SUGARLAND has stunned fans by unexpectedly dropping new music six years after their last album release.
The mega-popular musical duo Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, who formed their band in 2002, revealed the news on Monday’s episode of Today.
It happened during a joint interview with fellow country music veterans Little Big Town while they were promoting their new collaboration.
In April, Little Big Town and Sugarland announced their teaming up for their Take Me Home Tour, kicking off this fall.
The groups sat down with Today hosts Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer when Sugarland was prompted to discuss the August 9 release of their EP, There Goes The Neighborhood.
“Sugarland, your fans are so excited. You just dropped your first new music in what? Six years?” Sheinelle asked the pair.
Kristian and Jennifer looked at each other, seemingly to gauge who would address the question, before the former blurted out, “Surprise!”
NEW ALBUM DETAILS
Sheinelle quickly moved past Kristian’s comment and asked about their experience returning to the studio following their extended hiatus.
Jennifer took the reins on the response and admitted that the album was their first that didn’t include songs they’d written.
She also teased that country icons Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett were songwriters on the EP, which they’d recorded in 2019.
Fans expressed their excitement about the collab on social media, with one X user writing, “Little big town and Sugarland what a duo.”
Another gushed, “I got tickets to Little Big Town and Sugarland for later this year and I’m so excited!!”
“The fact I get to see Sugarland and Little Big Town this year I’m,” a third added with numerous teary-eyed face emojis.
Sugarland took the stage with Little Big Town at the Country Music Television Awards, hyping fans up more for their upcoming tour.
The performance was only the second time the bands joined forces on stage – the first being in 2008 at the CMT Awards, where they sang Northern Town with Jake Owen.
I got tickets to Little Big Town and Sugarland for later this year and I’m so excited!!
Social Media User
This time, they performed a rendition of Phil Collins’ hit song, Take Me Home.
Fans were ecstatic about the collab, especially since Sugarland stepped back from the spotlight in 2012 before returning in 2017 and dropping their last album, Bigger.
Sugarland initially broke into the country music scene as a group of three with their former bandmate Kristen Hall.
Kristen left the band a year later, though resurfaced in 2008 with a $1.5 million lawsuit against her ex-bandmates.
Her lawsuit claimed that Jennifer and Kristian were withholding money from her.
The trio eventually settled, and Kristen officially went her separate ways from the band.
Sugarland’s comeback tour with Little Big Town will kick off in October in Greenville, South Carolina, and wrap up in mid-December in Nashville.