Love, heartbreak, and the pursuit of happiness are your typical inspirations for creating the proper nation track. Brian Kelley checked all these bins on his path to turning into a multi-platinum nation celebrity—however possibly not to your typical nation music causes.
As a substitute of placing lyrics to music over a broken-hearted breakup, a redshirt designation as a freshman pitcher at Florida State started shifting the left-hander extra towards music whereas his Seminole teammates have been on the highway pursuing their baseball goals.
“I didn’t get to travel with the team, so that left me with quite some time to sulk in my apartment and write songs about it,” Kelley recollects, laughing. “I just made the most of that time—I wasn’t out partying, I was in my room writing songs.”
Kelley says the frustration didn’t completely dissuade him from giving up on his Main League boyhood goals. Nonetheless, his ardour for performing was placing each abilities on a collision course—which required the athlete and artist to stay each mentally centered and bodily match. “I didn’t care if I was the last pick, I’d go and at least give it a shot,” he says. “But if my name wasn’t called, that was going to be the sign that music was going to be my path.”
Shifting ahead required shifting to Nashville, the place Kelley transferred from FSU to tiny Belmont College, the place he was in a position to each pitch and pursue a music diploma. It’s the place he met Tyler Hubbard, the opposite half of the chart-toping Florida Georgia Line. The duo recorded 19 profession No.1 hits, together with the diamond-selling 2012 smash “Cruise,” and “Meant to Be.”
Now, following the group’s well-publicized break up in 2022, Kelley continues writing about heartbreak and happiness—and fishing—this time as a solo artist. He simply launched his new solo album, “Tennessee Truth” and his latest hit, Kiss My Boots, is an ode to being wronged. The change in record-making routine has reinvigorated the creativity course of, permitting Kelley to jot down in his personal voice. “Both are great,” he says. “I love collaborating, but it’s cool to be able to zoom in on who I am, and share with people who are like, ‘oh, that only him. I think that’s cool.”
Most vital, Belmont was additionally the spot the place Brian Kelley met his spouse, Brittney. When he’s not performing world wide, the 2 take pleasure in life pursuing what he refers back to the “Beach Cowboy” life. They journey collectively, cook dinner collectively, and possibly most vital he says, they oftentimes prepare collectively, feeding off one another’s power or pushing each other. Staying match has been part of Brian Kelley’s routine since his enjoying days, and is what’s conserving him in sport form at age 38.
Kelley’s keys to sustaining Nation Muscle don’t at all times contain heavy weightroom, baseball-specific classes, it now varies with cardio work, some deep sea fishing and even the occasional “redneck cold plunge.”
And when the motivation isn’t at all times there, Brittney is, ensuring the couple will get a sweat in earlier than they get to any form of beachside chillin’. “I’m grateful I’m married her because she’s a trooper,” he says. “She’s like, you better get up here and work out with me. And I’m like, yep, [let’s go].”
Brian Kelley Retains Fishing for Success
So what actually is a seashore cowboy? Within the Ormond Seaside native’s phrases, it’s having the mindset of working onerous and enjoying onerous and having fun with life to the fullest. “I love the barefeet or boots kind of lifestyle,” he says. “It’s important for me to be able to connect with nature, whether I’m hunting or having a beach day with Brittney. I love all aspects of both lifestyles. But at the end of the day, it’s just that headspace.”
For Brian Kelley, paradise means having a bass on the finish of a fishing pole. The “See You Next Summer” singer says that casting a line oftentimes hits the coaching trifecta—fishing can goal each bodily and psychological well being in addition to nailing your diet. Whether or not it’s reeling in swordfish from the Gulf or enjoying catch and launch within the yard lake of his 18-acre cabin outdoors of Nashville, for Kelley, no time is ever a nasty time for slightly rod and reel remedy. “I’ll sneak in a quick 30 minutes at our house and be like, Babe, I’m running out to the dock and see if anything’s biting,” he says. “Even if I’m super busy, I’d rather skip lunch and go fish for a little bit.”
Kelley says he’s increase his bass inhabitants at residence, which he says is modest compared to different native nation superstars. “I’m trying to keep up with Jake Owen—he’s got a nice property full of bass,” he says. “I’m trying to work my way up to his size, so I’m not going to eat them.”
Fishing not solely helps feeds the physique, it could additionally assist gasoline creativity. One track he refers to was his 2021 hit “Sunshine State of Mind.” He says each the perfect and worst moments of being on the water can encourage track lyrics.
“I had a really bad bird’s nest in my reel,” he recollects. It was horrible. I used to be attempting to untangle it. I wasn’t alleged to be writing a track. However I used to be already pondering of some lyrics about this case…that’s what nation music is.”
There’s additionally the bodily factor, particularly when caught reeling in an extended and fatiguing deep sea session. Kelley says the pulling and stabilizing required throughout some intense fishing moments mimicked among the heaviest weightroom exercises he’s carried out. “A few years ago we fought a white marlin for probably 40 minutes. I was exhausted. I didn’t even need to work out that day, because I just had one.”
Put up exercise, when it’s time to fireplace up the Inexperienced Egg, Kelley appreciates the trouble put in to offer dinner. “When you can go get your groceries out in the Gulf of Mexico or out in the Choctawhatchee Bay. That’s what it’s all about.” Whereas he can navigate the grill, he leaves the primary course for Brittney, who he says places her personal spin on that day’s catch, whether or not it’s crimson snapper or mahi mahi. “I love her creations,” he says. “She’s got a little foodie thing going on inside of her. She can take me to Flavortown, and I love it.”
Breath Work to Make the Music Work for Brian Kelley
At Florida State, Brian Kelley developed a love-hate relationship with squats. “We were pushing a lot of weight back then,” he says. “I hated it but I enjoyed it because I was pretty decent at it.” What he recollects being most dreaded was the post-legday conditioning—working the steps of FSU’s 80,000-seat Doak Campbell Stadium. Every session was grueling check of each bodily and psychological toughness.
“We were, like, are you freakin’ kidding?” he says. “I could barely pick up my legs, but we did it. You can always do more than you think you can. It’s great cardio for your legs. When we were exhausted, we either focused or else we were tripping on those steps.”
Due to its effectiveness, Kelley’s open to giving that sort of coaching yet one more attempt. “Maybe the venues I’m at don’t have those types of steps.,” he says. “But next time I see a set of steps, I’m gonna hit them.”
Lately, conditioning and suppleness are music musts. Oftentimes, Kelley will go for a lightweight run whereas touring. And so as to not pop a hamstring throughout one among his high-strung live shows., he’ll typically add some stretching and mobility work.
However most vital for a singer, is, properly, singing. And that requires an emphasis on cardio and conditioning.
“It’s not easy singing and running around and getting excited,” he says. “There’s a lot to it at this level, and for the shows I want to produce. So keeping cardio intact is important because your breath is everything when it comes to singing.”
To do that night time after night time, he’s turned to counting on coaching from well-known breath specialist Wim Hof. “I did that quite a bit over the past two years. I think it’s great.” He’s additionally turned to his Plunge ice tub at residence in Nashville. In Florida, he created what he calls a “redneck plunge.” “It’s only a huge water trough principally, and I’ve received slightly icemaker down there and so received the actual deal up right here. And I learn that down in Florida and simply put it outdoors and simply go for it.
A couple of minutes within the ice tub, he says makes all of the distinction in relation to onstage efficiency. “That’ll take your breath away,” he says. “You have to find your breath when you get into that really cold water, but I just tried to really hyper-focus when I’m working out.”
Having the Excellent Coaching Companion
For anybody following in the identical path as Brian Kelley, his recommendation is easy: Comply with your goals and stand by your selections. He says that though he could have turned down gives to play at bigger colleges, his transfer to Belmont has formed his whole life.
“I’m a big fan of people going after their dreams and getting after it,” he says. “I can’t imagine a life where if I had never moved to Nashville, I wouldn’t be married to Britney. I wouldn’t be in this world. I’d be thinking about well, I wonder what would it be if I would have moved to Nashville? I’ve never would have known. So I encourage people to go find out go find out.”
Now married for greater than a decade, the couple have constructed their very own model of happiness, which incorporates constructing a modest residence fitness center to remain each match and collectively. On the couple’s Nashville residence, the couple maintains a modest residence fitness center, stuffed with free weights, kettlebells, and medication balls. “It’s pretty simple, nothing too crazy,” he says. “But it’s good enough to get a good sweat and a good pump.”
The couple additionally share Peloton classes. “We have a really good routine of going upstairs and turn on the peloton on the TV,” Kelley says. “We’ll get after it collectively and do the identical factor. We discovered a pair good instructors who’re unimaginable that we like. It pushes us, and that’s been actually enjoyable.
On the highway, when showtime nears, Kelley says the pair will enterprise into their very own coaching territory. He says whereas Brittney could go for a programmed exercise, he goes for going rogue and hitting the weights onerous. “On show day. I like being in the gym and going old school,” he says. “I feel like I’m in a high school football weight class. It takes me back. I put on my headphones on and I turn into a different human.”
It might not be the health components for everybody, however the additional time the 2 spend coaching collectively has turn into a wholesome marital bonus. “We love working together and it’s just another 30 to 45 minutes we get to spend with each other,” he says. “It’s cool to look over and see her work, hear her breathe and know she’s putting in the work right next to me. It pushes me.”
What can different {couples} do to include health into their seashore cowboy way of life? Kelley gives some recommendation: “I’d say try a guided workout—whether that’s somebody on YouTube or a subscription like Peloton,” Brian Kelley suggests. “Attempt one thing the place you each have a coach that’s presenting the exercise. Have enjoyable, take pleasure in it, and push one another.
