KRISTIAN BUSH CELEBRATES 52 WITH NEW TUNES

Kristian Bush Celebrates 52 With New Tunes presents weekly podcast, "52 – The Podcast

As he celebrated his 52^nd birthday, Kristian Bush prepared to release the first volume of what will eventually be a four-volume collection, 52 - ATL X. The album dropped March 25.

 52 - ATL X BNA  Available Now  (Artwork Courtesy of Big Machine Records)

 

KRISTIAN BUSH turned 52 years old on March 14 and fittingly commemorated the milestone with a new 52-song, layered release dubbed 52. "I've been allowed the opportunity to reinvent myself many times, and I've been grateful in every incarnation,” Kristian says. “Here comes another one.” The first collection, 52 - ATL X BNA, highlights Nashville’s Country storytelling coupled with Atlanta’s R&B recording methods and dropped March 25 via Big Machine Records. Two songs – "Tennessee Plates" and "Everybody Gotta Go Home" previewed the album.

 

“An auditory shapeshifter, Bush has proven adept in several roles and styles over the course of his nearly three decades in music,” notes Billboard.

 

"Most of the time when something important is about to happen, no matter what culture or religion you call home, we seem to begin with a prayer," Kristian says. "'Tennessee Plates' is my prayer to begin this one year of music. It's a prayer to bless the small town I come from, the city next to it that made me dream bigger in its shadow, the people who told me I would never succeed and the mystery ahead of me."

 

Kristian co-wrote nine of the 10 songs on 52 - ATL X BNA with Nashville writers and recorded in Atlanta alongside resident R&B musicians, including famed drummer Jorel "JFly" Flynn, Jerry Freeman of the famed Hornz Unlimited and the Black Bettys, among others. The Atlanta-based singer named the first group of songs after the letters on his well-worn luggage tag pointing to his decades traveling between Atlanta (ATL) and Nashville (BNA) airports.

 

"Somewhere between the horns, the pedal steel and the background singers, you get a glimpse at what it's like to make Country music from Atlanta," Kristian says. "It's like putting Lego pieces together."

 

Leaning into his rich experience as a true artist who has thrived in multiple formats, Kristian embraces his diverse musical legacy with 52. The four-volume collection is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2015 solo debut SOUTHERN GRAVITY. His eclectic career also includes successful runs with Folk-Rock duo Billy Pilgrim, Rock Jam band Dark Water and MULTI-PLATINUM Country duo Sugarland. 52 nods at each of those creative iterations with upcoming releases themed around summer, Rock and love that are slated to debut this summer, fall and in the new year.

 

Kristian says, "there's a point I have come to, because I've been home through COVID all this time, I thought, 'I'm at a certain age where I have to admit to myself that no adults are coming to save me.’ I've been very busy for the last 15 years, and I'm not going to waste any more time getting these songs out."

 

52 - ATL X BNA TRACK LIST:

1.     Everybody Gotta Go Home | Kristian Bush, Taylor Davis, Steve Bogard

2.     After The Wine Wears Off | Kristian Bush, Brett James, Andrew DeRoberts

3.     Mansion | Kristian Bush, Liz Rose    

4.     Unbroken | Kristian Bush, Andrew DeRoberts, Bob DiPiero    

5.     I'm With You | Kristian Bush, JT Harding               

6.   Tennessee Plates| Kristian Bush, Andrew DeRoberts, Rodney Clawson          

7.     Heart Of Yours | Kristian Bush, Jeffrey East, Dean Alexander            

8.     World Ain’t As Bad As You Think | Luke Dick, Ben Hayslip, Chase McGill 

9.     Gasoline | Kristian Bush, Bobby Pinson         

10.  I'm Coming Around | Kristian Bush, Stephen Wrabel, JT Harding 

 

Kristian and Country music journalist Cindy Watts have teamed up to present a weekly podcast, "52 – The Podcast." The pair explore the parallel between one of the popular songs from BUSH’s back catalog to new tracks from four-volume release “52.” The first instalment of the album, “ATL X BNA," was published MARCH 25th via BIG MACHINE RECORDS. 

"The only thing better than listening to music is listening to music with someone else," said Bush. "I met CINDY years ago -- me writing songs and her writing about songs. Somewhere along the way, we discovered we were both from the same tiny hometown and have been friends ever since. This podcast is like the liner notes I always wish I had, with the person that I always wished had written them."

The podcast, released (March 14) on Kristian’s 52nd birthday, will have a new episode every week for one year. CLICK HERE

 

ABOUT KRISTIAN BUSH: Kristian Bush is a MULTI-PLATINUM-selling, two-time GRAMMY Awards winner most known for being half of the record-breaking Country duo Sugarland.

The Sevierville, TN native launched his professional music career in 1994 with the Folk-Rock duo Billy Pilgrim. Within the decade, Kristian moved on to form Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles.

The pair, who released debut single "Baby Girl” in 2004 went on to chart five No. 1 hits and 12 Top 10 songs. His SOUTHERN GRAVITY solo debut in 2015 produced Top 20 hit "Trailer Hitch." Kristian made a foray into television theme songs in 2016 with "Forever Now (Say Yes)," which he penned and performed for TLC's popular show "Say Yes to the Dress." The multi-instrumentalist is also a founding member of Rock Jam band Dark Water alongside his brother Brandon Bush and esteemed guitarist Benji Shanks. 

In addition, Kristian co-wrote a song for the Atlanta staging of Stephen Schwartz's "Working: A Musical” and has written three musicals. "Troubadour" (2017) and "Darlin' Cory" (2021) opened at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre and "Me Before You" is set for Miami in 2023.

For more information, visit www.kristianbush.com.