Brace yourselves, because it’s inevitable at this point… Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley took the stage together recently for the first time in four years, after the duo formerly known as Florida Georgia Line announced back in 2022 that they would be going their separate ways to pursue solo careers. The surprise reunion occurred during a surprise party for Jason Aldean to celebrate his 31 #1 singles, with the duo taking the stage to perform “You Make It Easy,” one of Aldean’s #1 songs that was co-written by Hubbard and Kelley along with Morgan Wallen and Jordan Schmidt. And apparently Jason Aldean himself thinks we see a full-blown reunion sooner rather than later. There’s no denying that, love them or hate them, Florida Georgia Line was one of the biggest artists of the 2010s and a driving force in the “bro-country” movement – for better or worse. But back in 2022, after years of declining sales of their new music and a changing sound in country music, Hubbard and Kelley announced that they were bringing an end to FGL and would instead continue making music as solo artists. At the time, there was a lot of speculation that the duo split due to political differences between the two after Hubbard unfollowed Kelley on social media during the 2020 election. (Hubbard and his wife Hayley supported Joe Biden, while Kelley and his wife Brittney supported Donald Trump). The duo denied that their split had to do with politics, but it became clear that it was a nasty breakup between the two when both began telling their side of the story. Hubbard, the “Georgia” half of FGL, made an appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast featuring Will Compton and Taylor Lewan last year, where he confirmed that he wasn’t speak much with his former bandmate and saying that the split caught him by surprise: “For me it was really unexpected. But BK came to me and said, ‘Man I’m really feeling like I want to do a solo thing.’” He also revealed that he tried to talk Kelley out of it, with the duo even going to therapy together to try to work through their issues. But turns out Kelley was adamant about it, though he still wanted to keep Florida Georgia Line together. Hubbard wasn’t going to do that though, and basically gave him an ultimatum: It was either FGL or solo, but not both. “I don’t have capacity to do two careers. And also it’s going to get super sticky. When we’re writing songs, who are we writing for? When we got two show offers, an FGL date and a solo date, what are we taking? I’m like, I don’t even logistically see how that would work, much less emotionally.” Well, those comments didn’t sit well with Kelley, who was then given his own appearance on the podcast to tell his side of the story. During his interview, Kelley confirmed a lot of what Hubbard had said: He wanted to release solo music, Hubbard didn’t see how it would work if they tried to have solo careers while also being a duo, and they ended up splitting. But there were a lot of differences in their stories too. Kelley says that there had been talks about doing solo music as far back as 2016, but that the two had agreed that they would wait until the end of their contract, and after the release of FGL’s fifth album, before pursuing these other avenues. Well it turns out that, although Hubbard said he didn’t want them to pursue solo careers apart from FGL, he had actually gone behind Kelley’s back and recorded a song with Tim McGraw amidst the social unrest of 2020 – and when he told Kelley about the song, he also informed him that they would be performing it at Biden’s inauguration. “Tyler had solo music out before I even did. Before we even got our fifth album out, he had released a couple songs, he had played Biden’s inauguration which was a huge look to be a solo act with Tim McGraw. He released another song. I didn’t start releasing music ’til April… He was rockin’ at radio immediately, top of January of 2021 and I didn’t get music out ’til April and then the album in June.” And Kelley says he was blindsided by Hubbard’s decision to make the first step to go solo with “Undivided,” the duet with Tim McGraw: “Surprised. Shocked for sure. I thought we had a deal about what the plan was. Going back to my main thing, is protecting FGL. I didn’t think that was a good look, if I’d have done it or if he did it.” All that to say, it wasn’t an amicable split and there were plenty of hurt feelings on both sides of the Florida/Georgia line. But over the past few months, there have been signs that the two have been working on healing their relationship. Hubbard and Kelley were spotted together at the CMA Awards last year for the first time, and during an appearance on the Human School Podcast late last year, Hubbard revealed that the two were actively working to repair their friendship and even had a hike planned together. Then earlier this year they shared photos from the hike, and have shared pictures of themselves getting together a couple times since then. All that led up to the reunion at Aldean’s surprise party, an unexpected moment that the “She’s Country” singer discussed recently during an appearance on the Try That In A Small Town podcast. “It was really cool to see those guys back together. I mean, man, they were such a big duo and, in my opinion, one of the biggest duos we’ve had in this business. Love ’em or hate ’em, it is a fact. It was good to see those guys back on stage together playing and, you know, I think in town here we’ve all been kind of hearing rumblings of stuff.” When asked whether he thought there would be a reunion at some point, Aldean didn’t hesitate: “Oh yeah. I would assume there’s probably going to be a record at some point, and I feel like they’re kind of getting there. I feel like it’s been, you know, weird few years. They’re kind of feeling it out and just sort of getting back together and kind of reconnecting a little bit, but I think they’re too good to not do that. I think the country music fans would eat that up, and so I’m pulling for those guys to hopefully make a record and get back.” Jason also didn’t beat around the bush when discussing the impact that a reunion would have on their careers: “Listen, I mean, it is what it is: You’re never going to be as big apart as you were together. It is what it is. They were too big of an act as a duo to ever accomplish that same thing on their own, either one of them. So I think it’s the smart move for them.” Of course Kelley and Hubbard have only recently started to mend fences, so I have a feeling that any potential reunion is still a little bit down the road as they work on their personal relationship. But like Jason Aldean, I’m convinced that it’s coming – whether we like it or not. The post Jason Aldean Says He “Definitely” Thinks A Florida Georgia Line Reunion Is Coming: “They’re Too Good” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A star-studded music video for her crossover smash hit. Ella Langley is gearing up to release her highly-anticipated sophomore album Dandelion, which will be out in less than a month on April 10th, and she already has a huge song on her hands with the lead single, “Choosin’ Texas.” She recently broke the record for longest-running #1 hit on Hot 100 by a female country singer after the song spent its fourth non-concurrent week in first place on that chart, surpassing Taylor Swift, who spent three weeks at #1 back in 2012 for her pop hit, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Of course, Ella wrote the song with Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor, and it’s become an absolute juggernaut and historically huge mainstream crossover hit. And every huge hit needs a good music video to go along with it, and today, “Choosin’ Teas” got the full music video treatment complete with some huge Hollywood stars in Luke Grimes, who fans will recognize from Yellowstone currently Marshals, where he stars as Kayce Dutton, and Ava Phillippe is also a lead role, and her face is a dead give away that she is the daughter of Reese Witherspoon… she’s a spitting image of her mom, that’s for sure. Co-writer and producer Miranda Lambert is also featured on stage, clearly the Texas part of the equation in terms of the writing process. Country artist Kaitlin Butts is also included in the video, as well as iconic rodeo figures like Dale Brisby, JB Mauney, Shad Mayfield, Tyson Durfey, and more. Texas A&M’s Aggie Wranglers dance team performs as Langley and Grimes head to the honky tonk to cut a rug and enjoy the night life. You’ll also recognize other staple Texas country artists in Wade Bowen, Casey Donahew, Tanner Usrey and Mike Ryan. But as the song goes, of course, he has a thing for Texas, and a certain blonde, played by Phillippe, and he chooses Texas as Langley comes to terms with the fact that her boyfriend is falling for another woman. With a song that’s been as big as this, it deserved a star-studded video like the one she’s put out, and I think fans will enjoy seeing Grimes in particular playing the leading man, who is also gearing up to put out his own sophomore album Redbird this Friday, April 3rd. The career-defining song continues to get bigger, and Ella’s album is poised for a huge release when it comes out in just a couple weeks. You can watch the cinematic music video here: The Dandelion Tour Dates 5/7/2026 Toledo, OH Huntington Center (+,&) 5/8/2026 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena (+,&) 5/14/2026 Estero, FL Hertz Arena (@, &) 5/15/2026 Savannah, GA Enmarket Arena (@, &) 6/18/2026 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre (+,&) 6/19/2026 Independence, MO Cable Dahmer Arena (+,&) 6/25/2026 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center (+,&) 6/26/2026 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park (+,&) 7/23/2026 Pikeville, KY Appalachian Wireless Arena (#, %) 7/24/2026 Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre (#, %) 7/25/2026 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum (#, %) 7/30/2026 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion (@, %) 7/31/2026 Canandaigua, NY CMAC (@, %) 8/13/2026 Austin, TX Moody Center (#, &) 8/14/2026 Corpus Christi, TX Hilliard Center (#, &) 8/15/2026 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena (#, &) @ Kameron Marlowe + Dylan Marlowe # Kaitlin Butts & Gabriella Rose % Laci Kaye BoothThe post Ella Langley Releases Star-Studded “Choosin’ Texas” Music Video Featuring Luke Grimes, Miranda Lambert, Texas Country Singers, Rodeo Stars & More first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Clearing the air on his politics. With political division in the U.S. seemingly growing by the day, it’s been reflected in some ways by the artists in country music. While country has never been a genre that has shied away from political issues on both sides of the aisle throughout its history, take Johnny Cash’s “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” or Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” for example, these days, we’ve seen major artists from multiple different subgenres take hard stances when it comes to their politics. On the right, you obviously have major, mainstream names such as Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Parker McCollum and more who have become some of the most outspoken artists who have either performed at President Trump’s inaugurations, Turning Point USA events and more. On the left, there’s been a growing movement in the independent scene and abroad, with major artists like Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Sturgill Simpson, Tim McGraw and more, many taking hard stances against many Republican-dominated spaces in the genre. Lately, it seemed as if the Texan crooner, Charley Crockett, was well on his way to becoming the next outspoken member of the growing Democrat movement in the independent and alternative country scene, but he recently cleared the air in a new video posted on his Instagram. In case you missed it, on Super Bowl weekend, the “Jamestown Ferry” singer, who has never been one to shy away from speaking about what’s on his mind, would find himself in hot water with many after taking aim at the likes of President Trump, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and even Jelly Roll. In case you missed it, this came directly ahead of Bad Bunny’s controversial Super Bowl halftime appearance and ultimately saw Crockett call Trump a “cosplay president” while also calling for both Musk and Theil to be deported in a lengthy Instagram rant. The entire post reads as follows: “They keep saying I’m a cosplay cowboy but they love a cosplay president. Some folks have been on here calling Muhammad Ali a draft dodger when y’all got one in the White House. When I was at the Grammys the other night I saw a guy get up and talk about Jesus, and then I saw Bad Bunny get up there and talk like Jesus. The country music establishment should be taking notes on a Puerto Rican American who hasn’t forgotten his heritage and brought his culture’s traditional music back to the front, showing the world something new with it. The President is a grifter who bankrupted 6 casinos. That’s pretty extraordinary considering it’s a rigged business in favor of the house. The only thing he’s good at is filing lawsuits and portraying a successful business man as a reality TV actor. Last time I checked Elon Musk was an immigrant from South Africa but there he is standing in the White House buying our elections. Let’s deport his a** and send Peter Thiel back with him since they both openly believe in a post democratic society where men of their class are above the law. Forgive me if I have a problem with a 34 time convicted felon running this country when I lost the right to vote or own a weapon for years over marijuana. As long as you’re hating the oppressed and loving your oppressor you’ll never know why our generation is poorer than our parents and grandparents. As a great man once said it’s welfare for the rich and rugged individualism for the poor. If you can sleep at night licking their boots that’s between you and yours, but that type of thinking isn’t freedom. It’s mental slavery. Every single right we have as a people wasn’t handed to us. We had to fight and take it. Judge a man by how he treats the poor and those who he views as being able to do nothing for him. Don’t forget why Muhammad Ali said ‘I am America.’ Remember the coal miners of Harlan County, Kentucky. I believe in what we can be. Ride on.” And then, despite railing against Trump, and other conservatives, Crockett would add in the comment section that he doesn’t believe the current issues in the country don’t boil down to a left or right issue, noting that he believes something else entirely is happening here. “I truly believe this isn’t a left or right issue. There’s something else happening here.” As previously stated, his comments left a lot of fans divided. With right-wingers claiming he’s “gone woke” and left-wingers essentially anointing him as their newest savior of country music, Crockett would clear the air a few weeks later. In an Instagram story that was deleted shortly after going up, the “Welcome to Hard Times” singer would clarify that he doesn’t identify with either party and claim that he’s instead “on the road.” Additionally, he’d take aim at our two-party system and the dishonesty displayed by the majority of politicians. “I’m not on the left. I’m not on the right. I’m on the road. And that’s a hard way to go. There’s no real left in corporate America. Only the party of the dollar with two right wings. The last president who stood up to the military industrial complex lost his life on the streets of Dallas in 1963. Not one single president has been elected outside the two party system in our entire 250 year history. A politician is somebody who collects votes from the poor and accepts money from the rich, promising both protection from the other. They’re dishonest by design. Fenced in, sold off, plate out.” Since then, Crockett has had quite an interesting past month. In addition to announcing his latest album, Age of the Ram, which releases this Friday, and plotting a massive tour behind it, he’d wind up having to cancel his February tour dates in Canada after being denied entry into the country twice, thanks to his prior drug-related felonies in the U.S. Now that the dust has settled on a majority of his politically-charged rants, he decided to post another one last night. Posting a brief monologue from one of his past concerts on his social media accounts, Crockett would once again clarify that he doesn’t identify with either the republican or democrat party, and he never has. Though he wouldn’t go into any specifics regarding the situation, the San Benito native would explain how his family was persecuted by the government under both parties. Taking a fairly classic libertarian stance, Crockett would also remark that his dislike for the government doesn’t change depending on which party is in power, instead simply stating that he “straight up doesn’t like or trust the government.” “My family, we fought the U.S. government for a long time. We were persecuted by the American government through two different administrations, both a republican and a democratic administration. So what I’d like to say is… I don’t dislike the government when this party’s in power or like it when this party’s in power. I just straight up don’t like or trust the government.  I trust you folks for buying tickets to my show, and I think the only reason the government ever does anything honest at all is ’cause we hold them accountable.” Considering the hard line that has been drawn politically by many of the genre’s most outspoken artists nowadays, it’s a bit refreshing to see Crockett not adhere to either of the major political parties in the country. Though many have called his authenticity and “outlaw” identity into question over the years, there’s no denying that a dislike for the government has one of the key characteristics of the outlaw movement over the decades. That being said, not liking the government isn’t exactly a new concept, and while Charley likes to do a lot of talking about this, that and the other, is he really… saying anything? Age of the Ram Tour Dates April 24 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre with Lee Fields May 29 – Nashville, TN – Music City Rodeo May 30 – Danville, VA – The Pantheon at Caesars Virginia with Honky Tonkin’ Queens May 31 – Scaly Mountain, NC – Bear Shadow Festival June 17 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall with Wild Horses June 18 – La Fayette, NY – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards with Wild Horses Jun 19 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival June 20 – Charles Town, WV – The Event Center at Hollywood Casino with Nat Myers June 22 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark with Nat Myers June 23 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit with Nat Myers June 25 – Davenport, IA – Rhythm City Casino Resort with Sierra Hull June 26 – Eau Claire, WI – Blue Ox Music Festival June 27 – Paw Paw, MI – Warner Vineyard with Nat Myers June 28 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha with Sierra Hull June 30 – Billings, MT – Downtown Billings July 04 – Calgary, AB – Spruce Meadows with Kashus Culpepper July 08 – Casper, WY – Ford Wyoming Center with Wild Horses July 10 – Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club Festival July 11 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Festival July 12 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater with Sierra Hull and Wild Horses July 14 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield with Twin Temple July 15 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest Resort & Casino with Sierra Hull July 16 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater with Margo Price July 18 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre with Twin Temple July 27 – Goshen, IN – Elkhart County 4-H Fair Aug 27 – Canyon, TX – The Lumberyard Canyon with The Weary Boys Aug 28 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas with The Weary Boys Aug 29 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas with Jake Penrod Aug 30 – Helotes, TX – Floore’s Country Store with Jake Penrod Sept 01 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre with Pony Bradshaw Sept 02 – Dothan, AL – The Plant with Pony Bradshaw Sept 04 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre with Pony Bradshaw Sept 05 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion with Nat Myers Sept 09 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts with Nat Myers  Sept 10 – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with Nat Myers Sept 12 – Robinsonville, MS – Horseshoe Casino’s Bluesville – Bluesville with Nat Myers Sept 14 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! with Nat Myers Sept 15 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee with Nat Myers Sept 16 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 17 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 19 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 21 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 22 – North Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 24 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 25 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival Sept 29 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Mainstage Theater with Durand Jones & The Indications Oct 01 – New York, NY – SummerStage in Central Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Oct 02 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage with Durand Jones & The IndicationsThe post “I Just Straight Up Don’t Like Or Trust The Government”: Charley Crockett Says He’s Neither A Republican Nor A Democrat first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Not only are music fans discovering new artists on TikTok… artists are finding out about other artists through the social media app. TikTok’s massive influence on the music industry is something not a whole lot of people could have predicted. For years, new music was brought to the attention of listeners through the radio. But as technology progressed, so has the means of music discovery. Now, the younger audience finds their favorites through social media clips… mainly on TikTok. Love it or hate it, that’s just how it is in the modern age. And as Christian artist Brandon Lake explained in a recent interview on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, TikTok is even helping artists get connected with other artists. You’re probably familiar with he and Jelly Roll’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah” collaboration, right? Lake shared that the Grammy-winning song may not have ever happened if it weren’t for TikTok: “What’s crazy about TikTok is that’s how Jelly Roll heard my song ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah.’ He heard a clip, thought I was a completely different artist, just happened to hear that audio on TikTok. Two weeks later, he throws his phone in the river here in Nashville. Had he not heard that clip, I don’t know that we would have ever done that song together, which just won a Grammy.” Sound like it was all impeccable timing. As they say, sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways. Lake says he and his team reached out shortly after they became aware that Jelly Roll was a fan, and the ask was simple: Would the rapper-turned-country-star be interested in laying down a duet? And it appears that it was perfect timing, because the “Need A Favor” singer said he had been praying for an opportunity like “Hard Fought Hallelujah” to come along: “It was probably a few weeks later that my team reached out, said, ‘Hey do you want to jump on this song with this guy Brandon?’ (Jelly was) like, ‘Is is that Hallelujah song? Yeah I love that song, I want to be a part of it. I’ve been praying for a song like this.’ Then we talked on the phone for an hour. Didn’t even talk about the song. Just talked about being dads and husbands and traveling artists. That balance and all of that with family. Just hit it off.” And after Brandon Lake worked with Jelly Roll, that opened up the door for other country collaborations. “When A Cowboy Prays” with Cody Johnson was a huge hit, and he’ll soon release a song with Lainey Wilson titled “The Jesus I Know Now.” Needless to say, Christian music has been having a moment, and Brandon Lake and the many country music artists that have worked with him as of late are to thank. “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Jelly Roll was the gateway, and now, Lake is taking full advantage of his acceptance into the country music world. You can hear the Christian artist speak more about that in the Nashville Now interview below: The post Brandon Lake Says Jelly Roll Found Him Through A TikTok Clip That Wasn’t Even Him: “Thought I Was A Completely Different Artist” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.