Love, heartbreak, and the pursuit of happiness are your typical inspirations for creating the right nation tune. Brian Kelley checked all these bins on his path to turning into a multi-platinum nation famous person—however possibly not on 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 desires.
“I didn’t get to journey with the workforce, in order that left me with fairly a while to sulk in my residence and write songs about it,” Kelley recollects, laughing. “I simply made probably the most of that point—I wasn’t out partying, I used to be in my room writing songs.”
Kelley says the frustration didn’t completely dissuade him from giving up on his Main League boyhood desires. Nevertheless, his ardour for performing was placing each abilities on a collision course—which required the athlete and artist to stay each mentally targeted and bodily match. “I didn’t care if I used to be the final decide, I’d go and at the very least give it a shot,” he says. “But when my identify wasn’t known as, that was going to be the signal 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 capable of 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 Fact” 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. “Each are nice,” he says. “I like collaborating, however it’s cool to have the ability to zoom in on who I’m, and share with people who find themselves like, ‘oh, that solely him. I feel 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 “Seaside Cowboy” life. They journey collectively, prepare dinner collectively, and possibly most vital he says, they oftentimes prepare collectively, feeding off one another’s vitality or pushing each other. Staying match has been part of Brian Kelley’s routine since his enjoying days, and is what’s protecting him in sport form at age 38.
Kelley’s keys to sustaining Nation Muscle don’t all the time contain heavy weightroom, baseball-specific periods, it now varies with cardio work, some deep sea fishing and even the occasional “redneck chilly plunge.”
And when the motivation isn’t all the time there, Brittney is, ensuring the couple will get a sweat in earlier than they get to any type of beachside chillin’. “I’m grateful I’m married her as a result of she’s a trooper,” he says. “She’s like, you higher stand up right 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 seaside cowboy? Within the Ormond Seaside native’s phrases, it’s having the mindset of working exhausting and enjoying exhausting and having fun with life to the fullest. “I like the barefeet or boots type of life-style,” he says. “It’s vital for me to have the ability to join with nature, whether or not I’m looking or having a seaside day with Brittney. I like all elements of each life. However on the finish of the day, it’s simply that headspace.”
For Brian Kelley, paradise means having a bass on the finish of a fishing pole. The “See You Subsequent Summer season” 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 foul time for a bit of rod and reel remedy. “I’ll sneak in a fast half-hour at our home and be like, Babe, I’m operating out to the dock and see if something’s biting,” he says. “Even when I’m tremendous busy, I’d slightly skip lunch and go fish for a bit of bit.”
Kelley says he’s increase his bass inhabitants at house, which he says is modest compared to different native nation superstars. “I’m attempting to maintain up with Jake Owen—he’s received a pleasant property filled with bass,” he says. “I’m attempting to work my manner as much as his measurement, so I’m not going to eat them.”
Fishing not solely helps feeds the physique, it may additionally assist gas creativity. One tune he refers to was his 2021 hit “Sunshine State of Thoughts.” He says each the very best and worst moments of being on the water can encourage tune lyrics.
“I had a very dangerous chook’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 tune. However I used to be already considering of some lyrics about this case…that’s what nation music is.”
There’s additionally the bodily component, 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 a few of the heaviest weightroom exercises he’s carried out. “A number of years in the past we fought a white marlin for most likely 40 minutes. I used to be exhausted. I didn’t even have to work out that day, as a result of I simply had one.”
Put up exercise, when it’s time to fireplace up the Inexperienced Egg, Kelley appreciates the hassle put in to supply dinner. “When you may go get your groceries out within the Gulf of Mexico or out within the Choctawhatchee Bay. That’s what it’s all about.” Whereas he can navigate the grill, he leaves the principle course for Brittney, who he says places her personal spin on that day’s catch, whether or not or not it’s crimson snapper or mahi mahi. “I like her creations,” he says. “She’s received a bit of foodie factor happening within her. She will take me to Flavortown, and I find it irresistible.”
Breath Work to Make the Music Work for Brian Kelley
At Florida State, Brian Kelley developed a love-hate relationship with squats. “We have been pushing plenty of weight again then,” he says. “I hated it however I loved it as a result of I used to be fairly respectable at it.” What he recollects being most dreaded was the post-legday conditioning—operating the steps of FSU’s 80,000-seat Doak Campbell Stadium. Every session was grueling take a look at of each bodily and psychological toughness.
“We have been, like, are you freakin’ kidding?” he says. “I might barely decide up my legs, however we did it. You may all the time do greater than you assume you may. It’s nice cardio on your legs. Once we have been exhausted, we both targeted or else we have been tripping on these steps.”
Due to its effectiveness, Kelley’s open to giving that kind of coaching yet another strive. “Possibly the venues I’m at don’t have these varieties of steps.,” he says. “However subsequent time I see a set of steps, I’m gonna hit them.”
Nowadays, conditioning and adaptability 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 concert events., he’ll typically add some stretching and mobility work.
However most vital for a singer, is, nicely, singing. And that requires an emphasis on cardio and conditioning.
“It’s not simple singing and operating round and getting excited,” he says. “There’s so much to it at this stage, and for the reveals I need to produce. So protecting cardio intact is vital as a result of your breath is the whole lot in the case of singing.”
To do that evening after evening, he’s turned to counting on coaching from well-known breath specialist Wim Hof. “I did that fairly a bit over the previous two years. I feel it’s nice.” He’s additionally turned to his Plunge ice tub at house in Nashville. In Florida, he created what he calls a “redneck plunge.” “It’s only a large water trough principally, and I’ve received a bit of 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 the case of onstage efficiency. “That’ll take your breath away,” he says. “It’s important to discover your breath if you get into that basically chilly water, however I simply tried to essentially hyper-focus once I’m figuring out.”
Having the Good Coaching Companion
For anybody following in the identical path as Brian Kelley, his recommendation is straightforward: Comply with your desires and stand by your choices. He says that though he might have turned down affords to play at bigger faculties, his transfer to Belmont has formed his total life.
“I’m a giant fan of individuals going after their desires and getting after it,” he says. “I can’t think about a life the place if I had by no means moved to Nashville, I wouldn’t be married to Britney. I wouldn’t be on this world. I’d be fascinated by nicely, I ponder what wouldn’t it be if I’d have moved to Nashville? I’ve by no means would have identified. So I encourage individuals to go discover out go discover out.”
Now married for greater than a decade, the couple have constructed their very own model of happiness, which incorporates constructing a modest house fitness center to remain each match and collectively. On the couple’s Nashville residence, the couple maintains a modest house fitness center, stuffed with free weights, kettlebells, and medication balls. “It’s fairly easy, nothing too loopy,” he says. “But it surely’s ok to get a great sweat and a great pump.”
The couple additionally share Peloton periods. “We’ve a very good routine of going upstairs and activate 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 unbelievable 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 might go for a programmed exercise, he goes for going rogue and hitting the weights exhausting. “On present day. I like being within the fitness center and going old skool,” he says. “I really feel like I’m in a highschool soccer weight class. It takes me again. I placed on my headphones on and I flip into a distinct human.”
It might not be the health method for everybody, however the additional time the 2 spend coaching collectively has grow to be a wholesome marital bonus. “We love working collectively and it’s simply one other 30 to 45 minutes we get to spend with one another,” he says. “It’s cool to look over and see her work, hear her breathe and know she’s placing within the work proper subsequent to me. It pushes me.”
What can different {couples} do to include health into their seaside cowboy life-style? Kelley affords some recommendation: “I’d say strive a guided exercise—whether or not that’s anyone 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.
