Month: June 2022

Brian Kelley, one half of the currently-defunct hit duo Florida Georgia Line, is returning with new solo music next month. Called “American Spirit,” the new song will honor patriotic pride just in time for Independence Day.

Brian co-wrote “American Spirit” with fellow country artist Canaan Smith as well as Jake Rose and Blake Redferrin. It's an especially meaningful song for the singer because it honors his “Poppy,” John Edward Kelley, who earned two Purple Hearts and was a prisoner of war while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.

To celebrate the gravity of the song, Brian enlisted painter Steve Penley to create the cover art, which features an American soldier proudly waving the flag.

The new song also sees Brian returning to his former label home, Big Machine Records, which is also where he'll release his new solo music going forward. In addition to his releases with FGL, he put out his debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, in 2021.

“American Spirit” comes out July 1, but it's available to pre-save and preorder now.

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After teasing her next album with new songs like “Good Person” and “Seeing Someone Else,” Ingrid Andress is ready to share more. Her sophomore record, Good Person, will be out this August.

To celebrate the album announcement, she put out “Pain,” another new song that Ingrid says, in many ways, is the heart of the project.

“Sometimes you find yourself in situations where you know it's going to hurt terribly, but you have to go through with it,” the singer reflects. “This song is a reminder that it's ok to feel sad and unhappy, but it won't always be that way.”

She adds, “Writing this song was a really cathartic experience, and it made me feel understood, like I was listening to myself.”

Those themes are present throughout her Good Person album: Ingrid says that making it was “one of the most painful processes I've ever been through,” but it led her to somewhere worthwhile.”

“I realized how scared a lot of people are to push boundaries and how I am not, that's my bread and butter,” she continues. “Isn't that the goal, to discover new things? What are we doing here if we're not trying to make new art?”

Good Person is due out August 26. This summer, you can catch Ingrid on the road with Keith Urban for his The Speed of Now World Tour.

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Mickey Guyton shared the stage with Black Pumas for an episode of CMT Crossroads last night, with the two acts teaming up for renditions of Mickey's “Lay It On Me” and “Black Like Me,” plus duet versions of songs off the Pumas' 2019 debut album.

The country star tells People that the performance revealed a different side to her songs, especially when lead vocalist Eric Burton lent his voice to the lyrics.

“They're roots, blues and folk, and to hear him interpret it, you can hear the soul in the music,” Mickey explains. “I always knew I had soul, but to hear it come from somebody else, you can hear it in my music more, which is really cool.”

It wasn't the first time Mickey and the Pumas had teamed up: They also performed together at this year's CMT Music Awards. Mickey's been a fan of the duo for a while now, and she says that it was her husband, Grant, who turned her on to their music.

“He was just listening to them all the time,” she recounts. “So we started listening to the whole catalog, and I just grew to love them, too.”

Another of the songs they performed together during the Crossroads episode was “Better Than You Left Me,” Mickey's 2015 debut single.

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As he looks ahead to Father's Day this weekend, Luke Bryan knows he wouldn't be the person he is today without the traits he inherited from his dad.

For example, the country star learned how to approach business by watching his dad. Now, he says, the attitude he inherited constantly serves him well. “His navigation of business is always cordial and friendly with people,” the singer explains. “He was never one of those business guys that his route to business was to beat you down.”

Luke says he admired that his dad always put people first — even ahead of financial gain. “He never wanted to see anybody else go broke or try to force them into something,” he continues. “He was a really polite businessman. I feel like I try to do my business that way.”

But not all the traits that the singer inherited from his dad are quite so magnanimous. Luke says his dad also taught him to be fastidious about hobby gear.

“I mean, his boats look like they're in the Smithsonian,” he jokes. “If anybody goes and messes with his fishing tackle — and I'm the same way. I've got my tackle gear and then the boys go in my tackle shed and just destroy it. Ugh, it makes fire come out of my ears.”

There's one more quirk the father and son share.

“He's a friendly person, and he's big [and] loud,” Luke adds. “So I got my big, loud voice from him.”

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