Florida Georgia Line is one of the most iconic country music acts of the modern era. But they hadn’t performed together since 2022 until Thursday night.
WASHINGTON — One of country music’s most influential duos is back together again.
Florida Georgia Line members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley reunited for a pair of surprise songs on Thursday during the opening day of the CMA Music Festival, their first performance as a group since splitting in 2022.
The CMA Music Festival, presented by the Country Music Association, is one of the largest country music festivals in the world, with the four-day event regularly attracting some of the top artists in the genre’s history.
The pair took to the stage for electrifying renditions of their hits, including their breakout hit “Cruise.” The reunion comes after weeks of speculation from fans, Prompted by mysterious updates to the group’s social media accounts A billboard in downtown Nashville contains a cryptic phone number.
When a fan texts this numberthey received a message hinting at a reunion: “It turns out some things are better together. There’s more to come. FGL LFG.”
The CMA Fest appearance began with an introduction from legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer, known for his iconic “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!” slogan.
Hubbard and Kelly separately made their way through the crowd while performing their 2013 hit “Round Here,” passing through the audience and high-fiving fans before reuniting on stage to a standing ovation.
The duo followed with “Cruise,” a song that helped change their careers and the sound of modern country music.
After years of record-setting success with Florida Georgia Line, Hubbard and Kelly both pursued solo careers and announced “indefinite hiatus” in 2022. Their reunion show marked the first time the two had shared the stage since their last show.
In its heyday, Florida Georgia Line played a major role in reshaping the country music landscape. “Cruise” became a crossover phenomenon for the band, spending nearly 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and helping introduce the fusion of country, pop and hip-hop to a wider audience.
In 2017, the duo achieved even greater success with “Meant to Be,” a collaboration with Bebe Rexha, which stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 50 weeks and set a record for the longest-running No. 1 song on the Hot Country chart.
The group has not announced plans other than a one-time reunion.
