Exclusive: Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley talks Daytona Beach memories, future plans

DAYTONA BEACH  —  A Brian Kelley homecoming show at Daytona’s historic Bandshell is becoming an annual ritual at the World’s Most Famous Beach, a scene that originally might have only played out in the childhood dreams of the Volusia County native-turned-country music star.

“The Bandshell means so much to me,” said Kelley, now embarking a solo career in the wake of blockbuster worldwide success in bro-country duo Florida Georgia Line. “It’s a huge part of manifesting a lot of the things that happened in my life.”

Kelley, who performs on Friday at the Bandshell, was born and raised in Ormond Beach, the son of former Volusia County Council Chair Ed Kelley. A 2004 graduate of Seabreeze High School, he played high-school baseball on local diamonds and nurtured musical aspirations fueled at the Bandshell.

A 2016 look at Kelley's Volusia roots:'DREAM COME TRUE'

“I’d drive down to Daytona in high school or even when I was back from college, run down to the Pier and to the Bandshell,” Kelley said by phone from Nashville, where he’s at work on a new solo album.

“I’d have headphones on and I’d stop, walk around and envision myself up there. I’d think about it to try to pump myself up: ‘One day you can do this!’

“It’s a special place that pushed me and helped me along the way, so it’s always in my heart, in my head. I still think back to those days.”

Florida Georgia Line took country music by storm, then parted ways

A lot has happened since then.

Kelley teamed with musical partner Tyler Hubbard in 2012 to form Florida Georgia Line, a genre-blending country duo that dominated the charts for a decade.  The duo has logged 19 No. 1 singles, more than 17 billion global streams and 4.8 million albums sold.

Florida Georgia Line is the only country act to achieve two RIAA Diamond-certified singles — the 14-time platinum No. 1s “Cruise” and “Meant to Be” with Bebe Rexha.

After rumblings about a pending split that had started in 2020, the duo officially played their final show together ― for the time being at least ― in August 2022. Along the way, Kelley released his 2021 debut solo album, “Sunshine State of Mind.” In January, Hubbard released a self-titled solo debut album.

Kelley’s solo debut was powered by the marquee single “Florida Boy Forever,” accompanied by a music video that featured the singer against a backdrop of Volusia and Flagler county landmarks.

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In various scenes, he’s paddling a canoe along the Tomoka River, hanging out at Salty Dog Surf Shop in Daytona Beach and at the venerable beachfront eatery High Tides At Snack Jack in Flagler Beach.

Kelley focuses on solo career, but 'sitting on go' for FGL reunion

Kelley will be focusing on that solo material on Friday at the Bandshell, offering a set list that doesn’t include any Florida Georgia Line hits.

“For me, it’s important that those songs live when we’re both doing them,” he said. “That’s my head space. I could be wrong. I couldn’t be more proud of what we built, and out of that respect I prefer to just leave it there, personally.”

At the same time, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of reuniting with Hubbard for more FGL music.

“I am sitting on go and have been. I love what we created, and I think people still want to see it. We’ll just have to see. That answer is not held with me. Right now, we’re on a break and really focusing on solo careers. I’m just excited to be focused on building my career.”

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Kelley’s solo projects include “May We All,” a country-music theatrical musical created by his CuzBro production company that debuted in summer 2022 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville. He also has a beach clothing brand, Tribe Kelley, created with his wife, Brittney.

Amid all that, recording new music as a solo act remains the priority, he said.

At the Bandshell, Kelley will offer a hometown premiere of a newly recorded single, “See You Next Summer,” that is being released digitally on Friday.

“It absolutely kind of just worked out that way,” Kelley said. “You can’t even plan the really good stuff like that. We cut that song a couple months back and we’ve been dialing it in, getting it ready. It’ll be extra special to debut that song in a hometown show in a special venue for me. That will be like the cherry on top.”

If you go

WHAT: Brian Kelley in concert

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Daytona Beach Bandshell, 70 Boardwalk, Daytona Beach

COST: $29-$94 plus fees online at DaytonaBandshell.com and ticketmaster.com