Kristian Bush
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Kristian Merrill Bush (born March 14, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bush is one half of the
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
duo
Sugarland Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, when Kristen Hall (vocals, gu ...
with
Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based bands ...
, and was a member of the
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
duo
Billy Pilgrim ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his t ...
with Andrew Hyra. In addition to his work in these two groups, Bush released one solo album, '' Southern Gravity'', via Streamsound Records in 2015, and four solo albums via Big Machine Records, 52 ATL x BNA, 52 , In The Key Of Summer, 52 , New Blue, and 52 , This Year in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 Bush also released an EP titled Drink Happy Thoughts on his own label Songs Of The Architect.


Early life

Kristian Bush was born in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. Bush was raised outside of Knoxville in
Sevierville, Tennessee Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee, United States, located in East Tennessee. The population was 17,889 at the 2020 United States Census. History Native Americans of the Woodland period were among th ...
, a small town at the base of the
Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, ...
that was also the hometown of
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
. He is the great grandson of A.J. Bush, founder of Bush Brothers and Company; it was expected for him to run a cannery. He was exposed to instruments from an early age, and picked up his first violin at age 4. During these early years, Bush, alongside younger brother Brandon, made his musical debut at the local Bush Beans Jamboree performing as Parton's opening act. His grandparents made a "weird deal" when he was 12 and lost the Bush Brothers company, a deal they were ultimately bitter about, but it allowed Bush to grow up and be whatever he wanted. Throughout childhood, Bush was enrolled in violin lessons and classically trained under the
Suzuki method The Suzuki method is a mid-20th-century music curriculum and teaching method created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki. The method claims to create a reinforcing environment for learning music for young learners. Backgroun ...
at the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
. The family eventually relocated to Knoxville and by age 11, Bush agreed to play one season in the Knoxville Youth Symphony, before earning the right to lay the violin down for good and start learning the guitar. As a teenager, Bush stuck with the guitar and began to create original music. It wasn't long before he was writing his own songs and recording homemade albums. He did swimmer electives throughout high school and college, and would write music in his head to the rhythm of his swimming strokes. Bush attended
Avon Old Farms Avon Old Farms School is a boarding school for boys located in Avon, Connecticut, United States. Theodate Pope Riddle, one of America's first female architects, founded the school in 1927. History The school's conception dates to a few year ...
Boarding School in Avon,
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, graduating in 1988. He then attended
Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, earning a degree in Creative Writing. During college, Bush began to connect with Atlanta's growing music scene, often begging his way into clubs, witnessing first-hand success from bands like
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...
and (fellow Emory students) the
Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duet (music), duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in Primary school, elementary school and began performing together as Secondary school, hig ...
.


Musical career

While attending Emory University, Bush was the lead singer and guitarist in the rock band Storyteller, with fellow Emory students Chris "Tex" Nolter (bass, guitar) and Jon Slatkin (drums). Storyteller covered the Replacement's "I Can't Wait”, Rod Stewart's "Maggie May”, The English Beat's "Mirror in the Bathroom", and Jane's Addiction's "Jane Says”, among other songs, and they performed at numerous bars, campus events and parties in Atlanta. To date, Bush has won six
BMI Awards The BMI Film & TV Awards are accolades presented annually by Broadcast Music, Inc., honoring songwriters, composers, and music publishers in various genres. Based in the United States, the main pop music award was founded in 1952. The awards incl ...
for his songwriting abilities, and in 2011 he founded the music publishing company and songwriting collective Songs of the Architect. Recent producing and songwriting collaborations include Ellis Paul,
Laura Bell Bundy Laura Ashley Bell Bundy-Hinkle (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. Her career started as a child, when her mother entered her in beauty pageants, where she would sing as a talent. After recognizing her singing ability, her m ...
,
Matt Nathanson Matt Nathanson (born March 28, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock and roll music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic (sometimes a 12-string) and electric guitar, and has played both solo and with ...
, the dB’s, Martin Johnson of
Boys Like Girls Boys Like Girls (stylized in all caps since 2023) is an American rock band formed in Andover, Massachusetts, in 2005. The group gained mainstream recognition with their self-titled debut album (2006), which went on to sell over 700,000 albu ...
,
Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King, which aired on Freeform (TV channel), Freeform from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017, based on the novel series Pretty Little L ...
star
Lucy Hale Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Awards, Gracie Award, a People's Choice Aw ...
, and up-and-comers including
Kristina Train Kristina Train (born January 17, 1982, in New York City as Kristina Beaty) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who lives in Nashville, having previously lived in London, United Kingdom. Her music blends influences from country, soul, go ...
, Larkin Poe,
Canaan Smith Canaan Lee Smith (born August 24, 1982) is an American country music singer and songwriter signed with Round Here Records, an independent label started by Florida Georgia Line. He has released two albums, ''Bronco (Canaan Smith album), Bronco'' ...
,
Lauren Alaina Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth (born November 8, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of ''American Idol.'' Her debut studio album, ''Wildflower,'' was released on October ...
, Jaida Dreyer and Alana Springsteen.


1990–2001: Billy Pilgrim

Shortly after completing college, Bush introduced himself to Atlanta songwriter Andrew Hyra and his sister Annie, who were performing at a club in Knoxville; the two had recently moved there after completing college. In 1990, Bush played guitar and sang backup vocals on ''Big Back Porch Songs'', an album by the Hyras. ''Big Back Porch Songs'' was never released but Bush was given a copy. Bush released an album shortly afterwards, ''Politics and Pocketchange'', which the Hyras were featured on. Bush and Andrew Hyra began performing together using connections that Bush made from his time in Storyteller, writing original songs in the meantime. The Hyras had made plans for future performances, but Annie had accepted a job in
Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
; Bush replaced her. After a year of performing, the two drove to Knoxville where they rented two days of studio time, where they recorded 14 original songs, assisted by their producer Danny Browns. The two released their first album together in 1991, ''St. Christopher's Crossing'', independently under the credit Andrew Hyra and Kristian Bush. They continued performing shows in southeastern college towns, and Bush reached out to various talent agents with their demos; Jen Stark, an intern at
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, received a copy, which resulted in commotion about them amongst the company. An indie label, Sister Ruby, expressed interest in the duo, and the two made another album for the label; it emphasized songs that weren't used for ''St. Christophers's Crossing'', which were quieter songs that couldn't be played in loud clubs. The album was called ''Words Like Numbers''. Bush cited a large improvement between the two albums, because "with ''St. Christopher's'' we didn't think, we just did it. This time we had several weeks to think about what we were recording." The album was a success in garnering attention; Atlantic Records held a release party for the two, and they were signed to the label that night, in New York. The duo name was officially changed to
Billy Pilgrim ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his t ...
, named after a character from
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
's novel ''
Slaughterhouse-Five ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his ...
''. The duo released the self-titled album ''Billy Pilgrim'' in 1994, in association with producer
Hugh Padgham Hugh Charles Padgham (born 15 February 1955) is an English record producer and audio engineer. He has won four Grammy Awards, for Producer of the Year and Album of the Year for 1985, Record of the Year for 1990, and Engineer of the Year for 199 ...
, who had a group of London musicians overdub the master with additional instruments. Although the album itself received little attention, "Get Me Out Of Here" and "Insomniac", two songs on the album were, receiving heavy airplay on AAA radio. In 1995 they opened on a worldwide tour for
Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her Melissa Etheridge (album), eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billbo ...
, but copies for ''Billy Pilgrim'' weren't made in time to be promoted throughout it. To increase their momentum, Atlantic Records made the two record another album in December 1994; unprepared, they scrambled to write new material two weeks ahead of the date of recording. They were paired with a group of veteran musicians who emphasized sounds that took away from their original music. Their second album, '' Bloom'', released in 1995. The lead single "Sweet Louisiana Sound" was a critical and commercial success, making a full rotation on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
. At their peak they "traveled all over the world together, just with two acoustic guitars and two voices." Sales for ''Bloom'' were underwhelming, and with increasing focus on Hootie and the Blowfish, Atlantic Records dropped the duo in 1996. The two toured sporadically, working on an album for a 1996 release, which never surfaced. Hyra moved to California but still kept in contact with Bush. Billy Pilgrim, like Bush, became inactive for a period; during this time, he occasionally performed at Eddie's Attic and produced work for artists such as Ellis Paul, Beth Wood, and Evan and Jaron. In 1997, Bush announced that both he and Hyra were working on separate solo albums; however, neither album was released. The duo later embarked on a ‘farewell’ tour, which was intended as a hiatus, though reports mistakenly circulated that they were disbanding.


1999–2001: Billy Pilgrim hiatus

In 1999, Bush took interest in the newly developing format of online music distribution. He began releasing demos, outtakes, and live performances from Billy Pilgrim on the website
MP3.com MP3.com was a website operated by Paramount Global publishing tabloid-style news items about digital music and artists, songs, services, and technologies. It is better known for its original incarnation as a legal, free music-sharing service, ...
. He appreciated that he was able to release music easily without anyone else's approval. Bush partnered with MP3.com to release an old live performance of Billy Pilgrim at Eddie's Attic in 1998, ''Live from Wildhack, MT'', on the website. The performance also contained unreleased songs. Billy Pilgrim released ''Snow Globe'', a Christmas album, in November 1999, and ''9/23/00'', another live performance from Eddie's Attic, released towards the end of the year. All the money earned from the downloads on MP3.com Bush used to fund the next album and its physical release. The album, ''Billy In the Time Machine'', was recorded in four separate sessions over the course of eight months. Bush cited U2s ''
The Joshua Tree ''The Joshua Tree'' is the fifth studio album by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 by Island Records. In contrast to the ambient music, ambient experimentati ...
'' and
Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...
as inspiration for the album. It was released May 12, 2001. The final works the two made together before unofficially disbanding were compiled into masters tapes. The tapes, as well as their studio, burned in a fire in late 2000. One copy was salvaged from the accident and made into a CD, of which 500 copies were made and distributed at their final performance in 2001 at Eddie's Attic. The band was never declared disbanded but the two lost contact with each other.


2001–2012: Sugarland

At the same time Bush was performing occasionally at Eddie's Attic, so was singer-songwriter
Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based bands ...
; she had begun performing there at their open mic competitions and was eventually given a recurring performing gig. Nettles had recently concluded her time in other bands and met Atlanta singer-songwriter
Kristen Hall Kristen Hall (born October 24, 1962) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and a founding member of the country music group Sugarland. She had a solo career and released several albums, formed the country band Sugarland, and more recently ...
at a bar and discussed their country music endeavors together. Bush later discussed starting a band with Hall in 2002 and held auditions for the lead singer; Nettles was fifth to audition, and Bush said she "blew it out of the water". In 2003, Bush met with the two at a
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
to discuss starting a band together; the trio officially formed
Sugarland Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, when Kristen Hall (vocals, gu ...
the next day. The name was suggested by Hall; its derived from the town of
Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...
, and was picked since it reflected the "sweet" tone of the band. At least one of the three artists wrote or co-wrote all 11 songs on their first album, '' Twice the Speed of Life''. All three worked on the lead single " Baby Girl". Bush described the experience as his "second first record", understanding the experience and knowing the pressure associated with the first attempt. The trio treated the album like a side project to their other musical endeavors, but understood the potential of it over time. The songs were written roughly around 2001. In a notably dark period of Bush's life, in light of the downfall of Billy Pilgrim, the death of his mother, and the recent
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, he wrote songs that were lighthearted and depicted a life that he wanted to live. They found success performing live in Knoxville, and Bush bought his first cowboy hat on
eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
in 2003 to prove to his friends he was taking the new endeavor seriously. They eventually received the attention of
Mercury Nashville Music Corporation of America, formerly known as Universal Music Group Nashville, is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. It was officially opened in 1945 as #MCA Nashville, MCA Nashville and #Mercury Nashville, Mercury Nashville wh ...
in 2004, and landed a recording deal with them to release an album. Sugarland broke through in 2004 with the release of their debut single " Baby Girl", the first single from their multi-platinum debut album '' Twice the Speed of Life''. The trio became a duo in 2006, when they also released their second album, '' Enjoy the Ride''. This album produced their first two No. 1 singles (in the U.S.), " Want To" and " Settlin'", and won the duo a Grammy for "
Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...
". In 2008 they released their third album, titled '' Love on the Inside''. This album produced three more No. 1 singles with " All I Want to Do", " Already Gone"and " It Happens". Their fourth album, '' The Incredible Machine'' was released on October 19, 2010, in both a standard and deluxe edition. Upon ''The Incredible Machine'' being certified platinum, Sugarland has sold in excess of 14 million records. Nettles and Bush also write all of the band's songs. In October 2012, they were inducted into the
Georgia Music Hall of Fame The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Mill ...
. They have surpassed sales of over 22 million albums worldwide, achieved five No. 1 singles and won numerous awards, including trophies from the
Grammys The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
,
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
,
Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...
,
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The ceremony launched in 1967 as Music City News Awards; it is the oldest award show currently airing under Paramount Global. The ceremony ...
and
CMA Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
.


2011–2013: Stage collapse and Sugarland hiatus

On August 13, 2011, during their ''Incredible Machine Tour'' at the
Indiana State Fair The Indiana State Fair is an annual state fair that spans 15 days in August in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The Indiana State Fair debuted in 1852 at Military Park in Indianapolis and is the sixth oldest state fair in the U.S. It is the largest ...
, the stage collapsed due to high winds, killing seven people and injuring 58 others.''Wall Street Journal''. Jack Nicas,
Faulty Planning, Stage Cited in Fair Collapse
. April 12, 2012.
At the moment of collapse, Indiana State Fair director Cindy Hoye and
state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Brad Weaver were approaching the stage to announce the concert's cancellation.Witt Associates
''An Independent Assessment of the August 13, 2011 Indiana State Fair Collapse Incident''
. December 4, 2014.
Bush, under the stage in a dressing room, felt the quake and witnessed flying debris break down the stage door and fill the hallway; he had thought a bomb went off. In the immediate aftermath of the collapse he, Nettles, and other crew downstairs were not allowed to leave; crew members attempted to leave but were kept from doing so. Bush was unaware of what happened and was kept in the dark for a long time. He was eventually evacuated to his bus but was forced to remain on the scene. He recalled "all sorts of silence" as Nettles and the downstairs crew watched footage of the accident on the news. Bush wrote the following on their Sugarland website:
"Our fans just came to see a show, and it ended in something terrible. My heart is totally broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives. It’s broken for all the people who got hurt, for the people who were scared. I thank God for every person who lifted a truss, who pushed against that metal to get it off someone; for every person who used a chair as a stretcher. I thank God for every fan and emergency responder, for everyone who ran to the trouble instead of away from it. The courage of those men and women will forever be with me."
In years following, especially the immediate days following the event, Bush was discouraged from talking about the accident due to pending lawsuits. Sugarland cancelled one upcoming concert and performed two more, concluding the ''Incredible Machine Tour'' in October 2011. Sugarland announced they would be going on hiatus for a few months to consider their next steps forward. Bush returned home and continued working out the details of his pending divorce, finalizing it in November 2011. In light of the stage collapse and what talking about it publicly would mean for his children, he refrained from openly discussing the divorce as well. Within the same month Nettles got married and informed Bush that she was pregnant, and that she wanted to do a solo album, since she wanted more time to experience new things and focus on her family. The two agreed to put the band on hiatus indefinitely. Fulfilling their pre-established plans, Bush's final performance as Sugarland before the hiatus was at
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. It was developed by Circus Circus Enterprises and complet ...
on September 2, 2012. Without the band Bush's schedule was completely empty, which he found "anxiety-driving". Unsure of what to do going forward, Bush purchased a house in Nashville and began reaching out and working with established songwriters in the area, accepting any work that was offered to him. Unable and struggling to freely discuss his circumstances, he began expressing himself through songwriting. Bush mainly wrote music only when he needed to for Sugarland, but now found himself writing songs constantly. Bush was encouraged by the people around him to write a solo album. At first he was reluctant to do so, believing that doing so would hurt the image of Sugarland. Byron Gallimore, Sugarland's producer, ensured him that since he was never the primary singer of the band, he wouldn't replace Sugarland on country radio. He began considering the venture, and looked through what songs he had written following the hiatus; he was surprised to find he had a collection of 300 recorded songs, and focused on what collection of songs he should release first. He began playing and writing for those he had worked with in the past, although they were reluctant to give him an opportunity because they did not know anything about how he performed separately; he realized then that the momentum from Sugarland would not carry over into his potential solo career.


2013–2016: Solo career

In July 2013, after being drawn to the music and design of the mobile app '' My Singing Monsters'' while watching his son play, he expressed his praise of the game on
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. The game's director Dave Kerr responded suggesting a collaboration and Bush agreed, performing the mandolin for a monster representation of himself, the "Shugabush". The following October, Bush was invited to perform at the inaugural C2C: Country to Country festival at the O2 Arena in
London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The trip inspired him to release a song as a single to play there, resulting in his solo debut with the song "Love or Money", performed with a full band. The entire audience sang the chorus back to him. The song released in the United States on October 10, 2013. ''My Singing Monsters'' would later feature a cover of "Love or Money" (called "Shugabush Island"), with Bush doing a
gibberish Gibberish, also known as jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense: ranging across speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsid ...
rendition of the lyrics. Bush also hosted "Music Mondays" on his website, where he released his works and discussed the story behind it. He found himself writing and recording music much more frequently, purposefully not thinking about where or when the song would be released. On average he was making about 160 songs a year. In 2014, Bush signed for Gallimore's Streamsound Records as a solo artist. Gallimore noticed that Bush was hiding a lot when it came to his current situation, and recognized that it was a "very, very painful" time for him. Two songs on the album, "Southern Gravity" and " Trailer Hitch", was written with Tim Owens; Owens said that given the kind of person that Bush is, and his talent of writing positive music, he was not surprised he could write happy songs that "sound marginally like Sugarland" despite him being in a dark place. Many songs from his backlog were shelved for being too sad and outside the scope of music he wanted to release. The solo album consisted of feel-good music and lyrics; Bush himself admitted that he was unsure how that came to be given the circumstances. In an interview with ''
The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
'', Bush said "I think I write wishes. If you can see it, you can probably get there. My story starts now." He had a lot of self-doubt at the time, believing that the songs weren't any good because he conceived them too easily. He collaborated with the best in his field to ensure people weren't showing positive reception simply because he was famous, including
Will Jennings Wilbur Herschel Jennings (June 27, 1944 – September 6, 2024) was an American lyricist. He was known for writing the songs " Up Where We Belong", " Higher Love", " Tears in Heaven" and "My Heart Will Go On". He was inducted into the Songwriter ...
,
Paul Overstreet Paul Lester Overstreet (born March 17, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He began his singing career in 1982 with a self-titled album on RCA Records Nashville. From 1986 to 1987, he was a vocalist in the trio S-K-O (Schuy ...
,
Bob DiPiero Robert John DiPiero (born March 3, 1951) is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 US number one hits and several Top 20 singles for Tim McGraw, The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Shenandoah, Neal McCoy, ...
, and
James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt ...
. Bush announced the solo album, '' Southern Gravity'', in 2014, and released "Trailer Hitch" in July. "Trailer Hitch" peaked at number 21 on the U.S. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...
chart and at number 25 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' US Country chart. His second single from the album, "Light Me Up" in 2015, also appeared on charts. Bush was fascinated meeting people who were both fans of Sugarland and "Trailer Hitch", but having rarely heard him sing in the former, were surprised to find that he sang the song. ''Southern Gravity'' released April 7, 2015, appearing on various charts, including but not limited to 160 on ''
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
'', 16 on ''Billboard''s
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
, and 5 on ''Billboard''s
Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
. Bush referred to ''Southern Gravity'' as his "third first album". He found the album inspiring, and would listen to it to remind himself that "no matter how hard it gets, you can make things out of the pieces that are smashed." In September 2015 Bush was the subject of the television documentary ''Walk Tall: The Journey of Sugarland's Kristian Bush'', directed and produced by Stokes Nelson. It documents Bush's life and highlights his persistence through turbulent times. It featured
Kix Brooks Leon Eric Brooks III, better known by his stage name Kix Brooks (born May 12, 1955), is an American country music artist, actor, and film producer best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn and host of radio's ''American Country Cou ...
,
Canaan Smith Canaan Lee Smith (born August 24, 1982) is an American country music singer and songwriter signed with Round Here Records, an independent label started by Florida Georgia Line. He has released two albums, ''Bronco (Canaan Smith album), Bronco'' ...
, and
Maddie & Tae Maddie & Tae is an American female country music duo composed of Maddie Font (née Marlow) and Taylor "Tae" Kerr (née Dye), both of whom are singers, songwriters, and guitarists. The duo was signed to the revived Dot Records in 2014. Their debu ...
, and performances from Bush. Bush was a lead performer at the January 2016 30A Songwriters Festival in
Seaside, Florida Seaside is an unincorporated master-planned community on the Florida Panhandle in Walton County, between Panama City Beach and Destin. One of the first communities in America designed on the principles of New Urbanism, which promotes walkabil ...
. Also among the performers at the festival was Hrya and his band, the Smokin' Novas. When Bush learned about Hyra's attendance at his final show he performed "I Won’t Tell" from their album ''Bloom''; Hyra joined him onstage and sang harmony, to the standing ovation from the audience. Bush had been given the green light for a second solo album, and Hyra was a carpenter and performed casually, so no plans for a reformation were made at the time. Bush kept the possibility of doing so open. The week after, Hyra performed harmony for a demo recording for Bush. In February 2016, Bush signed a new publishing, producing, and label deal with
Broken Bow Records BBR Music Group (formerly Broken Bow Records) is an American record label based in Nashville. Founded in July 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music. The label's executive vice president is Jon Loba. Craig Morgan had the f ...
, to record under their imprint Wheelhouse Records. "Forever Now (Say Yes)", written and performed by Bush, became the new theme song for the TLC reality series ''
Say Yes to the Dress ''Say Yes to the Dress'' is an American reality television series on TLC which follows events at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan. The series shows the progress of individual sales associates, managers, and fitters at the store, along with profili ...
'' when their 14th season premiered on March 4, 2016. Bush also makes a guest appearance on the show later in the season.


2017–2020: Other solo ventures, Sugarland and Billy Pilgrim reformation, and Dark Water

After ''Southern Gravity'', Bush worked with
Lindsay Ell Lindsay Elizabeth Ell (born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian-American country pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and television personality from Calgary, Alberta. Her music incorporates elements of rock and blues. Her debut extended play, ''Worth the ...
to produce her debut EP, '' Worth the Wait (EP)'', mentoring her on her music endeavors. Also after ''Southern Gravity'', playwright Janece Shaffer reached out to Bush requesting that he write a song about a character for her playwright ''Troubadour''; set in 1951, it's about the life of fictional country star Billy Mason. The song, "Father to the Son", was another song he considered a "wish" as it reflected the relationship he wanted to have with his father. Shaffer requested a second song, so Bush wrote three songs to pick from; Shaffer used all three. Ultimately, Bush would write the entire soundtrack for the musical. ''Troubadour'' first premiered at the Atlanta
Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal Theatre, staged its first production (''King Arthur'') at the Alliance in 1968. The ...
in January 28, 2017. The music felt deeply personal to him, with lyrics that he felt reflected his career and music reflecting that of the 1930's, which Bush drew inspiration from in his music. Bush planned not to release new music until later in 2017, but early exposure from
Bobby Bones Bobby Estell, (born April 2, 1980) known professionally as Bobby Bones, is an American radio and television personality, best known for hosting the nationally syndicated '' The Bobby Bones Show'', originating from the iHeart Studios in Nashvill ...
, a fan of his music, caused him to release "Sing Along". Bush explained that the song was about a past relationship that ended some time after his divorce, with lyrics that would remind them about the good times they had. Bush hoped that they have listened to the song. At the
51st Annual Country Music Association Awards The 51st Annual Country Music Association Awards, commonly known as the 51st CMA Awards, was held on November 8, 2017, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted for the tenth time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. The ...
in 2017, Sugarland officially reunited following a five year hiatus and announced that they were working on new music together. Their first full-band shows were at the C2C: Country to Country festival in March 2018. Their sixth studio album, '' Bigger'' was released on June 8, 2019. On May 31, 2019, Bush released a new EP, ''Summertime Six Pack''. Bush has also co-written with actress and singer Rita Wilson on three of her albums; ''Rita Wilson'', ''Bigger Picture'', and ''Halfway to Home''. He toured with her in 2019. In 2019 Bush formed a new band with his brother Brandon, and friend Benji Shanks called Dark Water. He calls the band "an amazing experience", and he "can't wait for people to hear it."


2022–2024: ''52'' and Billy Pilgrim

Throughout 2022 and 2023, Bush released four albums consisting of 52 songs to celebrate his 52nd birthday. The music consisted of unreleased works dating back to as early as 2006, which he was inspired to release after creating a
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel to release old recordings of performances from Billy Pilgrim. '' 52 , ATL x BNA'' released on March 25, 2022, and consisted of music that blended country music from
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
and R&B from
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. '' 52 , In The Key Of Summer'' released on June 24, 2022, featuring music that focused on the summer season. '' 52 , New Blue'' was released on September 30, 2022, and consisted of songs that reflected Bush's folk rock music of the 1990s and Billy Pilgrim. The final album of the collection, '' 52 , This Year'', released on March 10, 2023, and consisted of music that focused on true love and a reflection of Bush's career in the music industry. Billy Pilgrim began performing again in 2023. In 2024 they performed at the Grand Old Opry. In May 2024 the duo played 3 sold-out shows at Eddie's Attic outside Atlanta.


Radio

On BBC Radio 2 Country, Bush presented 'Country Duos', selecting some of his favourite country songs. He presented coverage of the 2017
CMA Music Festival CMA Fest, formerly named the CMA Music Festival until 2016, is a four-day Music festival centered on country music, hosted each June by the Country Music Association (CMA) in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Beginning in 1972 under the name Fan Fa ...
on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
.


Personal life

Bush has a son and a daughter from his marriage, which ended in 2011. Bush's brother Brandon is a former member of the rock group
Train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
, and also tours with Sugarland, Billy Pilgrim and Kristian's solo project as a keyboardist.


Awards and accolades

* 2025 - Nominated - ACM Award for Album of the Year, ''
Am I Okay? ''Am I Okay?'' is the second studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Megan Moroney, and was released on July 12, 2024, via Sony and Columbia Records. The album is produced by Kristian Bush, who also produced Moroney's debut album ...
'' * 2012 Named Distinguished Alumnus, Avon Old Farms School * 2011 CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland * 2011 CMT Music Awards Duo Video of the Year - Sugarland, "Stuck Like Glue" * 2011 ACM Awards Top Vocal Duo - Sugarland * 2010 CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland * 2009 CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland * 2009 CMT Music Awards Duo Video of the Year - Sugarland, "All I Want To Do" * 2009 ACM Awards Top Vocal Duo - Sugarland * 2009 Grammy Awards Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group - Sugarland, "Stay" * 2009 Grammy Awards Best Country Song - Sugarland, "Stay" * 2008 CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland * 2008 CMT Music Awards Duo Video of the Year - Sugarland, "Stay" * 2008 ACM Awards Single of the Year - Sugarland, "Stay" * 2007 CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland * 2007 CMT Awards Duo Video of the Year - Sugarland, "Want To" * 2006 ACM Awards Top New Duo or Vocal Group - Sugarland * 2005 American Music Awards Favorite Breakthrough New Artist - Sugarland


Discography


Solo releases

* ''Paint It All'' (2002) * "Love or Money" ingle(2013) * "Trailer Hitch" ingle(2014)


Billy Pilgrim

* ''St. Christopher's Crossing'' (1992) * ''Words Like Numbers'' (1993) * ''Billy Pilgrim'' (1994) * '' Bloom'' (1995) * ''In the Time Machine'' (2001)


Sugarland

* ''Premium Quality Tunes'' (2003) * ''Sugar in the Raw'' (2003) * '' Twice the Speed of Life'' (2004) * '' Enjoy the Ride'' (2006) * '' Love on the Inside'' (2008) * '' Live on the Inside'' (2009) * '' Gold and Green'' (2009) * '' The Incredible Machine'' (2010)


Studio albums


Singles


Music videos


References


External links


Kristian Bush WebsiteKristian Bush talks about music and Southern Gravity
on Ben Sorensen's REAL Country {{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Kristian 1970 births 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American mandolinists BBR Music Group artists Big Machine Records artists Country musicians from Tennessee Grammy Award winners Living people People from Sevierville, Tennessee Sugarland members Streamsound Records artists Avon Old Farms alumni Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Billy Pilgrim (duo) members