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, at which point Kristen Hall (vocals, guitar) was also a member. All three had experience in folk rock: Nettles had recorded in the groups Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band, Bush had recorded two albums as one-half of the duo Billy Pilgrim, and Hall had recorded two solo albums. After Hall left in 2006, Nettles and Bush continued as a duo.
Sugarland's debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, was released October 26, 2004. Serving as its lead-off single was the song "Baby Girl," which peaked at No.2 on the BillboardHot Country Songs charts and set a record for the longest chart run since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990; it was also the highest-peaking debut single for a group in 13 years. Also released from the album were the singles "Something More", "Just Might (Make Me Believe)," and "Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)," which peaked on the country charts at No.2, No.7, and No.17, respectively. The album received Multi-Platinum certification for sales of three million copies, becoming their first album to achieve that status. In late 2005, the trio performed with Bon Jovi on Country Music Television's musical fusion show, Crossroads. Nettles sang with Bon Jovi on their single "Who Says You Can't Go Home." The song later went on to become a No.1 hit on the country charts. They toured the U.S. and Canada performing with Brad Paisley in 2005 and with Kenny Chesney on his Flip Flop Summer Tour in 2006–2007.[1]
2006–2007: Enjoy the Ride
Sugarland performing in 2006
Kristen Hall left the group in December 2005. According to a statement released on January 17, 2006, by Nettles and Bush, Hall left the group to "stay home and write songs."
Sugarland was nominated for the Best New ArtistGrammy[2] and performed the song "Something More" at the 48th AnnualGrammy Awards on February 8, 2006.[3] They also performed at the 2006 CMT Music Awards, where they received multiple nominations including Group/Duo Video of the Year for Just Might (Make Me Believe), Breakthrough Video of the Year for Something More, and Collaborative Video of the Year for Who Says You Can't Go Home.[4] On November 7, 2006, the duo released their second album Enjoy the Ride. It sold 211,000 during its first week and opened at No.4 on the US Top 200 and No.2 on the Top Country Albums charts. It went on to become their second album to achieve multi-platinum status for selling three million copies. The first two singles from this album—"Want To" and "Settlin'"—both reached Number One on the country music charts, while "Everyday America" and "Stay" were both Top Ten hits.[5] A limited-edition version of the CD, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, was released in late 2007 and included a 5-song Christmas EP. The EP contained one original song—"Little Wood Guitar"— written by Bush and Ellis Paul. USA Today included the song in a list of new Christmas songs released in 2007 "that might have some staying power."[6]
In 2007, Sugarland performed at multiple award ceremonies, including the 2007 CMT Music Awards[7] and the 2007 ACM awards.[8] They performed a cover of Beyoncé Knowles' "Irreplaceable" at the American Music Awards. Knowles joined Sugarland on stage starting with the second verse. The performance drew some poor reviews with The Village Voice calling it "a well-intentioned mess,"[9] although other critics also noted that the crowd enjoyed the performance.[10]
They appeared on The Tonight Show, and late in the year, they headlined their first concert tour: the Change for Change Tour along with opening acts Little Big Town and Jake Owen. At the 41st CMA Awards, the group won the award for Vocal Duo of the Year.[11]
Sugarland also appeared on a Sesame Street episode that first aired during Season 38 on September 14, 2007. During the segment, they performed "Songs" with Elmo. On November 26, 2007, they made a guest appearance in the "Car" episode of "Yo Gabba Gabba!."[12]
2008–2009: Love on the Inside
Sugarland performing in 2008
In February 2007, Nettles and Bush began recording Love on the Inside as a follow-up to Enjoy the Ride. The Deluxe Fan Edition was released on July 22, 2008, with the regular edition released one week later. The fan edition includes the duo's collaboration with Little Big Town and Jake Owen, a cover of The Dream Academy's 1985 hit "Life in a Northern Town." It also introduces four other bonus tracks, including "Fall Into Me," "Operation: Working Vacation," "Wishing," and a cover of Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher."[13]
The lead-off single was "All I Want to Do" (completely different from the Sheryl Crow song of the same title) which debuted at No.27 on the country charts, the highest debut for the duo. In August 2008 the song became their third No.1 single. The following single, "Already Gone," released on September 8, 2008, became their fourth No.1 in January 2009. Sugarland started the Love on the Inside Tour on September 13, 2008, in Asheville, North Carolina. It was their second headlining tour. They were supported by Ashton Shepherd and Kellie Pickler and the tour concluded after 25 performances on November 16, 2008, in Bossier City, Louisiana.[14]
In early December 2008, Sugarland received three Grammy Award nominations and performed on the 51st Annual Grammy Awards show on February 8, 2009. They won awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.[15]
On February 11, 2009, Sugarland received two nominations from the Academy of Country Music. They were nominated for Top Vocal Duo and Vocal Event of the Year for "Life in a Northern Town."[16] During the broadcast of the April 5, 2009 awards show, Sugarland was presented with the Vocal Duo of the Year award, ending Brooks & Dunn's nine-year run.[17] Nettles also received a Milestone award, presented to her by Reba McEntire.[18]
In March 2009, Sugarland toured in Europe starting with performances at military stations in Italy. They were scheduled to perform in France, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Later in 2009 they joined Keith Urban in select cities as part of his Escape Together World Tour and joined Kenny Chesney on his Sun City Carnival Tour.[19] The third single from Love on the Inside, and 11th single overall, "It Happens," was released in February 2009 and became their fifth No.1 in May 2009. The album's fourth single, "Joey" is a warning about drunk driving, encouraging those sober to "take the keys," and thematically is heavily influenced by Concrete Blonde's 1990 single of the same name. It peaked at No.17 on the US country charts.
On May 19, 2009, Sugarland received five CMT Award nominations including a nomination for Video of the Year.[20] They were presented the award for Video Duo of the Year at the award show that broadcast on June 16, 2009.[21] During the awards show, they also performed "Love Shack" with a surprise appearance by the B-52's.[22]
On July 2, 2009, a performance that Sugarland recorded for Soundstage debuted on many PBS channels.[23]
Sugarland's first live DVD/CD Live on the Inside was released exclusively through Wal-Mart stores on August 4, 2009.[24]
Sugarland released their first holiday album, Gold and Green on October 13, 2009. The album features five original songs and five traditional carols.[25]
Country Universe, a country music blog website, published a list of the top selling country albums of 2009. Sugarland had four albums on the list with Love on the Inside (#10), Gold and Green (#149), Live on the Inside (#168), and Enjoy the Ride (#180).[26]
2010–2011: The Incredible Machine
Sugarland performing in 2011
Sugarland's "It Happens" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals when nominees for 52nd Annual Grammy Awards were announced on December 2, 2009.[27] They lost to Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You". During the awards show, Jennifer Nettles teamed with Jon Bon Jovi for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".[28]
On February 1, 2010, Sugarland appeared with many other artists in the making of "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" to benefit the Haiti earthquake relief efforts and the rebuilding of Haiti.[29]
The American Express concert series Unstaged pairs Sugarland with director Kenny Ortega for a performance from New York City streamed live on October 18, 2010.[34]
On November 29, 2010, Jennifer Nettles hosted the first CMA Country Christmas during which Sugarland also performed two holiday songs from their Christmas CD, Gold and Green.[35]
On December 5, 2010, Sugarland performed at "The VH1 Divas Salute The Troops" show, hosted by Kathy Griffin, which aired on VH1. Other performers included Katy Perry, Keri Hilson, Nicki Minaj, Paramore, and Grace Potter. Sugarland performed their country crossover single "Stuck Like Glue," after an introduction by supermodel Marisa Miller and Jennifer Nettles' brother, a member of the Air Force.[36]
It was announced on January 11, that Sugarland was the No.5 selling country album of 2010 with The Incredible Machine and the No.3 selling digital country track of 2010 with their single "Stuck Like Glue."[37]
Sugarland graced the stage of American Idol in March, performing the hit "Stuck Like Glue.[38]
On April 3, 2011, Sugarland hosted and performed at the first annual ACM Fan Jam during the ACM awards show.[39] Sugarland was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year and Video of the Year for "Stuck Like Glue", and won for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.[40] Nettles performed alongside pop star Rihanna at the ceremony, performing "California King Bed".[41][42]
"Tonight" is the second single released in the U.K. from The Incredible Machine as well as the third country radio single, released April 11.[43]
In April 2011, Sugarland began a radio station, launched by A.P.E. Radio. The station is programmed by Nettles and Bush and allows fans to hear experiences from both singers' lives and their current musical endeavors.[44]
The duo appeared at the 2011 CMT Music Awards, winning for "Duo Video of the Year" but losing to Taylor Swift's "Mine" for video of the year. They also performed their donation song "Stand Up".[45]
The duo recorded the song "Run" with Matt Nathanson on his album Modern Love but Nettles and Bush are credited individually on the track.
On August 13, 2011, an outdoor stage collapsed due to high winds at the duo's concert at the Indiana State Fair for their Incredible Machine Tour, killing seven people and injuring more than 45. Moments after the crash, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush posted on their Twitter account: "We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength." Sugarland subsequently canceled their concert scheduled for the following day, August 14, 2011, at the Iowa State Fair.[46] The band also posted a letter on their website explaining their resulting emotional experiences from the stage collapse, as well as a tribute for the families. Two months later, on October 28, 2011, Sugarland held a free benefit concert in honor of the victims of the stage collapse.[47] One month later, on November 23, it was announced that forty-four lawsuits had been brought against Sugarland and a handful of organizations involved with the show, citing an unspecified damage amount for compensation.
End of 2011
2011 ended in a busy series of events for the duo, as they won Vocal Duo and performed "Run" with Matt Nathanson at the 2011 CMA awards,[48] they performed with Lady Gaga at the Grammy Nominations Concert,[49] a performance (as well as hosting duties for Jennifer) at the 2011 CMA Country Christmas Special,[50] two nominations from the ACAs in the categories of Artist of the Year-Duo or Group and Single of the Year-Duo or Group for "Stuck Like Glue,"[51] and finally they performed in Oslo, Norway on December 11 for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert.[52]
On Saturday, November 26, 2011, Jennifer Nettles married her boyfriend of two years, Justin Miller, in a sunset ceremony at Blackberry Farms in East Tennessee.[53] Miller, a former model was featured in the band's 2006 hit song, "Want To".[54]
Sugarland took some time off at the beginning of 2012, to "chill and relax and sleep in our own beds and contemplate how we want to approach what's next."[55]
Sugarland recorded a song for the 2012 movie, Act of Valor. The soundtrack to the movie was released on February 21, 2012. The song is titled "Guide You Home".[57] Kristian Bush confirmed in late January that Sugarland will be touring in "mid to late Spring" and that they're "going to source our fans for our set list."[58] On April 5, 2012, the duo commenced their fourth headlining tour: In Your Hands tour 2012. On June 18, it was announced that Nettles was pregnant and due in November, two months after their summer tour concluded. Her son, Magnus Hamilton Miller, was born on December 6, 2012.[59]
With Nettles on maternity leave,[60] Bush made his solo debut in March 2013 at the inaugural C2C: Country to Country Festival at the O2 Arena in London, England; his first song as a solo act, "Love or Money," debuted on iTunes in Europe the following week.[61] He often takes part in the Country Music Association's Songwriters Series, which has included various appearances across the United States, as well as time spent abroad with the CMA's first-ever international initiative showcasing Nashville songwriters and their work to foreign audiences in clubs and theaters.[60]
In August 2013, Nettles released a solo single, "That Girl", for Mercury. It is the lead single to her solo album of the same name, released on January 14, 2014. Rick Rubin produced the album. Her second album Playing with Fire was released in 2016 and, as Bush did in 2013, Nettles played the 2017 C2C: Country to Country Festival.
In 2014, Bush signed to producer Byron Gallimore's Streamsound Records as a solo artist.[62] His debut solo single, "Trailer Hitch", was released to radio and retailers on July 28, 2014. His debut solo album, Southern Gravity, was released on April 7, 2015. He wrote 300 songs for the project, which he refers to as a "mainstream country record that is meant to be played on the radio."[63] Nettles released two solo albums in 2016, Playing with Fire on May 13, and To Celebrate Christmas on October 28.
2017–2023: Reunion and Bigger
In 2017, at the 51st Annual Country Music Association Awards, Bush and Nettles reunited to present the Vocal Duo of the Year award and announced that they were working on new music together as Sugarland.[64][65] Their single "Still the Same" was released on December 21, 2017, and reached number 1 on the country iTunes charts as well as number 9 on the general iTunes chart. Their first official performance as a duo in over five years was at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018 and their first full band shows were as part of the C2C: Country to Country festival in the UK and Ireland. On March 30, 2018, it was announced that Sugarland's new album, Bigger, would be released on June 8, 2018.[66] The album contains the song "Babe" featuring American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift, which makes "Babe" the first song Sugarland has recorded that wasn't written by Bush and Nettles.[67] In March 2019 Sugarland ended their 15-year relationship with UMG Nashville and will now record exclusively for Big Machine Records. In December 2019 Sugarland signed with Big Machine Records exclusively they had signed a joint venture with their former label UMG Nashville and Big Machine in 2018, Nettles also records as a solo artist for Big Machine. Bush and Nettles resumed focusing on their solo careers following the release of Bigger and the subsequent tour.
2024–present: Little Big Town collaboration and tour
In April 2024, they reunited for a performance of Phil Collins' "Take Me Home, at the 2024 CMT Music Awards alongside Little Big Town.[68] It was released as single the same day. Sugarland will be co-headlining the Take Me Home Tour with Little Big Town from October 24 to December 13, 2024.[69]
Sugarland released their EP There Goes the Neighborhood on August 9.
Hall lawsuit
Kristen Hall left the band unexpectedly in December 2005. According to both Bush and Nettles, Hall's reason for her departure was to "stay home and write songs" and they both supported the decision.[70] In July 2008, less than three years after Hall left Sugarland, she filed a lawsuit[71] for $14 million[72] against Bush and Nettles stating that she was being excluded from sharing profits as had been agreed upon after her departure.[71] Hall claims to have coined the name of the band and allowed Bush and Nettles "to obtain equal co-ownership of the trademark and service mark"; Hall's name is listed on the trademark for "Sugarland".[73] Both Nettles and Bush had countered Hall by stating that no profit-sharing agreement had been made with the duo before Hall's departure. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in November 2010, although the details regarding the settlement agreement were not disclosed; both parties were given until December 13, 2010, to complete the agreement.[72]
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousin, a brother-in-law of country music singer James Otto, and was previously a member of the contemporary Christian music duo East to West. LeVox and DeMarcus are both natives of Columbus, Ohio.
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has had the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook. Fairchild and Westbrook have been married to each other since 2006. Little Big Town's musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead vocalists.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2006.
Jennifer Odessa Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
"Who Says You Can't Go Home" is a song that was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for American rock band Bon Jovi's ninth album, Have a Nice Day (2005). The song was produced by John Shanks, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. A duet version of the song featuring vocals from Jennifer Nettles of the American duo Sugarland was also shipped to country music radio. Both versions of the song feature on Have a Nice Day; the original version appears as the fourth track, while the country version appears as the thirteenth and final track.
Kristian Merrill Bush is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bush is one half of the country music duo Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles, and was a member of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim 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.
"Everyday America" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on May 21, 2007 as the third single from their second album Enjoy the Ride). It peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The song was also played on the ABC television series Good Morning America from May to September 2007. It was written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Lisa Carver.
"Stay" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in September 2007 as the fourth and final single from their album Enjoy the Ride. Overall, the song is the group's eighth single to enter the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, where it reached a peak position of #2 for four weeks, stuck behind Taylor Swift's "Our Song", and has become their signature song. The music video for "Stay" was ranked #10 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.
"Down in Mississippi " is a song written and recorded by American country music group Sugarland. It was released in March 2006 as the fourth and final single from the album Twice the Speed of Life, Sugarland's only album as a trio. Starting with the next single, "Want To", Sugarland has comprised Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, with Kristen Hall departing.
The American country music duo Sugarland has released six studio albums for Mercury Nashville and 18 singles, including one as a featured artist. Founded in 2002 as a trio composed of Kristian Bush, Kristen Hall, and Jennifer Nettles, they have recorded as a duo since Hall's departure in December 2005.
Love on the Inside is the third studio album by American country music duo Sugarland, first released on July 22, 2008, as a Deluxe Fan Edition, including five bonus tracks, with the standard edition one week later, on July 29, on Mercury Nashville Records. The album has produced three chart singles in "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone" and "It Happens", all number one hits on the Billboard country singles charts. The fourth single, "Joey", reached Top 20. The release of the fifth single "Keep You" was canceled. It is also the first album of the duo's career to reach Number One on Top Country Albums and The Billboard Top 200. The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 2 million copies in the United States.
"Already Gone" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in September 2008 as the second single from their album Love on the Inside, which was released on July 29, 2008. Sugarland's members, Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, wrote the song with Bobby Pinson, with whom the duo also co-wrote two of their previous singles, "Want To" and "All I Want to Do".
"It Happens" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in February 2009 as the third single from their album Love on the Inside. The duo's members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, wrote the song along with Bobby Pinson, with whom the duo also co-wrote the album's first two singles, "All I Want to Do" and "Already Gone". To date, this is Sugarland’s last number one song.
"Joey" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. The duo's two members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, wrote it along with Bill Anderson. It was released in July 2009 as the fourth single from the duo's album Love on the Inside. Sugarland's twelfth single release, it debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in July 2009.
The Incredible Machine is the fifth studio album by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on October 19, 2010, through Mercury Nashville Records. Byron Gallimore along with both members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush teamed up for production of the album.
"Stuck Like Glue" is a song by American country music duo Sugarland. Written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush, Kevin Griffin and Shy Carter, it was released on July 26, 2010 as the first single from Sugarland's album The Incredible Machine, released October 19, 2010. "Stuck Like Glue" debuted at number 44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 7, 2010, and debuted at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following week. It went on to sell 2,629,000 digital copies by May 2013.
"Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band The Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It appears on the band's self-titled debut studio album, The Dream Academy. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake. Written by band members Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel, the song was produced by Laird-Clowes with help from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. The single reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1986 and reached No. 15 on the UK charts. It is the band's highest charting single in the UK, the US, and Ireland.
"Run" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of country duo Sugarland, and recorded for Nathanson's seventh studio album, Modern Love (2011). The song is performed as a duet between Nathanson and Nettles, with Bush contributing backing vocals as well as the acoustic and electric guitar accompaniments. It made its debut at the 2010 CMA Awards on November 9, 2011. A remastered country version was released to digital retailers via Vanguard Records the same day as the third single from Modern Love.
Bigger is the sixth studio album by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on June 8, 2018, through Big Machine Records. This is their first album in eight years since 2010's The Incredible Machine, and first on Big Machine.
"Babe" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland, featuring guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released by Big Machine Records on April 20, 2018, as the second single from Sugarland's sixth studio album, Bigger (2018). "Babe" is a midtempo country pop ballad and breakup song. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, number 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, and at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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