georgia Line, he and Brian Kelley often attempted to mesh hip hop and country, such as on their infamous song “Cruise,” which featured Nelly.
“You know, I consider it an honor, to be honest,” Hubbard continued. “She might be even more country than people realize, ya know? They only know what they see … so, who knows.”
Tyler Hubbard Holds Respect for Beyoncé, But Does His Former Partner Hold the Same Respect for Him?
Fans of the former duo Florida Georgia Line are speculating about Brian Kelley’s newest single, “Kiss My Boots.” Many feel it’s a diss track about Tyler Hubbard, referencing their split as musical partners and, allegedly, friends. The speculation comes from imagery, lyrics, and Kelley’s own words on social media.
Kelley is gearing up for the release of his solo project, Tennessee Truth, by releasing “Kiss My Boots,” which includes some choice imagery in the music video. Namely, Kelley taking a knife to a peach, which fans have speculated represents Georgia boy Hubbard.
“My mental health coach told me a couple years ago as I was navigating through an extremely difficult, hurtful, and confusing time, ‘the person with the highest emotional intelligence has the highest responsibility,'” Kelley wrote on Instagram when he teased the song. “So as hard as it was in those moments to take the high road, I took her advice and I sat back and ‘ate my popcorn’. Everyone processes differently. I went inward. And it all came out in a song. Now it’s time for y’all to get your popcorn.”
While Kelley seemingly isn’t ready to explicitly state that the song is about Tyler Hubbard, he did say, “[This song] was born from a deep wound and a relationship. It’s a song about betrayal and I just took a deep dive and put it all out there in a song, just like so many other artists have done over the years.”
Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
