Sugarland is an American country music duo formed in Douglas, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded as a trio in 2002, when 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.
Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2004, Sugarland recorded four studio albums, one Christmas album, and one live album for that label between then and 2010. These albums accounted for 15 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the number-one singles "Want To", "Settlin'", "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone", and "It Happens". Nettles was also a featured vocalist on rock band Bon Jovi's late 2005-early 2006 single "Who Says You Can't Go Home", which also topped the country music charts. Their four studio albums for this label — Twice the Speed of Life, Enjoy the Ride, Love on the Inside, and The Incredible Machine — are all certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America. The duo went on hiatus in 2012, during which time both Nettles and Bush recorded solo albums. They reunited officially in 2017 for Bigger, a studio album issued on Big Machine Records.
Career 2004–2005: Twice the Speed of Life Singers Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush, and Kristen Hall were regulars in Atlanta's folk-rock scene in the 1990s and early 2000s before Sugarland was formed, playing frequently at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia, which Nettles' ex-husband owned for a time.
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 number two on the Billboard Hot 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 numbers two, seven, and 17, respectively. The album received multiplatinum 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 number-one 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.
2006–2007: Enjoy the Ride
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 Artist Grammy and performed the song "Something More" at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2006. They 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. On November 7, 2006, the duo released their second album Enjoy the Ride. It sold 211,000 during its first week and opened at number four on the US Top 200 and number two on the Top Country Albums charts. It went on to become their second album to achieve multiplatinum 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-10 hits. A limited-edition version of the CD sold exclusively at Wal-Mart was released in late 2007, and included a five-song Christmas EP, which 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."
In 2007, Sugarland performed at multiple award ceremonies, including the 2007 CMT Music Awards and the 2007 ACM awards. 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," although other critics also noted that the crowd enjoyed the performance.
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.Country Music Association. Past Award Winners. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
Sugarland 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!."
2008–2009: Love on the Inside
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".
The lead-off single was "All I Want to Do", which debuted at number 27 on the country charts, the highest debut for the duo. In August 2008, the song became their third number-one single. Their next single, "Already Gone", released on September 8, 2008, became their fourth number one in January 2009. Sugarland started their second headlining tour, Love on the Inside, on September 13, 2008, in Asheville, North Carolina. They were supported by Ashton Shepherd and Kellie Pickler, and the tour concluded after 25 performances on November 16, 2008, in Bossier City, Louisiana.
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.Grammy.com. 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List. (See Category 38 and Category 41.) Retrieved February 9, 2009.
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."Academy of Country Music. 2009 Nominees. February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009. During the broadcast of the April 5, 2009 awards show, Sugarland was presented with the Vocal Duo of the Year award, ending Brooks and Dunn's nine-year run.DeDekker, Jeff. Following the ACMs, part four. Leader-Post, April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009. Nettles also received a Milestone award, presented to her by Reba McEntire.McDonnell, Brandy (BAM's Blog). The Oklahoman, April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
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.NashvilleGab.com. Sugarland is going international. February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009. The third single from Love on the Inside, and 11th single overall, "It Happens", released in February 2009, became their fifth number one 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 number 17 on the US country charts.
On May 19, 2009, Sugarland received five CMT Award nominations, including a nomination for Video of the Year.Gerome, John. Sugarland leads with 5 CMT award nominations . Associated Press, May 19, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009. They were presented the award for Video Duo of the Year at the award show that broadcast on June 16, 2009.2009 CMT Music Awards Winners. Cmt.com, Retrieved June 17, 2009. During the awards show, they also performed "Love Shack" with a surprise appearance by the B-52s.Sugarland and the B-52s perform "Love Shack". Cmt.com, June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
On July 2, 2009, a performance that Sugarland recorded for Soundstage debuted on many PBS channels.Public Broadcasting Service. Soundstage: Sugarland. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
Sugarland's first live DVD/CD, Live on the Inside, was released exclusively through Walmart stores on August 4, 2009.Country On Demand.Sugarland readies first live DVD/CD set. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
Sugarland released their first holiday album, Gold and Green, on October 13, 2009. The album features five original songs and five traditional carols.Morran, Chris. Sugarland to release first holiday album. Oklahoma Magazine, August 31, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
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).Country Universe. Top Selling Country Albums of 2009. January 4, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
2010–2011: The Incredible Machine
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.Gilbert, Calvin. Taylor Swift Nets Eight Grammy Nominations. CMT News. December 3, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 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".Suddath, Claire. Bon Jovi featuring Jennifer Nettles. Time, February 1, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
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.We Are the World Foundation. We Are The Word Foundation: The Song. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
On September 10, 2010, Sugarland appeared on The Today ShowAOL Music. Sugarland Rock the 'Today' Show. September 10, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. and performed "Stuck Like Glue" – the first single from their album The Incredible Machine, which was released on October 19, 2010, in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.Willman, Cris. Music Review: The Incredible Machine. Entertainment Weekly, October 13, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. The album was released in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2011. Influences on the record included English electronic group OMD and progressive rock musician Peter Gabriel.
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.Mansfield, Brian. Sugarland, Kenny Ortega team up for live online concert. USA Today, October 12, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.