Streamsound Records recording artist Kristian Bush is gearing up to release his highly anticipated debut solo album, SOUTHERN GRAVITY, on April 7. The album features 12 solid songs, including his fun, upbeat single “Trailer Hitch.”
Kristian Bush is excited for the release of his new project, and so are we! His excitement was evident as we chatted about SOUTHERN GRAVITY. Bush revealed to us, “Going in to this, I had a pretty significant focus on what I wanted when I was putting it together & making it, and an understanding what it is like to be a new artist.”
Kristian Bush has been a significant part of country music for several years, mostly known as his part of the duo Sugarland. However, he realizes and understands that some are not quite familiar with his voice… yet! “A lot of people, especially in country music, have never really heard my voice. They don’t even know what I sound like when I sing. So the conversation is brand new. The album is full of music that I hope you fall in love with quickly, that you learn to sing back to me, and hopefully it’s a story of your life as much as it is mine.”
Twelve brand new songs are included on SOUTHERN GRAVITY, all of which Kristian had a hand in writing. It happened organically that Bush’s mark is on each one as he tells his story through the songs on this project. “It was very organic. The whole process itself was more of a writing process that started this. Usually I write 12-15 songs for a record. When we parked the bus, I kind of compulsively started writing much more than I ever had. I started writing a song every other day, and suddenly I had like 300 songs. Normally I have nothing near that, like 20. I think my writing it had everything to do with it. At the end of the project I was like “oh man what if some are terrible,” so I started looking for outside songs. I listened to maybe 50 or 60 songs that people sent to me. They were really good. I even recorded a few of them. But in the end, the story is better told by me.”
As for any artist, the recording process is where many moments and memories happen. For Kristian, a favorite memory that sticks out in his mind was the recording of his hit single “Trailer Hitch.” “I think the recording of Trailer Hitch was pretty fantastic because none of us expected it. It was the end of a session and we had a little extra time. I was like let’s try this song, it’s on my list too. We started to play, and sometimes a recording becomes really special just because of the circumstance. We sped the song up, and then there was this guitar lick and all of a sudden we’re all dancing around the studio like “why are we doing this, this wasn’t the way it was supposed to go.”
“There’s always one song that’s the dark horse on the album that just you didn’t see coming. It wasn’t on your radar, and suddenly it stands up and it plays. It’s the magic part of the recording process. That song is in there. There’s one other song on the album called, “Feeling Fine California,” and it’s kind of a live performance of that song. It has that same sort of magic on it.”
In addition to Kristian’s busy tour schedule here in the states, he will also be performing overseas on military bases. When asked if those performances resonate on a different level, he confirms “Yes, it does.” Bush continues, “First of all as a musician, I can’t do the things that service men and women of our country do. My job is just different than theirs. In a lot of ways, I think it is all of our jobs to support those people because they protect us. Every time I get a chance to do that, I say yes. Kind of regardless of where or what it is. It’s how Jennifer [Nettles] and I first got to Europe, we started playing bases starting in Italy and worked our way up to Germany. I feel like people are so far away from home, and there has got to be a sort of snapshot that helps them. One that I can do. I just want to come and make the next 45 minutes better. What I do for a living is, I travel around and try to bring joy to people with my music. I can’t think of a better set of people to do that with.”
Speaking of touring, we wanted to know what Kristian’s set is like and what fans can expect with his live show. It definitely sounds like there is a lot of fun to be had!! He informed us that, “There’s a lot of dancing. I’m there to have a good time. So I would say if you could mush Bruce Springsteen & Pharrell together, and make country music, then that’s me!“ After hearing that, we definitely cannot wait to see Kristian Bush perform live on stage and showcase his new music.
As music consistently evolves and grows, country music still stands out. Kristian Bush shared his thoughts with us and said, “I think country music is extremely healthy, especially in its growth. I believe it moves very fluidly from one influence to another. Country Music adopts different influences and it’s forever changed by it. It’s kind of like as person and you walk through life. You meet different friends, and you change as you meet more people. As you mature and go through life, you get to see all these different, beautiful versions of yourself based on who you are around. Country Music seems to be the same way. Your country music is never your dad’s, or your granddad’s country music, almost to a T. They almost always say the same thing. Your granddad says, “that’s not country music I grew up with,” and that’s true for a granddad that was born in 1940 as it was a granddad born in 1960. They all say the same thing and they mean the same thing, but they’re talking about different music. Music constantly flips and recreates. I’m honestly sitting in it myself. I bet I’m making music right now that somebody’s listening to and going ‘that’s not my country,’ but it is mine. Or somebody right now that is listening to “trailer hitch” and going ‘that’s my country music.’ That’s a real honor to be part of a genre that moves and lives in the now.”
SOUTHERN GRAVITY is a must-have for your country music collection. Pick up a copy at a retail store near you, or download on iTunes HERE.
Keep up with Kristian Bush and see if he is coming to an area near you by visiting his Official Website, Like him on Facebook and Follow him on Twitter!!
