Kristian Bush Continues Hit-Making Career With Solo Debut

Kristian Bush at Ocean Way studio in Nashville.

After reaching multi-platinum sales success as part of acclaimed country duo Sugarland, Kristian Bush has released his debut solo album, Southern Gravity. He’s been making the media rounds (see his performance on Conan below), and working the Top 20 single “Trailer Hitch” to country radio.

Though definitely a pinnacle in his two-decade career, his time with Sugarland is only part of this musician’s background. His songwriting has garnered six BMI Awards, and in 2011 he founded the music publishing company and songwriting collective Songs of the Architect, collaborating with Matt Nathanson, Lucy Hale and more.

As a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Bush’s career dates back to the early ‘90s when he released two lauded albums on Atlantic Records as part of folk-rock duo Billy Pilgrim.

Fast forward to 2004 when he and Jennifer Nettles exploded onto the country music scene as Sugarland, going on to surpass worldwide sales of 22 million albums, five No. 1 singles and countless trophies (Grammy, CMA, ACM, AMA, CMT).

Today as a solo act, Bush has reworked his team: moving from Mercury Records Nashville to Streamsound Records, from Gellman Management to Red Light Management, and tapping Jensen Sussman’s Sweet Talk Publicity.

What hasn’t changed is his knack for entertaining audiences and writing catchy country/pop hooks that attracted fans to Sugarland. Just check out the singalong chorus in “Trailer Hitch”: “I don’t know why everybody wanna die rich… you can’t take it with you when you go, never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch.”

Streamsound’s Byron Gallimore, veteran producer of Sugarland, executive produced Southern Gravity, while Bush and longtime friend/engineer Tom Tapley shared production duties.

Bush is headlining shows nationwide with his Put Your Soul In It tour and is teaming with Armed Forces Entertainment in May to perform for military bases in Japan and Hawaii. He is set for a 10 a.m. performance on Saturday, June 13 at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage during this year’s CMA Music Festival.