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Brian Kelley’s new song is called “Make America Great Again”

Brian Kelley’s new song is called “Make America Great Again”

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One half of Florida Georgia Line wants to “make America great again.”

Brian Kelley, who was a member of the successful country duo FGL for over a decade, announced the new song and performed at the 2024 Republican National Convention this week, singing along with the Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ Choir. The song is apparently inspired by former President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.

In an Instagram post on Friday, the “Cruise” country singer said he wrote the song as a “concerned, real American” on July 7, “less than a week before the failed assassination attempt on @realdonaldtrump and after processing that event and having enough of the current state of America, I decided I needed to get this out ASAP.”

He continued, “I don’t pander and I will never waver. I’m proud to honor my voice and give a voice and anthem to those who feel the same way. Stand up with me,” adding, “No matter what side you’re on or in the middle, let’s be respectful.”

Why did the Florida Georgia Line split up? Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley reveal new details in podcast: “It felt like a divorce”

Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley’s bandmate, unfollowed him during the 2020 election

In November 2020, the same month that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, fans noticed that Kelley’s group member Tyler Hubbard had “unfollowed” his bandmate on Instagram, leading to speculation about a possible split.

“I unfollowed BK for a couple of days while we were … in the middle of this election and everything that was going on there,” Hubbard said on “Exit 209 with Storme Warren” on SiriusXM.

“I actually called him and told him. I said, ‘Hey buddy, I love you. And I love you in real life way more than I love you in your (Instagram) stories right now. That’s why I unfollowed you. Nothing personal. I still love you. You’re still my brother.’ I just didn’t want to see it every time I open Instagram. And that’s why it wasn’t a big deal.”

Kelley met Hubbard in 2008 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and they decided to form a country duo called Florida Georgia Line and performed together until the duo’s final concert in September 2022 at the Minnesota State Fair.

But later, the couple actually split up. In May of this year, new details about the band’s breakup came to light when both appeared on separate episodes of the podcast “Bussin’ With the Boys” with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.

In a May 7 episode, Hubbard again confirmed that the “unexpected” separation was initiated by Kelley.

“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. “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.”

Contributors: Dave Pauslon, Diana Leyva