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What to know about RNC singer Brian Kelley and Florida-Georgia Line’s breakup

C. A. Bridges ,  Jim Abbott ,  Naledi Ushe   Paste BN NETWORK - Florida

Country music artist Brian Kelley, Volusia County native and formerly half of the record-breaking, Grammy-nominated duo "Florida Georgia Line" with Tyler Hubbard, performed at the 2024 Republican National Convention Wednesday evening along with the Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ Choir.

Now pursuing a solo career, Kelley performed his song "American Spirit," released as a single over the July 4th weekend in 2022. It's a tribute to all those who have sacrificed to defend America’s freedoms, inspired by the singer's grandfather, John Edward Kelley, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was a prisoner of war and earned two purple hearts.

The theme for Wednesday's speakers was "Make America Strong Once Again" with a focus on foreign affairs such as the Israel-Hamas War, Iran and China.

Kelley wasn't the only Florida notables on the stage Wednesday night. U.S. Reps Matt Gaetz, Brian Mast, Anna Paulina Luna and Michael Waltz, plus Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. all camera up to condemn President Joe Biden and praise former President Donald Trump.

Who is Brian Kelley?

Kelley was born and raised in Ormond Beach, the son of former Volusia County Council Chair Ed Kelley. A 2004 graduate of Seabreeze High School, he played high-school baseball on local diamonds and nurtured his musical aspirations attending concerts at the Daytona Beach Bandshell.

Kelley celebrated his roots in the music video for the 2021 single “Florida Boy Forever,” which featured the singer against a backdrop of Volusia and Flagler county landmarks.

What is Florida Georgia Line?

Kelley met Tyler Hubbard in 2008 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and they decided to become a country duo, "Florida Georgia Line." They released their first EP, "Anything Like Me," in 2010 and after meeting Nickelback producer Joey Moi at a county fair released "It's Just What We Do" in 2012. The men wrote country songs but took inspiration from bands such as Nickelback, Shinedown and Def Leppard for a genre-blending sound (nicknamed "bro-country") that caught on big.

Florida Georgia Line can brag about 19 No. 1 singles, more than 17 billion global streams and 4.8 million albums sold. It's the only country act to achieve two RIAA Diamond-certified singles — the 14-time platinum No. 1s “Cruise” and “Meant to Be” with Bebe Rexha. The duo has won five Billboard Music Awards, six CMT Music Awards, two Teen Choice Awards and many others.

Why did Brian Kelley and Florida Georgia Line break up?

There had been speculation that political differences had played a role in the split, but according to both men the duo broke up over a difference of opinion about pursuing other creative outlets. Kelley wanted to do solo work and still perform as Florida Georgia Line, Hubbard did not.

In May, the country duo appeared on separate episodes of the "Bussin' With the Boys" podcast with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan and their stories largely matched up.

"BK came to me and said, 'Man I'm really feeling like I want to do the solo thing,' and I'm like really?" Hubbard said on the May 7 podcast. "We were just getting out of our first deal, we were kind of in a sweet spot that we had worked for 10 years to get to."

Hubbard wanted to keep going with Florida Georgia Line for five to 10 more years, he said, but Kelley said he needed a solo career and his partner backed him up.

"I feel like I'm not enough for you … honestly it felt like a divorce," said Hubbard.

Two days later, Kelley told the podcast hosts that he and Hubbard discussed plans for extra creative outlets back in 2016, and every two years after, and had decided that after their fifth album, they would branch out individually while keeping the band alive.

The duo officially played their final show together ― for the time being at least ― in August 2022. Along the way, Kelley released his 2021 debut solo album, “Sunshine State of Mind.” In January 2023, Hubbard released a self-titled solo debut album.

Kelley told The News-Journal in 2023 that he’s open to the possibility of a FGL reunion, but is focusing on his own music right now.

“I love what we created, and I think people still want to see it. We’ll just have to see,” he said. “That answer is not held with me. Right now, we’re on a break and really focusing on solo careers. I’m just excited to be focused on building my career.”

What time is Brian Kelley performing at the 2024 RNC?

Unclear. Kelley, the Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ Choir and the UNC Frat Boys are scheduled to perform at 8:20 p.m. on the official schedule, which would be 9:20 EDT. But Kelley's Nashville-based publicist Jensen Sussman confirmed that the singer is slated to perform in the 8 p.m. hour in the Eastern Time Zone.

How can I watch the 2024 RNC?

The RNC is closed to all but delegates, politicians, media members and volunteers, but you can still watch a lot of it on various media platforms and streaming services. Paste BN is streaming it here (same video as the top of the page). You also can stream the RNC on the following channels:

Note that some streamers may block the sound on musical performances for copyright reasons, as has occasionally happened the previous two days.

Coverage of the convention by television networks will vary slightly. Here’s a breakdown of the major networks and their coverage plans:

  • C-SPAN will carry the entire convention uninterrupted for all four days.
  • CBS television stations will have live coverage starting at 10 p.m. ET all four days.
  • NBC News will broadcast “Decision 2024” live while it streams the program, from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. the first two nights of the convention, and from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. the final two nights.
  • ABC News will broadcast live from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. every day for four days on its main broadcast network, hosted by David Muir.
  • Fox News will air coverage during its regular prime-time lineup of shows, and will broadcast a nightly one-hour special starting at 10 p.m., hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
  • CNN will air a combination of coverage and analysis each night from 8 p.m. to midnight, anchored by Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper.
  • MSNBC will broadcast coverage from 8 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday and Thursday.
  • NewsNation will present special coverage of the RNC throughout the week, beginning Sunday, July 14, through Thursday, July 18. On Wednesday and Thursday, NewsNation will present “Decision Desk 2024: The Republican National Convention” from 7-12 a.m.
  • PBS News will have gavel-to-gavel coverage each day of the convention, with a continuous stream from the main floor. 

Contributing: Elizabeth Beyer, Paste BN

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