Tyler Hubbard caught up with iHeartCountry after he and Brian Kelley surprised fans with an unforgettable Florida Georgia Line reunion.

Hubbard, 39, and Kelley, 40, delivered a surprise performance on the first night of CMA Fest on Thursday (June 4) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Pro boxing and wrestling announcer Michael Buffer announced Florida Georgia Line to thousands of fans in the venue. The duo performed “Round Here” and “Cruise” that night, and Hubbard said on stage: “We got three things we want to say tonight. First of all, God is good. Second of all, life is short. And most importantly, your boys,” Kelley joined as the duo confirmed, “we back, baby!”

On Saturday afternoon (June 6), Hubbard took the stage at the iHeartCountry House Party at Miranda Lambert's Casa Rosa. He said fo FGL’s reunion:

“I gotta be honest, I hadn’t been that nervous in that much excitement in a long time. I mean, it was wild. It felt like I was about to play the Super Bowl or something… So, it was nice once we finally got rolling, once we got into the songs, and I was like, ‘alright, I can actually breathe,’ I can, you know, find some oxygen to sing these notes and get it done. But probably the few hours before was pretty — I only vomited like four times before (the show). No, honestly, it was fun though. Me and BK had some moments before just to kind of take it in, breathe and do some vocal warmups, and just soak it in together. It was really special. And then it went by really fast, and (when) got done, we were on a high for the rest of the night. It was just a blast. To feel that much love, to see the joy in the faces and laughs and tears and everything else, it was really special.”

Florida Georgia Line stirred antiquation for a reunion in the days before CMA Fest, including by updating their profile photos on social media for the first time since 2021, and setting up billboards downtown. The two singer-songwriters announced in February 2022 that they were “taking a break” as a duo, and performed their final show as Florida Georgia Line in August 2022. They’ve stirred eagerness for a reunion in recent months with photos on social media and hinting at upcoming performances together in interviews.

Artists on the main stage this year included Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Gretchen Wilson, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, The Red Clay Strays, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey, Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore and Zach Top, and more. Riley Green and Lara Spencer will host the televised special, which will air on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Thursday, June 25. The show will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.

Chris Carmichael