Kristian Bush on solo album, Sugarland's future
No one can say that Kristian Bush is at a loss for words.
The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, who's one-half of hit country duo Sugarland, recently wrote roughly 160 songs over the course of a year. "That's about one every other day," he told CBS News. "And that's been freaking me out."
Bush says the writing and musical output "just kept happening." It even started to feel "compulsive," he revealed. So, instead of storing his lyrics in a notebook or keeping his recordings at home, he decided to use his website as an outlet. This way, he would not lose his drive and momentum. "The first idea was, 'Well, maybe I can put a song out every Monday.'"
That helped launch "Music Mondays," a weekly post written by Bush that featured a new song and some background about the tune. "I told you a story about what inspired it, the story is about the day I wrote it, or what I ate. Anything! I love liner notes," he said.
Bush soon felt like he had enough good ones for an entire album. And with all that music, you can imagine what it was like narrowing down songs for his first-ever solo release, "Southern Gravity," due out later this year. He solicited input from fans, took the crowd's temperature at live shows and consulted longtime Sugarland producer Byron Gallimore for input.
"After working on four records with Sugarland, I know Kristian's musical abilities well. He is a great singer, songwriter, and all-around musician." said Gallimore. "The music he is getting ready to drop on country radio is some of the most exciting I've heard in years."
One of the tracks, "Trailer Hitch," officially arrived this week. It's a song, Bush says, that will make you want to dance.
"It was based on just conversation," he said. "I listen to everyone around me and when you say something funny or different I'm marking it. And my buddy said, 'I have never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch.' And I said, 'That's hilarious.'"
Although he's busy with solo projects -- Sugarland fans need not worry. Bush and his Sugarland partner, Jennifer Nettles, aren't breaking up. "Nobody panic...you're freaking out all of y'all! This means that we're about to have three times as many songs."
The last Sugarland album, "The Incredible Machine," came out in 2010. Two years later, Nettles and her husband, Justin Miller, welcomed their first child, which means Sugarland projects have been put on hold temporarily.
"She's a new mom, and my kids are 8 and 12 now and I remember what that's like," he said. "You know, you got to give people a chance to change and let their life become something else."
For more on Sugarland and Bush's solo project, check out our video interview and exclusive performance clips above.
