Florida Georgia Line materialized suddenly during 2012 and swiftly rose to dominate as the leading country act of the ensuing decade. Their breakthrough arrived via “Cruise,” a glossy, radiant tribute to open highways that turned into an enduring crossover smash by 2013 and ultimately the most successful country single ever recorded. Sam Hunt later eclipsed that mark when “Body Like a Back Road” claimed the top spot in 2017, yet the duo reclaimed the distinction the following year as “Meant to Be,” their collaboration with pop vocalist Bebe Rexha, held the summit of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for a total of 35 weeks.
“Meant to Be” marked another instance of the pair’s boundary-crossing success after “Cruise” first climbed independently to number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. A subsequent remix pairing them with rapper Nelly prolonged the track’s run and propelled it to number four on the Hot 100, underscoring that Florida Georgia Line’s strength resided in their unapologetically sleek pop sensibility. In contrast to certain contemporaries whose brash, frat-oriented style earned them the “bro-country” label, Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard projected an upbeat, approachable demeanor that surfaced on later smashes such as “Get Your Shine On” and “Round Here.” While many peers faltered by their sophomore or junior releases, the duo’s readiness to blend pop and hip-hop textures into their music allowed them to maintain chart dominance well into the 2020s.
Brian Kelley, originally from Ormond Beach, Florida, and Tyler Hubbard, from Monroe, Georgia—the sources of the band’s name—first connected as students at Nashville’s Belmont University and started composing songs between lectures. They soon performed in area venues, rapidly cultivating an audience across the Southeast club scene while refining a crisp modern country approach. After independently issuing the EP Anything Like Me in December 2010, they secured a publishing and management agreement with Big Loud Mountain and began recording with producer Joey Moi on the follow-up EP It’z Just What We Do.
It’z Just What We Do surfaced in May 2012, led by the single “Cruise.” Within eight weeks the track entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it lingered for an extended stretch. On 15 December 2012 it reached the country summit for the first time, ultimately occupying the top position for 24 weeks and surpassing the prior benchmark of 21 weeks jointly held by Webb Pierce’s 1955 “In the Jailhouse Now,” Hank Snow’s 1950 “I’m Movin’ On,” and Eddy Arnold’s 1947 “I’ll Hold You in My Heart (‘Til I Can Hold You in My Arms).” While “Cruise” dominated country airplay, a pop-focused remix featuring Nelly emerged as a distinct release and converted the song into a mainstream hit that peaked at number four on the Hot 100. Its prolonged reign blocked other tracks from the top slot, including two later Florida Georgia Line releases: the January 2013 single “Get Your Shine On” and its successor “Round Here.” Both climbed to number one on the Country Airplay chart and earned platinum certification, yet they were overshadowed by “Cruise,” which ultimately sold more than 6.5 million copies and secured the title of biggest country single ever. The track also captured the 2013 CMA Single of the Year award, the same year the duo earned Vocal Duo of the Year.
The accompanying album Here’s to the Good Times, produced by Joey Moi—who had shifted from Nickelback to Jake Owen in 2011—likewise performed strongly, topping the Country Albums chart during summer 2013 and attaining double-platinum status from the RIAA. Following number-one Country Airplay runs by “Get Your Shine On,” “Round Here,” and “Stay,” an expanded holiday edition titled Here’s to the Good Times…This Is How We Roll appeared late in 2013, adding the chart-topping duet with Luke Bryan, “This Is How We Roll.”
Florida Georgia Line returned to the studio with Joey Moi for their sophomore effort Anything Goes. Introduced by the July single “Dirt,” which became their fifth number-one hit, the album debuted at number one upon its October 2014 release. Over the following year it yielded four further Billboard country singles: “Sun Daze,” “Sippin’ on Fire,” and “Confession,” each reaching number one, plus the title track. Anything Goes sustained the group’s momentum into 2016, when they prepared their third collection, Dig Your Roots. Again produced by Joey Moi, the project delivered three consecutive number-one Country Airplay singles across 2016 and 2017: “H.O.L.Y.,” the Tim McGraw duet “May We All,” and the Backstreet Boys collaboration “God, Your Mama, and Me.”
In October 2017 Florida Georgia Line joined Bebe Rexha, the ascending pop artist, on “Meant to Be.” The track surged to number one on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and later reached number two on the Hot 100 in 2018, thereby reclaiming the record for most weeks at number one on Hot Country Songs from Sam Hunt. With that achievement restored, the band began unveiling material from a fourth album through a series of digital singles. “Simple” arrived first in June 2018 and eventually topped Country Airplay; it was paired with the digital-only “Colorado.” Additional tracks “Talk You Out of It” and “Sittin’ Pretty” joined the evolving collection in July and August. All appeared on the full-length release Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, which arrived in February 2019.
Can’t Say I Ain’t Country opened at number four on the Billboard Top 200 and number one on the Country chart. After its launch, “Talk You Out of It” received country-radio promotion and climbed to number 11 on Country Airplay. In October the group issued Acoustic Sessions, presenting fresh acoustic renditions of 17 signature songs. “I Love My Country,” their first new single since Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, surfaced in March 2020 and anchored the EP 6-Pack that followed in May. Much of that material also surfaced on the early 2021 album Life Rolls On, which included the Top Ten Country hit “Long Live.”
