Sugarland talks about new EP, tour with Little Big Town and more

Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland had no plans to release new music – until their longtime friends Little Big Town called.

“I think the beautiful thing for us at our age and at our stage of play is that we do things for fun – and we have always done it for fun, for art and from the heart,” says Nettles Billboard. “But as you get older, you have other options. And we love Little Big Town so much that when they asked, ‘Hey, do you want to go on tour?’ we just had to say yes.”

“When they start singing, they are like angels,” Bush adds.

In October, Little Big Town and Sugarland will start their Take Me Home Tour with another harmony-focused act, the family trio The Castellows.

To celebrate, Bush and Nettles have brought out a quartet of unreleased recordings from 2019 and turned them into their new EP. There goes the neighborhoodwhich was released on August 9th via Big Machine Records. The EP comes six years after Sugarland’s 2018 album Bigger.

Bush and Nettles contributed to all five of the duo’s No. 1 Country Airplay hits, such as “Want To” and “Settlin’,” as well as nearly all of the original songs on their albums, with the exception of individual tracks such as the 2018 collaboration with Taylor Swift, “Babe,” written by Swift and Pat Monahan of Train, and “Just Might (Make Me Believe),” a solo composition by former Sugarland member Kristen Hall.

It is therefore remarkable that There goes the neighborhoodNettles and Bush have outside-sourced songs from some of Nashville’s best writers and artist/writers. The result is the pair lending their voices to songs like the trenchant critique of gentrification “There Goes the Neighborhood” (written by Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd and Connie Harrington) and the torchy ballad “Georgia Is Yours” (written by Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins, Sam Ellis, Josh Kerr, Eric Olson and Emily Weisband).

“That was absolutely intentional,” Nettles says of recording outside songs. “We went into it with the question, ‘What would happen if we recorded an EP of other people’s songs that we didn’t write ourselves? What would that creative process look like? What would that feel like?’ That was a few years ago now, and when Kristian and I were toying with the idea of ​​putting that out, we listened to it again. The funny thing is, sometimes I feel like Kristian and I were kind of pioneers. I think we were a few years ahead of what’s current (sonically) sometimes.”

“When we recorded ‘There Goes the Neighborhood,’ they thought it was a little too honky-tonk for the time, but now it’s Lainey Wilson’s turn,” Bush adds. “I listened to that song again and I remember texting Jennifer and saying, ‘You should listen to this again. I produce recent Megan Moroney stuff and our stuff isn’t far off.'”

When Bush produced other artists, he heard the songs that were being played by those acts, something he never heard with Sugarland.

“Jennifer and I were never really pitched a song (that we recorded). No one really knew what to send us, or they sent us stuff that sounded like (the duo’s 2010 hit) ‘Stuck Like Glue.’ The machinery of these incredible craftsmen in Nashville is based on what they already know about you as an artist, and because Jennifer has always been kind of forward-leaning, no one really knows where we’re leaning.”

While the prospect of an artistic challenge was one aspect of the decision to record outside songs, according to Bush there was another motive.

“I remember at the time when we were looking at these songs, there was a real concern about the female voice on country radio, and one of the excuses that was often made was, ‘There just aren’t any songs.’ I wanted to find out, ‘Is that really true or is that just something someone says?’ It turns out that great songwriters everywhere are writing great songs for female voices. And if that’s not proof of that, I don’t know what is.”

With the publication of There goes the neighborhood Timed to support their upcoming tour, the duo have no plans for another project – but stress that one should never say never.

“We’re not working on anything right now,” Nettles says. “The beauty of this (EP) was making it the way we made it. I’d be open to exploring the same process again, using other people’s songs.”

“Knowing each other, we would write it,” Bush interjects with a laugh, while Nettles adds, “Yeah, if we were thinking about a new album, it’s something we would write.”

In the meantime, the two are also busy outside of Sugarland. Nettles has finished filming the television series. The Servant starring Kevin Bacon, which is scheduled to begin airing next year. Bush has completed production on projects for the Indigo Girls and Matt Nathanson, as well as music for Megan Moroney and Runway June.

“We’re both throwing ourselves into things we love, and I don’t think we’re going to stop,” Nettles says. “We’re going to continue to make more of you, me and us.”

“None of us are retired,” Bush adds with a laugh.

In addition to producing other acts, Bush specifically supports artists in caring for their mental health.

“I think the machine has to be fed with so many songs now that it’s unbelievable what’s being asked of these artists,” says Bush. “I have the authority to try to protect them as best I can. I implore labels to invest as much money and energy into the mental health of their artists as they would a stylist,” says Bush. “That would be a wonderful insurance policy they could afford to support their artists even as they put pressure on them.”

He adds: “When Megan (Moroney) came to me and asked me to produce her records – I had helped her, but to do it officially – I said, ‘I’ll do it as long as you find a therapist.’ She started going, and when she started, she started thanking me. (When) you’re 25, 26 years old, the pressure of the label, the pressure of friends, all that stuff – there’s no outlet. When you go through that pressure of performing in front of people as an artist – at least for us, we didn’t have the internet taking pictures of us every day. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a woman and do that. I happen to be in a position where I can help you get a better record, but while I’m in the room, I want to make sure you’re OK.”