‘A love letter to Florida’: The Sunshine State’s half of Florida Georgia Line performs solo in Tampa
TAMPA, Fla. - Brian Kelley, the Florida half of country duo Florida Georgia Line, has kicked off his solo tour called ‘Made By the Water’ and will be playing Friday night at the Dallas Bull.
"I’m just kind of been waiting for this moment and waiting for the songs and inspiration to let me know when it was time," Kelley stated. "Oddly enough, halfway through the pandemic all these songs and ideas started flooding my mind. It was unavailable. It was something that felt like now was the time. I didn’t want to wait till I was 50 or 60. I just felt like God had opened up a door and put a lot of inspiration on my heart."
Kelley co-wrote and co-produced the 17-track debut album called ‘Sunshine State Of Mind’. He calls it a love letter to Florida and the place he grew up.
"Anywhere coastal I’m a huge fan of, or anywhere on the water, nature, outdoors. A lot of it is, basically, like a love letter to Florida. I grew up on the East Coast on Ormond Beach in Florida, Volusia County and absolutely loved my childhood. I loved growing up there. I love going back. We currently live in the Panhandle," said Kelley.
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His inspiration for songs came right from his heart.
"When I started writing for this record, I just wrote about my life. What I love. What I love doing. Who I love, which is my wife Brittney. Just our life. And then there are some songs that are just my love for travel. My love of wonder for going to new places," said Kelley.
Some of Kelley’s concerts have sold out as he continues to draw a crowd that relates to Florida, the water and coastal vibes.
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"From day one, when I started to chase that dream, the thing on my top bucket list was I never knew how successful we were going to be with FGL. You just never know how big of a dream will be until God puts something on your heart. We worked really hard to get where we are and to do everything we do. We are grateful for this outlet," said Kelley.
He is ready to play Tampa. The Dallas Bull holds memories for the singer and songwriter.
"I played the Dallas Bull a couple of times back in the day coming up FGL and we had an absolute blast. What a cool venue. The crowd is always just awesome. To be able to circle back and go back by myself is awesome. I’m excited to see the turnout. I’m excited to watch these songs continue to come to life on stage. Watch everybody sing them and hear them sing them. Just excited. It’s a fun journey. I’m having a blast with it. A lot of freedom. It’s super fulfilling. No doubt about it," said Kelley.
After Tampa, Kelley will be playing at The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon in Fort Myers.
LINK: Click here to purchase tickets.