If you where not a fan of Florida Georgia Line then you may want to take a closer look at the bands views and what they really want to do….

It’s a pretty excellent time to be Florida Georgia Line — with a string of platinum-selling songs, No. 1 radio singles and award show trophies, the duo is currently one of the top acts in country music.

Then again, it couldn’t be a more contentious time to be Florida Georgia Line. Country music is embroiled in an identity struggle of sorts. This is nothing new for Nashville, but the debate has reached a particularly sharp fever pitch in the age of social media. And Florida Georgia Line — who helped change the sound of modern country music by successfully fusing hip-hop and rap into their songs, which often extol the “bro-country” virtues of partying, drinking and girls in bikinis — is frequently caught in the crossfire.

Ever since “bro-country” started to dominate the genre, the FGL duo (Brian Kelley, 29, of Florida and Tyler Hubbard, 28, of Georgia) often find themselves the subject of criticism and defending their music, which they say a) stays true to who they are and b) is a lot deeper than people give them credit for.

While traditional country fans may disagree (there’s also evidence that the country audience is craving a new sound), take one look around a Florida Georgia Line concert and you’ll see Kelley’s right. The duo had a quick rise to arena headliner status, at least by Nashville standards. After meeting as students at Belmont University and eventually gaining a following through gigs around town, Kelley and Hubbard rocketed to fame with their 2012 smash “Cruise,” which, thanks to a Nelly remix, went on to become the best-selling digital country song in history.

Other hits followed, including “Round Here,” “Stay” and “This is How We Roll,” a rocker featuring superstar Luke Bryan. Then their second album debuted with the single “Dirt,” a slow, thoughtful tune about the passage of time that impressed critics. Not so much with the next track, “Sun Daze,” a party anthem boasting lyrics including “Throw a 20 on a cornhole game/If I’m lucky, yeah I might get laid” and “All I wanna do today is wear my favorite shades and get stoned.”

The bluntly sexual nature raised some eyebrows, but the song shot up the iTunes and radio charts — albeit with more radio-friendly lyrics. Kelley says that was more than fine: “We’re businessmen, and we wrote the alternate line, too. We want our songs played on country radio…we’re aware [some in the] audience may not like that so it’s all good, it’s cool. It’s not an issue at all.”

Kelley and Hubbard are concentrating on keeping their own hit streak alive, and readying the release of a new song from their upcoming third album that Kelley thinks “will change the world.”

What Do You Think?

Is Florida Georgia Line Trying To Change The Conservative Sound Of Country Music Or Is It A Revolutionary New Sound?

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Article Source: Washington Post

Photo Source: Zaleski/Invision