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Brian Kelley will never forget opening night of his first-ever solo tour.
As he hit the stage in Daytona Beach, Fla., on April 21, the country singer couldn't believe he was living out his musical dreams right near his childhood backyard.
"It was really extra special and basically a hometown show," Brian shared in an exclusive interview with E! News. "Some higher powers were involved in making that happen. Dreams do come true and sometimes they aren't on your timeline and you just got to keep pushing and sometimes, because they're not on your timeline, they end up turning out better than they would have if you could have planned that yourself."
Since 2010, Brian and Tyler Hubbard have found huge success as the country duo Florida Georgia Line. But after several No. 1 hits, awards and sold-out tours, both members are taking some time to focus on their solo careers.
For Brian, the fan response to his debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, has amazed him ever since it was released in June 2021.
"I planted the seed of this album and didn't really get to tour right away because of COVID," Brian shared. "You don't really know what's going to happen and the fans have had time to live with it and love the record and I'm just super grateful. It's really fulfilling to me to know that I followed my heart, I followed my gut and the fans were there to catch me."
When stepping into a new chapter of his career, Brian said there was some fear. But after writing from the heart, the 36-year-old is glad he stayed true to himself and can kick off the summer with nothing but sunshine.
"There are a lot of people like me that love the outdoors, love the water, they love their loved ones, faith is important to them and they love America," he said. "I think people gravitate towards people being themselves."
For more inside scoop on Brian's solo tour, keep reading. And find out when the singer is headed to your neighborhood by clicking here.
In Brian Kelley's first solo headlining tour, the country singer is thrilled to perform songs from his debut solo album. "I always knew that I would let the songs lead the way," Brian explained. "It became clear as day that the next step in my career was to have a solo outlet and put some records out and be able to share my voice, my life, my words and my songs with the world."
Before performing at Daytona Beach Bandshell in Florida, Brian remembered running near the venue in high school and college and dreaming about a day when he could be on the stage. "I still do my same routine of running, dreaming, scheming and stopping at the Bandshell looking at it," Brian said. "I never thought the first time I play there, it would be by myself with a solo headline show."
If you look out in the audience, chances are you will spot Brian's wife Brittney Kelley supporting the singer. "She's my rock. She's my best friend and we do everything together," Brian said. "Pretty much every song is about her and she's helped kind of light a fire under my butt a little bit and helped me gain even more confidence to do this thing and to build out this venture and just see where we can take it."
If there's one piece of feedback Brian loves hearing from concertgoers, it's the idea that he sounds better live than on the album. "I'm super proud of it," Brian said. "I've spent a lot of my career singing harmonies and doing a lot of different background stuff, a lot of high stuff, a lot of low stuff and not too much lead and I'm really getting to work a muscle and part of my voice that hasn't gotten to be used in a long time. It pushes me to just continue to up my game and continue to just fine tune my voice and do the dang thing."
During Brian's tours, fans can enjoy music from opening act The Boat Boys. After discovering their music on Spotify, Brian knew he had to have them in the shows. "It just felt on brand for the whole vibe for what we're trying to do," Brian explained. "A lot of people might not know who they are and that's the point. I wanted people to be, ‘Who are The Boat Boys?' Come to the show and you'll find out. Tyler Hubbard and I both through Florida Georgia Line have had a lot of help through a lot of other artists bringing us on tour, shouting us out and that's the country music community I love."
When you see Brian live, pay attention to his fashion. "It's jeans and some sort of button-down Hawaiian style in a cowboy hat," he said. "I think it stands out and I think it's super unique to me. I think I'm the only one doing it in a sense of how I'm doing it and same with my music. I just want to have and create my own lane and just do me."
"When people listen to my record or come to the shows, I want them to feel like they're on vacation," Brian said. "I don't want them to think about their everyday life, even if it's amazing. We've all got a lot going on. I just want everybody to come in knowing they're gonna have a great time."
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