Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line talks discovering his solo voice ahead of State Fair

Tyler Hubbard didn’t get to explore much of the Iowa State Fair when he performed at the Grandstand as part of Florida Georgia Line in 2018, but this time, he definitely will.

Hubbard is widely known as being a member of the Grammy Award-nominated, Nashville-based duo Florida Georgia Line, though he and FGL partner Brian Kelley are currently pursuing solo careers after playing the band’s final show last year.

The singer-songwriter behind “Dancin’ In The Country” — which stars actor and “America’s Got Talent” host Terry Crews — was gearing up for a performance at the Ohio State Fair when the Des Moines Register spoke to him Thursday.

Hubbard said he’s done a lot of state fairs this summer and explained how he scopes out the fairgrounds and gets a sense of the energy before his show. The Iowa State Fair, where he’ll perform on Aug. 11 at 8 p.m., shouldn’t be different. Hubbard may even grab a funnel cake along the way, he said.

Note: Answers edited for clarity and length.

Des Moines Register: What has it been like for you to reintroduce yourself to audiences as an artist separate of Florida Georgia Line? How has that felt for you?

Tyler Hubbard: It's been great. I've had a lot of fun. Been really special to get to reconnect (with) fans and a more personal and individual… they know it’s a rebuild. It's been a lot of fun to just do it in a different dynamic and my whole career has been in a band and so it's been really fun to step into this new season and kind of the unknown but I’ve felt a lot of love and a lot of support. And it's given me a lot of new energy and creative momentum and all that good stuff. So I'm in a great place. Feeling probably more thankful than ever.

Des Moines Register: Have you learned something new about yourself as an artist and as a performer now that you’re pursuing your career in a different way?

Tyler Hubbard: I've learned that I really do enjoy building a name, building a relationship with fans, building a culture. The challenge of building something gives me a lot of life, gives me a lot of energy and it's something that I really enjoy. And maybe the first time around, I was so focused on making it to where we wanted to go that I forgot to enjoy where I was at and so this time around, I'm really trying to do that and just enjoy where I'm at and be grateful and it's just been a super fun ride so far and I have learned a lot. It's been quite a season of self-discovery as I now put my personal name on this music and in everything. That requires really taking an internal look at yourself and knowing who you are and being confident in that and then knowing what you want to say and how you want to connect and so it's been fun.

Des Moines Register: Can audiences at Friday’s concert expect to hear any Florida Georgia Line?

Tyler Hubbard: I can't give away all the secrets, but I will say there is a little taste of FGL in the show. I do take a moment to pay my respects and sort of connect the dots to some people that maybe still hadn't quite connected the dots or just want a little taste of nostalgia. It's special for the fans. I think FGL was the soundtrack to a lot of these fans’ lives and so to be able to go back to 2012 where it started for me as a songwriter and an artist and hit them with “Cruise.” It's really, really fun and something that I'm doing and I'll probably continue to do as it's a really big part of my story, an important part of why I'm even up on stage, and so we go back and have a little FGL moment for sure.

Des Moines Register: “Dancin’ In The Country” and “5 Foot 9” have been huge hits off your self-titled album. Which songs do you feel especially proud of or feel are relevant to you at this point in your life?

Tyler Hubbard: I think all the songs sort of hold a special place in my heart and they serve that different purpose or telling different part of my story. I'm really proud of all the songs. There’s songs like "Miss My Daddy" that is super personal and I wrote by myself. It showcases a different side of who I am and really just allowed me to get super vulnerable. So I would say that's one that I'm really proud of just because it required me to step into a new space but really proud of "5 Foot 9" and obviously "Dancin’ (In The Country)." The whole album in general as a project is something I’m really, really proud of, and it's been really fun to see the fans sing all the songs back to me when I show up and play these shows live.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard preps for Iowa State Fair concert