Appearance of former Florida Georgia Line member Brian Kelley
Country music artist Brian Kelley, a Volusia County native and former half of the record-breaking, Grammy-nominated duo Florida Georgia Line with Tyler Hubbard, performed with the Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ Choir at the 2024 Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.
Kelley, who is now pursuing a solo career, performed his song “American Spirit,” released as a single, over the weekend of July 4, 2022. It is a tribute to all those who made sacrifices to defend America’s freedoms and was inspired by the singer’s grandfather, John Edward Kelley, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was a prisoner of war, and received two Purple Hearts.
The theme of speakers on Wednesday was “Make America Strong Again,” with a focus on foreign policy issues such as the war between Israel and Hamas and Iran and China.
Kelley wasn’t the only well-known Florida figure on stage Wednesday night. U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz, Brian Mast, Anna Paulina Luna and Michael Waltz, as well as Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. all appeared before their cameras to condemn President Joe Biden and praise former President Donald Trump.
Who is Brian Kelley?
Born and raised in Ormond Beach, the son of former Volusia County Council Chairman Ed Kelley, Kelley graduated from Seabreeze High School in 2004, played baseball at local fields, and nurtured his musical aspirations by attending concerts at the Daytona Beach Bandshell.
Kelley celebrated his roots in the music video for the 2021 single “Florida Boy Forever,” which features the singer against the backdrop of Volusia and Flagler counties’ landmarks.
What is the Florida Georgia Line?
Kelley met Tyler Hubbard in 2008 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and they decided to become a country duo called Florida Georgia Line. They released their first EP, Anything Like Me, in 2010 and, after meeting Nickelback producer Joey Moi at a carnival, released It’s Just What We Do in 2012. The men wrote country songs but took inspiration from bands like Nickelback, Shinedown and Def Leppard, creating a genre-bending sound (nicknamed “bro-country”) that was well received.
Florida Georgia Line boasts 19 No. 1 singles, more than 17 billion global streams and 4.8 million albums sold. It is the only country act to achieve two RIAA diamond-certified singles – the 14-times platinum No. 1 hits “Cruise” and “Meant to Be” featuring Bebe Rexha. The duo has won five Billboard Music Awards, six CMT Music Awards, two Teen Choice Awards and many others.
Why did Brian Kelley and Florida Georgia Line split up?
There was speculation that political differences played a role in the split, but according to both men, the duo split due to differing views on pursuing other creative expressions. Kelley wanted to work solo and continue performing as Florida Georgia Line, while Hubbard did not.
In May, the country duo appeared on separate episodes of the podcast “Bussin’ With the Boys” with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, and their stories largely matched up.
“BK came to me and said, ‘Man, I really feel like I want to do the solo thing,’ and I was like, ‘Really?'” Hubbard said on the May 7 podcast. “We had just gotten out of our first deal, we were kind of at a sweet spot that we had been working towards for 10 years.”
Hubbard wanted to stay with Florida Georgia Line for another five to ten years, he said, but Kelley said he needed a solo career and his partner was behind him.
“I feel like I’m not enough for you… honestly, it felt like a divorce,” Hubbard said.
Two days later, Kelley told the podcast hosts that he and Hubbard had discussed plans for additional creative expressions back in 2016 and every two years thereafter and decided that after their fifth album, they would go their separate ways but keep the band alive.
The duo officially played their last show together – at least for now – in August 2022. Meanwhile, Kelley released his solo debut album, Sunshine State of Mind, in 2021. In January 2023, Hubbard released a solo debut album of the same name.
Kelley told the News-Journal in 2023 that he was open to the possibility of an FGL reunion, but was currently focusing on his own music.
“I love what we’ve created and I think people still want to see it. We’ll just have to wait and see,” he said. “The answer isn’t mine. Right now we’re taking a break and really focusing on solo careers. I’m just excited to be able to focus on building my career.”
When will Brian Kelley perform at the 2024 RNC?
Unclear. Kelley, the Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ Choir and the UNC Frat Boys are scheduled to perform at 8:20 p.m., or 9:20 p.m. EDT, according to the official schedule. But Kelley’s Nashville-based publicist Jensen Sussman confirmed that the singer is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. in the Eastern Time Zone.
How can I watch the 2024 RNC?
The RNC is closed to everyone except delegates, politicians, media members and volunteers, but you can still watch a lot of it on various media platforms and streaming services. USA TODAY is streaming it here (same video as at the top of the page). You can also stream the RNC on the following channels:
Note that some streamers may block the sound of musical performances for copyright reasons, as has happened occasionally over the past two days.
Television networks’ coverage of the convention will vary slightly. Here is an overview of the major networks and their coverage schedules:
- C-SPAN will hold the entire conference on all four days without interruption.
- CBS Television networks will broadcast live coverage on all four days starting at 10 p.m. ET.
- NBC News will broadcast “Decision 2024” live while streaming the program, from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the first two nights of the Congress and from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the last two nights.
- abc news will broadcast live on its main broadcast network from 10pm to 11pm daily for four days, hosted by David Muir.
- FoxNews Coverage will air during regular prime-time programming, and a one-hour special will air nightly at 10 p.m., hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
- CNN will broadcast a combination of reporting and analysis nightly from 8pm to midnight, hosted by Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper.
- MSNBC broadcasts on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to midnight.
- NewsNation will present special coverage of the RNC all week, beginning Sunday, July 14, through Thursday, July 18. On Wednesday and Thursday, from 7 a.m. to noon, NewsNation will present “Decision Desk 2024: The Republican National Convention”
- PBS News will provide start-to-finish coverage each day of the convention, with a continuous stream from the ground floor.
Contributor: Elizabeth Beyer, USA TODAY
Elephant in Zambia pulls US tourist out of safari vehicle and tramples her to death
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(978x472:980x474)/joe-alwyn-kinds-of-kindness-premiere-062024-23c40b1002e841c39b455b252f0749b3.jpg "Joe Alwyn leaves film premiere after talking about breakup with Taylor Swift")
Joe Alwyn leaves film premiere after talking about breakup with Taylor Swift
Joy Taylor wows in low-cut summer dress during holiday in Spain, while the “perfect” Speak presenter claims: “I have reached a new goal.”
About The Author
