Jason Aldean Artist Of The Year, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line Lead 2014 American Country Countdown Awards Winners

• Huff Po:  "Pregnant Carrie Underwood Is A Vision In White"
• Rolling Stone:  "Its nominees were unexpected, but its winners were told in advance. Audience members were encouraged to drink and tweet from the on-set "Twitter bar." And the hosts didn't crack any Taylor Swift jokes.... In a musical genre of awards show after yet another awards show, the inaugural American Country Countdown Awards certainly made a unique mark."

Complete list of winners (click)

Red carpet interviews (click)

FGL Isn’t Concerned About Their “Place” In Country Music

Florida Georgia Line add a unique flavor to the country music mix with songs like their latest single, “Sun Daze,” which causes some people to want to define FGL’s place in country music and where they fit in, but Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard aren’t worried about things like that.

“We just think it’s important to keep our head down and keep workin’ and doin’ what we’re doin’,” says Tyler. “And to be honest man, I’m worried about Tyler and BK’s worried about BK, and together we’re worried about Florida Georgia Line, and that’s about it.”

They try to keep up with what other artists are doing, but they don’t spend a lot of time worrying about how it compares to what they’re doing. Tyler says, “For the most part, we’re worried about playin’ shows, writin’ songs and givin’ our fans what they want and tryin’ to live the best as we can.”

They hear the chatter that goes on around them but Tyler says, “We don’t really let it affect us very often.”

Florida Georgia Line Remembers Where They Came From With “Dirt”

FGL’s latest single is definitely different from their hits like “Cruise” and “This Is How We Roll,” but Tyler Hubbard says that was part of the appeal of the song. “We’ve done the party songs, we’ve done the upbeat fun stuff, and this is just a song that everybody can relate to. People young or people older, everybody kinda has that place in their life that’s home and that they have a special spot in their heart for. So I think that’s the kinda thing we’re tryin’ to capture with this song.”

The guys knew the song was one they wanted to record the first time they heard it. Tyler says, “When we first heard ‘Dirt’, I mean, we were blown away. It was one of those songs, you kinda get done listenin’ you have chill bumps on your arms, and you’re just like, wow, I can really relate to that. So, it his us hard the first time we heard it.”

They also like the message of the song. “(It’s) just kind of a little reminder of the importance of where you came from,” says Tyler, “where you grew up, and just in general where you live now and whatever that area is for you in your life.”

Luke Bryan’s "Crash My Playa" Tix Now Available

The exclusive four-day country concert event – including performances from Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Cole Swindell – will take place in Riviera Maya on January 23 – 27, 2015. This intimate country concert experience has limited availability, and full package details and reservations can be found at www.crashmyplaya.com. 

All packages for Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa include four nights / five days all-inclusive accommodations at one of the unique participating resorts, airport transfer to and from the hotel, admission to each night’s exclusive beach performances, a limited edition Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa event poster, beach bag, and beach towel. Food featuring local flavors, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available inside the venue and are included with all Crash My Playa packages.  Optional themed adventures and activities that explore the riches of the Riviera Maya will also be offered – from ATV rides to zip lines through the jungle, snorkeling and SCUBA diving, tours through the ancient Mayan ruins and more.

Guests from each resort will receive complimentary ground transportation to and from the Crash My Playa performance area each evening, including two full Luke Bryan shows on January 24 & 26, Florida Georgia Line performing on January 25, and Cole Swindell’s concert on January 23. Other special guests, including Kelleigh Bannen, Dustin Lynch, Eric Paslay, DJ Rock and Chris Stapleton will also be in attendance for the musical destination event and all-inclusive Caribbean vacation experience. 

LINE-UP BREAKDOWN:

January 23: Cole Swindell featuring Dustin Lynch
January 24: Luke Bryan featuring Kelleigh Bannen
January 25: Florida Georgia Line featuring Eric Paslay
January 26: Luke Bryan featuring Chris Stapleton 

Country Goes Motley

Country stars lined up to pay homage to iconic rock group Motley Crue on the new Big Machine release, Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue, which arrives at retail on August 19th. 

Justin Moore, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope, The Mavericks, Big & Rich, The Cadillac Three, Aaron Lewis, Nashville stars Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen, Lauren Jenkins and Gretchen Wilson all recorded Motley Crue’s hits in tribute to the band, who, after more than 30 years together and over 80 million albums sold worldwide, have decided to call it quits.

The idea for Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue at first didn’t make sense to the band, but Vince Neil says they quickly came around to giving their stamp of approval. “I just kind of couldn’t wrap my head around it because my head is still like what country was 30 years ago, say when I was growing up, and I didn’t really realize that country music has become the new rock ‘n’ roll, and so all of a sudden I started listening to these bands and going, ‘This actually makes sense. I mean, this is really cool! So it became really exciting and after listening to the songs for the first time of all the acts I was like, ‘These guys all hit a homerun on this record.’”

The first single from Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Motley Crue is Justin Moore’s version of “Home Sweet Home,” featuring Vince Neil.

"Having A Better Sophomore Album Is Inevitable"

Florida Georgia Line’s sophomore album, featuring their latest single, “Dirt,” will be released this fall, and Tyler Hubbard believes it’s inevitable that the next album will be better than their first, simply because everyone involved with it has learned and grown since they recorded their first album.

“Anything you do repeatedly, you’re gonna get better at,” says Tyler. “Practice makes perfect. If anything, we’ve practiced a lot the last two years. Whether it’s performing or writing or recording or anything, we’ve learned a ton in the process. So, I think with this album it’s gonna be better than the first album, naturally.”

Not only does he believe they’ve found better songs, but he Tyler says, “I think (our producer) Joey Moi’s gotten better; we’ve gotten better. Everybody gets better as you progress and continue to be hungry for knowledge and hungry for betterin’ yourself, and I think that’s where our whole team is at.”

They haven’t announced a specific release date for the album, but it looks like it will be out around October.

Florida Georgia Line Loves Wide Range of Fans Coming to Their Tour

In between Burn It Down Tour dates with Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line is headlining their own summer tour with special guest Nelly, and they say so far it’s going great. Nelly joins them every night on stage to sing “Cruise,” and Brian says, “We’ve had I think 12, 13, 14,000 people I think the first three nights.”

One thing he’s enjoying the most is seeing the wide range of fans who are coming out to their shows. “It’s pretty cool to see guys in cowboy hats and different kind of cultures, little kids, teenagers, college kids, grandparents, 40 year olds. It seems like everybody’s really packing in and it’s a really cool spot to be in,” says Brian. “We’re very blessed to have that wide of a fan base. Country’s everywhere. It’s pretty cool.”

The This Is How We Roll Summer Tour will be visiting baseball parks across the country through June 22nd.

Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line Rumble in the Elevator

What happens in the elevator stays in the elevator? Sorry, Luke Bryan. That's not exactly true. Because, you know, surveillance cameras and the Internet and all that. So we saw what you did in that elevator with Florida Georgia Line on Wednesday night (June 4). And, we loved it.

Bryan and the duo's Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley put their own spin/spoof on the infamous elevator fight between Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles and Jay Z that happened after the Met Gala in New York City on May 5.

While the country singers were inside the elevator, the grainy black-and-white image was captured of the three pushing and shoving. Kind of like fighting, but classier than the Knowles/Jay Z attack. (By the way, why was she so mad? It really makes you wish elevator cameras recorded audio.)
But the whole time Bryan, Hubbard and Kelley were going at it, the CMT Music Awards host Kristen Bell waited patiently for her elevator. Once the doors opened, the singers stopped fighting, and Bryan turned to Bell and said, "What happens in the elevator stays in the elevator."

It was all in jest, of course. Later in the show, Bryan and Florida Georgia Line's "This Is How We Roll" won the fan-voted award for best collaborative video. In his acceptance speech, Hubbard said, "I want to thank our fans, and I want to thank Luke Bryan for being part of this amazing ride with us and for letting us be a part of his ride."

The comic clip was part of a video skit poking fun at the fact that Bell had to host this year's show alone.

Check out the full opening segment from the 2014 CMT Music Awards.

2014 CMT Music Awards: The Winners - Find out who won big at the 2014 CMT Music Awards

FGL And Luke At Billboard's Music Awards '14

Florida Georgia Line appeared on "ABC-TV's The View" yesterday, to announce that they will perform at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards.

They join a star-studded lineup of previously announced musical performers that include Imagine Dragons, Jason Derulo, John Legend, Luke Bryan and OneRepublic. The 2014 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 18, on ABC at 8pm ET.

The band appeared on "The View" yesterday to perform their hit "This Is How We Roll," and afterwards Sherri Shephard told viewers they could see Florida Georgia Line next on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards.Florida Georgia Line is a finalist in 4 categories, including Top Country Artist, Top Country Album and Top Country Song. Amassing international appeal, Florida Georgia Line has tallied over 13 million tracks sold worldwide from their chart-topping debut album on Republic Nashville.

Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Roll” Is A Motto For Their Life

As the weather is finally starting to look more like spring, and things are starting to warm up, Florida Georgia Line’s latest single, “This Is How We Roll,” is the perfect song to crank up and have a good time. Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley consider the song a bit of a motto for their life, and Tyler says, “That song just kinda describes who we are, what we’re doin’ at this stage of our life and just how blessed we are and how amazing each night is that, get to play music and write with for awesome fans. So, it feels like a big song and we’re just excited and blessed to have Luke (Bryan) on it and hopefully it’ll be a good one for us. We’re excited and love playin’ it every night, and the fans seems to like it.”

Florida Georgia Line is currently out on tour with Jason Aldean, and they’ll be launching their own headlining tour this summer in ballparks across the country.

ACM Presents: An All Star Salute to the Troops

Coming to Vegas for the ACM Awards? Want to show your appreciation to our nation’s service men and women? Stick around on Monday, April 7^th, for ACM Presents: An All-Star Salute to the Troops, a live concert special.

Country music superstars Merle Haggard, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, and The Band Perry are the first artists to be added to the star-studded line-up of performers taking to the stage Monday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The special will be broadcast Tuesday, May 20 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS.

Tickets for ACM Presents: An All Star Salute to the Troops are on sale NOW at Ticketmaster, beginning at $105. All ticket sales will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music. Get your tickets HERE!

FGL And Luke Bryan Together In Their New Release

A&O&B thought it would never happen since it involves two very competitive record labels!  So, maybe there is a chance for peace in the world too!
 
Florida Georgia Line’s new single will be “This Is How We Roll,” a song they recorded with their good buddy, Luke Bryan, whom they toured with most of last year. 

Brian explains that the idea for the song came from a conversation they were having one night with Luke about another one of his songs. “Luke said something explaining one of his songs one night, and he said something about Muckalee Creek is this place where you can shoot bullets out at the moon, and that kinda stuck with me,” Brian said. The idea stuck with him and he says, “We ended up kinda takin’ that little idea and getting’ in the back of the bus and just kinda talkin’ about how we grew up and kinda what we like to do, and ‘This Is How We Roll’ was born.”

Luke is proud of how the song turned out because he says, “It’s just an anthem of life really and how you go about your life. So, I’m very excited about it. It’s amazing to have Luke’s vocals on that. It really shows his personality and definitely brings the song to life.”

Reigning New Artist of the Year, Florida Georgia Line, just received four nominations for April’s ACM Awards, including their second consecutive nod for Vocal Duo of the Year. They also earned nominations for Album of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.

FGL Enjoys The Rewards Of Their Hard Word

Florida Georgia Line says things like winning a CMA Award or being nominated for several Grammy Awards are great payoffs for not only their hard work, but all the people who work hard around them.

“Winning the CMA Award, I mean, just a very surreal night for us,” says Brian Kelley. “A lot of hard work has been put in the past couple years. It’s just a big night for Team FGL, man. You see Florida Georgia Line as Brian and Tyler, but there is so much more that goes on with our team in Nashville, our band and crew on the road that make this thing run.” 

And while they don't do things in their career to try to win awards, Brian admits, “It’s cool to know that you’re doin’ somethin’ right and that people appreciate it. It just really puts everything in perspective about what it’s all about and makin’ the most of it.”

Florida Georgia Line is out on the Night Train Tour with Jason Aldean, and they’re getting ready to release their new single, “This Is How We Roll,” featuring Luke Bryan, off of their Deluxe CD.

Florida Georgia Line Feels The Love From Their Peers

Florida Georgia Line is always blown away by the love and support they receive from their fans, but they’ve also grateful for the amount of support they get from their friends in the music industry. “That’s what it’s all about, I mean, friends supportin’ friends, artists supportin’ artists,” says Brian Kelley. “We’re all in this for a reason, we all love music. So, if you love somethin’ support it. And that’s what’s really cool about this community and this family is people are very outspoken about what songs they love.”

Brian says the mutual support and admiration only makes the business better. “It does feel like in the past year and a half there’s been kind of a cool surge of country music and there’s a new energy in it,” he says. “You know, it’s electric. I think fans feel that, artists feel that, and it feels good. You know, it’s exciting.”

Florida Georgia Line just celebrated “Stay” becoming their fourth consecutive #1 song off their debut album. They’ve planning to release their sophomore album later this year, and they’ll be hitting the road with Jason Aldean in 2014.

Florida Georgia Line Doesn’t Feel Pressure To Beat 2013

2013 has been an incredible whirlwind of success for FGL, including three consecutive #1 songs and likely a fourth with their current single, “Stay,” but the guys say they don’t feel pressure to try to top this year in 2014. 

“With the release of the deluxe package and everything that’s happened, at the end of this year, the end of our first headline tour, I think next year we’re gonna go in there feeling strong,” says Tyler.  “We’re gonna go in there no pressure. We never really put pressure on ourselves. We just do what we love, write songs that we love, record songs that we love and try to make our live show the best that it can be. And that’s just kinda what we do.”

They already have a huge tour slot lined up as one of the openers on Jason Aldean’s new tour, and Tyler says, “We’re gonna have a lot of fun, play about 60 shows with him, do some headline stuff, record a new album and work as hard as we did this year. You know, fingers crossed, we can be here for a long time. We’re gonna have fun with it.”

Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Jamey Johnson, Trisha Yearwood Sing for Their Heroes in "ALABAMA & Friends" on GAC-TV

"For me, they were the Beatles," said Jason Aldean about country music super group ALABAMA in ALABAMA & Friends, a one-hour concert event premiering Wednesday, November 27, 9:00 p.m./ET on Great American Country. "Through Randy's voice, the songs, his charisma on stage, he had people in the palm of his hand. Watching the reaction those guys got from the crowd was part of the reason I wanted to be an entertainer."

Each artist performs their favorite ALABAMA hit with Aldean delivering "Tennessee River"; Luke Bryan on "Love in the First Degree"; Florida Georgia Line on "I'm In a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)"; Trisha Yearwood on "Forever's As Far As I'll Go"; Jamey Johnson on "My Home's in Alabama"; and Eli Young Band on "The Closer You Get". ALABAMA also performs "All American," one of two new tracks on their recently-released Alabama & Friends tribute album.

"They were just perfectly poetic for a southern person," said Luke Bryan of the group that's sold 73 million albums and charted 43 No. 1 hits. "They may be big stars but they felt like the guys down the street. They knew who their audience was and spoke right to them."

"I think it's given us renewed energy," said ALABAMA lead singer Randy Owen of the outpouring they continue to receive from today's top country music stars. The concert was filmed during one of two sold-out ALABAMA concerts at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium.

FGL New York Shows Sold Out

Breakout duo Florida Georgia Line rocked AEG Live's Best Buy Theater in New York last night when they performed a special anniversary benefit concert celebrating Billboard's 10th Annual Touring Conference & Awards.  The Sold Out show featured the duo's hits "Round Here," "Get Your Shine On," "Cruise," and more. The performance was presented by Citi and benefitted Musicians on Call - a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities across the country.   

Earlier in the evening, Citi gave cardmembers the exclusive opportunity to get up close and personal with the award-winning duo during an intimate Q&A preshow experience at Hill Country Barbecue Market.  For this special Q&A, Florida Georgia Line fans were able to use Twitter to ask questions about their chart-topping debut album HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES, first ever headline tour and experiences on the road.   Billboard's Ray Waddell moderated the event.

Florida Georgia Line has skyrocketed since releasing consecutive, multi-week #1 smashes in the US and Canada with the GOLD-certified "Round Here," PLATINUM-certified "Get Your Shine On" and 6X PLATINUM "Cruise." Breaking the record for longest #1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart, "Cruise" has sold over 6.1 million downloads in the US alone and is the second best-selling Country single ever, according to SoundScan. FGL is the only artist in history to join Brooks & Dunn in having their first three singles hit #1 for multiple weeks each. Poised to follow in the success, FGL's new emotionally fueled Top 15-and-rising single, "Stay," showcases another side of their unique sound and tight harmonies.

Canada Country Aircheck also reports FGL are helping Canadian Dallas Smith establish his career in the USA by having him open shows for them on their tour and getting their record label to look at and sign Dallas to the label.

Florida Georgia Line: Changing Country Music One Party Song At A Time

FGL got a very nice Washington Post profile today:

The band’s rise may seem rapid, but as everyone around them emphasizes, it’s the result of years of tough, behind-the-scenes work. Plus, it’s triumphant proof that doing things a little differently — even if you start outside of the Nashville star-making machine, which has a methodical process of transforming singers into superstars — can lead to success.

“It was a fast rise if you’re looking at it only from the perspective of when the mass audience started paying attention,” says Seth England, the duo’s manager. “I don’t mean that disrespectfully. That’s just when people first became aware of them.”

England laughs, “We call it the five-year overnight success.”

CMA Awards Nominees Announced Tuesday, September 10

Country Music's Biggest Night™ nears as the 2013 CMA Awards nominees are revealed live from New York City and Nashville. Sheryl Crow and Florida Georgia Line kick off the morning by announcing nominees in five of the 12 categories on ABC's "Good Morning America." In Nashville, four-time CMA Award winner Steve Wariner performs and announces the CMA Broadcast Awards finalists live from the CMA headquarters. Then, back in New York City, Sheryl Crow and Florida Georgia Line announce the remaining categories live from the Best Buy Theater.

Be one of the first Country Fans to know the 2013 CMA Awards nominees as they are revealed live!

WATCH LIVE AT CMAAWARDS.COM

ANNOUNCEMENT TIMELINE
8:30 AM Local Time - Sheryl Crow and Florida Georgia Line reveal the nominees for five of the 12 CMA Awards categories on "Good Morning America."
7:45 AM/CT - Steve Wariner performs and announces the CMA Broadcast Awards finalists live from the CMA headquarters on CMAawards.com.
8:45 AM/CT - Sheryl Crow and Florida Georgia Line announce nominees in all CMA Awards categories live from the Best Buy Theater in New York City on CMAawards.com.

Florida Georgia Line Stays Grounded With The Simple Things

They have the biggest selling country single of 2013 so far with “Cruise,” they’ve got two consecutive #1 songs and their third single, “’Round Here,” is well on its way to becoming their third consecutive #1 song off their debut album and their first headlining tour is selling out just as quickly as dates go on sale. 

With all of that success accumulating, the guys say it’s their close friends and getting back to the basics that helps to keep them grounded. “When we can, we try to get away and hang out with and just kinda remember how it used to be. A lot has to do with our family as well. My cousins…I go to Alabama and hang out with them and kinda get away and stuff like that,” explains Tyler. 

He admits it’s not always easy to not get caught up in the whirlwind of their career, but he says, “Just being home for a couple of days and doing things we like to do, like ride motorcycles and riding around with our windows down and listen to music. Just doing our thing kinda keeps us grounded.”