{"id":70177,"date":"2018-07-22T08:36:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T14:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whisnews21.com\/?p=70177"},"modified":"2018-07-22T08:36:14","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T14:36:14","slug":"sugarland-returns-after-5-years-with-first-album-in-8-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/22\/sugarland-returns-after-5-years-with-first-album-in-8-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugarland after 5 years apart with 1st Album In 8 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Country Duo Returns with Their first Album Together in 8 Years<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When\u00a0Kristian Bush\u00a0and\u00a0Jennifer Nettles\u00a0walked on stage together at the 2017 CMA Awards<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To present the trophy for Vocal Duo of the Year, the country world was abuzz<\/strong><\/h4>\n
.<\/h6>\n

Their first joint appearance since 2012, the moment had many wondering if\u00a0Sugarland\u00a0was finally reuniting after their five-year hiatus. While the duo had hinted that they would come back together when the timing was right, their awards show appearance in November set the ball in motion. \u201cThere was never a time we thought it was a thing of the past,\u201d Nettles recently told members of the industry during a rehearsal for their 2018 Still the Same Tour in Nashville. \u201cWe always said from the beginning that we left that door open. We just continued to walk the truth that we knew and to do what we wanted to do and we are doing that still.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Since announcing their hiatus, Nettles and Bush have kept busy creating music separately. As Nettles explains, the intention of their pause as a duo was to go and \u201cfill our cups in other ways: as human beings, as artists, as craftsmen and women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Nettles and Bush achieved this with countless side projects. Nettles released three solo albums \u2014 2014\u2019s\u00a0That Girl,<\/em>\u00a02016\u2019s\u00a0Playing with Fire<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0To Celebrate Christmas<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 while Bush dropped 2015\u2019s\u00a0Southern Gravity<\/em>. Additionally, Bush served as producer for both\u00a0Lindsay Ell\u2019s debut album,\u00a0The Project<\/em>, as well as\u00a0Tyler Farr, while Nettles pursued Broadway and television roles including\u00a0Chicago<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Dolly Parton\u2019s\u00a0Coat of Many Colors<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have come back with really full cups in terms of there are things that we can do in Sugarland that we can\u2019t do on our own and there are things that we can do on our own that we can\u2019t do in Sugarland, and there\u2019s this beautiful symbiosis where one feeds the other,\u201d Nettles tells\u00a0Sounds Like Nashville<\/em>, seated on the arm of a couch beside Bush during a recent press day.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019ve come back with full cups, not only of life and experience, but to be able to look at each other and go, \u2018Oh my God! And what about this, and what about this?’\u201d she says excitedly. \u201cWe\u2019re also in a very ripe time, in terms of the world and in terms of our country, where we have had a lot to say that we can only say in this specific way that Sugarland does so well. So that has also been a beautiful discovery of the reasons and the timing for coming back together that I\u2019ve enjoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Nettles talks, Bush nods his head in agreement. At times, they finish each other\u2019s sentences like the old friends they are and occasionally grab hands when praising the other\u2019s talents. When asked how Bush\u2019s past experience as a producer helped Sugarland\u2019s new album,\u00a0Bigger<\/em>, out June 8, Nettles waves her left arm in the air and exclaims, \u201cLet me answer! Let me answer!\u201d as she reaches for his hand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is part of what I\u2019m saying when I say we\u2019ve each gone and filled our cup and gained many things and new skills. Kristian came in with all these fantastic skills that he had crafted and honed within himself over the past five years in terms of being a producer,\u201d Nettles marvels. \u201cEven where technology is concerned and writing, the things that he was able to come in with \u2014 musical ideas that already had a groove, already had the bass and the drums \u2014 so there were all these pieces that were already efficiently there, that he brought in and knowing how to do based on all the work he\u2019s done in between.\u201d I want to be remembered for storytelling and for stories that touch people\u2026<\/p>\n

When the two bandmates began discussing their return, they say it wasn\u2019t one specific moment that initiated things. Instead, it was more of a series of questions and answers: \u201cDoes the calendar work? Are you even interested? Can we write together?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere I usually start the story is about right there which is, \u2018Sure, maybe we ought to sit down and write. Just in case, you know? See what happens,’\u201d Bush explains. \u201cAnd the really great part of that beginning is we literally sat down and wrote a song that you are literally listening to as a first single. That is the first song, that is the first moment. So there\u2019s something really unique about you going on this journey with us at the same time. You\u2019re listening to \u2018Still the Same\u2019 about as many times as I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cIQKKzZtWwQ?feature=oembed]<\/div>\n

Sugarland wrote most of the album in New York and Bush says when they first met to create what would become \u201cStill the Same,\u201d they sat on the floor and began throwing out ideas. \u201cWhen you hear it, it\u2019s an account. It\u2019s like, \u2018Well, where do we start? We haven\u2019t done this in so long. Well, how about we start right here where we are? What does it feel like to walk in this door after all this time? You\u2019ve been carrying this around; walk in the door and lay it down. Let\u2019s meet in this moment where we are.\u2019 And that\u2019s the song,\u201d Nettles recalls. The lyric that they built the song around was \u201cYour future is your history.\u201d Nettles initially said the line and Bush loved it and wondered how they could make that the song. They then built the track up from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of instinct that happened on that song that, I think, played out over the months that followed. But the real beautiful part for me was just seeing that the instincts were all there,\u201d Bush says with a smile. Sugarland are well known for penning songs with a message and\u00a0Bigger<\/em>\u00a0is no different. On their 11-track album there are songs that touch upon the countless school shootings throughout the nation, female empowerment, the #MeToo movement, and an all-encompassing love. Nettles further explains how it has always been important for Sugarland to translate pain into hope within their music.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t like to preach but we do send messages of love and hope.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s one of the things that music can do best. Music does it in a way that no other medium does. I think it can really speak right to the heart,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I think, along with that, there\u2019s a bit of responsibility. Dare I say, that it\u2019s a calling. A powerful part of this whole album are those sorts of messages, and that it is pain into hope. Music is transformative in that way and there is a lot of pain happening right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the album\u2019s standout moments is \u201cTuesday\u2019s Broken,\u201d which Bush and Nettles penned together. Inspired after one of the many school shootings in the U.S., Nettles opens the song with whispered vocals as she questions how to explain these events to her son. \u201cYesterday hell rained down \/ Another kid, another school in another town \/ I think about how to tell my son and I think about how that one got a gun,\u201d she sings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you do as a parent? [This] was Kristian\u2019s initial inspiration behind the first verse. How do we talk to our children about these heavy, dark things?\u201d Nettles asks. \u201cI had read an article by a woman named Ruby Sales, who is a Civil Rights activist. In it she said, \u2018We should be asking each other the question, in these painful political times, where does it hurt?\u2019 Because everything is so polarized right now I thought, \u2018This is a great time for that.\u2019 Meaning, this verse is a great time for that overarching message so let\u2019s put those together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sugarland;<\/p>\n

The song also touches upon social media becoming a major culprit in teenage suicide and how instead of ignoring these issues, parents should start to ask, \u201cWhere does it hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if we tried to reach them with words? \/ What if we looked in their eyes and asked where does it hurt? \/ Would they find all they were worth? \/ Monday was hoping \/ Don\u2019t leave it unspoken \/ Tuesday\u2019s broken,\u201d Nettles belts on the song\u2019s final chorus.<\/p>\n

Bush says the song has given him an opportunity to have important conversations with his own son and daughter about online bullying, teen suicide, and school shootings. Sugarland hope the song opens up the dialogue between adults as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s less about the guns and it\u2019s more about the kids. What I love about that song from a writer perspective is that it doesn\u2019t seem that we\u2019re going to pour gasoline on anything. We\u2019re just asking questions about kids that matter,\u201d Bush notes. Another powerful track is \u201cMother.\u201d The soaring and personal ballad has Nettles singing of the supportive role a mother often plays on a child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe fixes all the broken things \/ When you\u2019re in love she\u2019s got a ring \/ To give to you she hopes you give away \/ She don\u2019t care who you give it to \/ Where they\u2019re from, if they pray like you \/ As long as they are good to you that\u2019s enough \/ First thing she taught you was love is love,\u201d she sings on the inspiring ballad.<\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gpqAk_Js5Yo?feature=oembed]<\/div>\n

\u201cWe wanted to celebrate what we feel is so beautiful about mothers, what we have in our own mothers, and what we see that is beautiful about that relationship and that kind of unconditional, open-ended love,\u201d Nettles explains. \u201cWithin country music, we have such a lovely opportunity because we have such a broad fan base and a broad demographic. To be able to offer messages of how we see the world, hopefully might inspire people that if they don\u2019t see it that way maybe they might ask a question.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cYour mama might not have been that way but she should have. What she wants most for you is somebody that\u2019s good for you and good to you. It doesn\u2019t matter how somebody prays. It doesn\u2019t matter who they are. The \u2018love is love\u2019 line, obviously being a beautiful motto for the LGBTQ community as well, we wanted to include that in there. In a time where religion and sexual orientation are sometimes hot buttons for people, we wanted to talk about the love piece of that from a mom and what\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bush further explains that while there is a lot of messaging in the album, Sugarland doesn\u2019t go about it in a preachy way. As a result, the lyrics aren\u2019t yelling at the listener but instead talking to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we get in a room and write, we\u2019re completely aware of who might be listening and how to reach their heart instead of how to set them off. Go on and calm everybody down and then hug them and then remind them that their mother would be sorely disappointed in them if they started to hate,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

For the first time in their career, Sugarland has recorded an outside song on their album. \u201cBabe,\u201d the duo\u2019s new single, was penned by\u00a0Taylor Swift\u00a0and Train\u2019s Pat Monahan. As Nettles recalls, they received a phone call from Swift, who said she had a song she\u2019d love for them to listen to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started out together with Taylor around the same time, except she was 15 and we were not 15. But not far!\u201d Nettles jokes ahead of performing \u201cBabe\u201d at their tour rehearsal. \u201cAt the time we had a little unsigned EP that she still has that we autographed for her. We\u2019ve been mutual fans and admirers of each other. When she heard we were getting back together she was excited and said that she had a song and would we be interested in it. We said, \u2018Yes, of course!\u2019 and wanted to do it the most justice and recorded it. She loved it when she heard it and wanted to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fNVUTgd4pio?feature=oembed]<\/div>\n

In addition to \u201cBabe,\u201d the album\u2019s anthemic title track will prove another memorable moment in Sugarland\u2019s live show. A song that Nettles credits as being cathartic, \u201cBigger\u201d is an empowering song with an uplifting message of self-acceptance that features the singer\u2019s rapid fire singing style within the bridge as she belts, \u201cThey think they\u2019re big, but you\u2019re bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about, in terms of what it is to be a woman or what it is to be a father of a daughter, what kinds of messages do we want to offer our girls and what kinds of support do we want to offer each other as women? And, what sort of changes do we want to offer to the world as humans?\u201d Nettles explains. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing, especially with the #MeToo movement, so many ways that we are evolving.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds those two lines of the bridge, \u201cthey think they\u2019re big, but you\u2019re bigger,\u201d will hopefully remind people, and more importantly remind young girls, of their worth.<\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Tg18E8nBS04?feature=oembed]<\/div>\n

Now in the midst of their 2018 Still the Same Tour, Sugarland promise that the trek will include the countless hits their fans know and love as well as some of the new material from\u00a0Bigger<\/em>. As Nettles assures, each show will be \u201cencapsulated in a transformative musical environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it has been a long five years for Sugarland fans anxiously awaiting the reemergence of the duo, Bush and Nettles prove that they are, in fact, still the same. Their time away allowed them to focus on their individual passions and inspirations. As a result, their return shows that their bond and musicianship is stronger than ever. While some things may have changed for Sugarland, they hope the messages within their songs continue to inspire and to leave a lasting mark on listeners.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be remembered for storytelling and for stories that touch people and connect them to themselves and to each other. Mostly, I want them to be reminded of what they want to become,\u201d Nettles concedes. \u201cSometimes we think about that or sometimes that becomes more clear when we think about where we\u2019ve been. Sometimes we like to celebrate that nostalgia. For the most part, we don\u2019t like to preach but we do send messages of love and hope. I hope that we are able to leave that behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Country Duo Returns with Their first Album Together in 8 Years When\u00a0Kristian Bush\u00a0and\u00a0Jennifer Nettles\u00a0walked on stage together at the 2017 CMA Awards To present the trophy for Vocal Duo of the Year, the country world was abuzz . Their first joint appearance since 2012, the moment had many wondering if\u00a0Sugarland\u00a0was finally reuniting after their five-year hiatus. While the duo had hinted that they would come back together when the timing was right, their awards show appearance in November set the ball in motion. \u201cThere was never a time we thought<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70177"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whisnews21.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}