In whirl of success, Sugarland aims to fly even higher

Nashville — Kristian Bush wants a hug.

You know Bush, kind of, having talked with him twice before. Still, the hugging catches you off guard. It's early morning, after all, in a sleepy cafe tucked inside the Loews Vanderbilt hotel. But Bush, a 36-year-old man with clear blue eyes, a perfectly shaved goatee and a seemingly endless reservoir of positive energy, is unabashed. So you hug, you sit, you start to chat.

Just then, back from the ladies' room comes wispy Jennifer Nettles, Bush's bandmate, a newly minted music star who looks like a movie star. And now she's hugging you. She's got wavy blond hair, a body like a Popsicle stick and a face like Kirsten Dunst.

Bush and Nettles, a pair of Atlantans who call themselves Sugarland, have spent the last year as country music darlings. They've been a rare success story for the struggling music industry. You've come to the country music capital — home of Monday night's Country Music Awards — to talk with them about that success — the rewards that it brings, the sacrifices it requires.

Today, among other things, success means surviving a daylong circus of promotional events, including a round of radio interviews and a private concert for a thousand invited guests. Somewhere in between all that, you hope to hear about how Bush and Nettles got here — and where they're trying to go next.

Up to the challenge

Even back in early 2004, months before their debut album was released, you had the sense that Sugarland — then a trio of Nettles, Bush and Kristen Hall — was on the verge of something big. Mercury Records had signed the veteran musicians after a 2003 showcase concert that blew the label boss, Luke Lewis, back against the wall.

"The first time I ever saw them there wasn't any doubt in my mind," says Lewis, who is the ringmaster of this day's events. "And I don't pat myself on the back, because I think any of my peers, if they had been there that night when they did a showcase in Nashville, would have seen the talent."

The band's first CD, "Twice the Speed of Life," came out in late '04, and Sugarland proceeded to chart five different singles, sell more than 2 million records, tour with Kenny Chesney, collaborate with Jon Bon Jovi and perform at the Grammys. It was the kind of success most acts only dream of.

Of course, it also meant constant work, nonstop promotion, months away from home.

The grind apparently became too much for Hall, who dropped out of the band in January to focus on songwriting and has since moved to Nashville.

"I don't want to be a touring musician," she says via phone from a retreat in the mountains. "I just want to be a songwriter. I love to find unsigned acts and bring them to the level [that] we did. I love that. That, to me, is my passion and what's fun about this business. We accomplished some great things. I started the band. I named the band. We fought a war to make a brand name — we did it. It's awesome. I'm totally proud of it and support it. Good for me."

So, you ask the remaining members of Sugarland, how is the band different now that it's a duo?

"Not a lot," Nettles says. Do you think you lost anything when Hall left? "No," she says. Do you feel like a band, like Alabama, or a duo, like Simon and Garfunkel? Bush downplays the distinction, comparing Sugarland to the Eurythmics, another male-female collaboration with the force of a larger group.

If there was acrimony in Hall's departure, it's not evident when Bush and Nettles discuss how they found out she was leaving.

"We all talked about it," Nettles says. "And we weren't surprised either. Because you know when you work with people so closely, we are in each other's emotional fields every day. So when someone's unhappy, you know it. And being on the road for however long we've been out, it's a specific lifestyle. And if you don't enjoy it, it ain't gonna get any better."

"It's gonna get more intense," Bush says. "And she knew that."

" 'Cause she'd done it before," Nettles says. "So she was smart enough to know 'Mmmm, I'm not liking it. I'm not happy.' And we were supportive of saying, 'OK, yeah.' 'Cause it's not lost on us either.'"

So what is it about Bush and Nettles that makes them willing to endure the grind of touring and promotion?

"The reason that I want it," Nettles says, "is because, as an individual — and I believe Kristian is the same way — I need this kind of stimulation, be it through the craziness of this kind of job or be it through travel or be it through whatever, in order to challenge me to become better. And I just want to continue to better myself and push myself in all these sorts of ways."

Hall, who wrote or co-wrote every song on "Twice the Speed of Life" is credited with co-writing just one song on Sugarland's new album. She left the band in January, and in February, Bush and Nettles got busy making that sophomore record, "Enjoy the Ride." It will be released Tuesday, a day after they are scheduled to appear at the Country Music Awards — where they are up for best new artist — and three days before a return to Atlanta for a performance at HiFi Buys Amphitheatre.

The new album may seem to casual fans like a clone of "Twice the Speed of Life." It's radio-friendly country-pop music, simple and catchy. Careful listening, though, reveals a few subtle tweaks to the band's approach.

The melodies have gotten slightly earthier, less glossy. Nettles' vocals seem less brittle, more soulful. Her voice holds up through the soaring conclusion to "Settlin', " the album's first song, a track that underscores two of the band's key lyrical themes: dreaming big and believing in yourself.

"I ain't settlin', " Nettles sings, "for anything less than everything."

Country Zen

Listen to their music, spend a little time with them, and it becomes clear that Sugarland — both in person and in song — is seriously new agey. Bush wears cedar prayer beads around his wrist. Nettles thanks "the Universe and Creative Spirit" in her liner notes and has the word "Believe" tattooed on one of her wrists. Both musicians drink green tea and obsess over yoga. They've even integrated poses into their stage moves — they call them "showga."

About two months ago, Sugarland began building a dressing room altar complete with pictures of their respective families. (Both are married.) Nettles in particular seems to love talismans and symbols.

"Yes, absolutely," she says. "Anything that is a reminder of centering and balancing and grounding and strength within when everything around you is so dynamic."

Does the band have its own symbol?

"No," she says earnestly, "but we need to do that. We've thought of some symbols to possibly go on our merch, but they're not spiritually significant."

Here, then, is a country band for the 21st century — a cosmopolitan act that brings a touch of Zen to songs about small-town America. A group that's touchy-feely, but not so much as to alienate the NASCAR set.

The gauntlet that is the day's radio promotional session takes place in an office building on Nashville's famed Music Row. Seated in one of two recording studios, Bush and Nettles entertain questions including:

• Who is Sugarland pulling for in the World Series?

•If they could follow anyone around for a day, who would it be?

• If they were the kind of people they despised, what would they be wearing?

Bush and Nettles respond to these and other inquiries with grace and good humor. Nettles says she'd like to follow around Albert Einstein and Oprah Winfrey. Bush goes for Benjamin Franklin and Bob Marley. Discussing the new album's title, Bush jokes that "Enjoy the Ride" is better than, say, "Tastes Like Chicken" or "Thrice the Speed of Life." When someone asks Bush and Nettles to record a holiday greeting, they chime "Hey, we're Sugarland" in one-take unison, and wish the good people in radioland a healthy and happy holiday season.

The pace of the day is dizzying, but Sugarland never seems to flinch, staying on schedule and doing what they are told. At one point, Bush finds himself autographing guitar pick-guards with a silver marker. When you ask who'll get those autographs, he confesses to have no idea. Once the ride starts, it seems, there's no getting off.

But surely all this success has brought big rewards. Like a hefty new bank account?

Bush and Nettles howl with laughter at the suggestion they've gotten rich.

"Do we have to worry that we're going to be able to pay our rent next month?" Nettles says. "No, which is such a gift."

"It's not a month-to-month thing anymore." Bush says. "It might be quarter-to-quarter."

Nettles: "You know you're gonna be fine. But definitely, no, not rich. I mean, I'm 32 years old. I just bought my first house. Come on."

Bush: "I know some baseball players that could buy my house 12 times."

Big ambitions

A few hours after the radio interviews end, Mercury throws an album pre-release party at the local fairgrounds. The event is carnival-themed, matching the motif of the new album's liner note photography. Instead of chairs, there are bales of hay. There's also a purple Ferris wheel, a ring-toss game and a carousel along with caramel apples and funnel cakes and, to fend off the nip when the sun falls, hot cider drinks spiked with Jack Daniel's.

In attendance at the release party is Lewis, the big boss, the Universal Music Group honcho who gave the band its record deal with Mercury. He's a stocky man with a husky voice and a quick wit, and he runs the labels behind heavyweights like George Strait and Willie Nelson.

What, you wonder, does he plan to do with this band now that he's already got a hit on his hands?

"Try to double-down, basically," he replies.

And that means?

"It means, in my world, try to sell 5 million [records] instead of 2 1/2."

To put that in perspective, Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi," last year's top-selling album, sold 4.97 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Over on the edge of the hay bales at the carnival/party is a fresh-faced young woman named Liz Classen. She is 17 years old, lives in Colorado and wants to be a singer when she grows up. She was in Nashville visiting colleges when a friend of a friend got her and her mom on tonight's concert guest list.

"He asked me, 'Have you heard of Sugarland?' " she says. "I was like, 'Are you kidding me? Who hasn't heard of Sugarland?' "

The show starts. Nettles comes out wearing a skull-and-crossbones scarf, her bluejeans tucked into knee-high boots. Bush, who plays mandolin and guitar, pulls off the scruffy urban cowboy look, complete with black hat. Five musicians, including Bush's brother Brandon on keyboards, provide the bulk of the music.

Their set list draws deeply from the new album. They play "County Line" and "Everyday America," two songs that embody the band's affection for small-town life. And they play "Sugarland," a tune about hot summer nights and swaying cornfields and a warm breeze and a long dirt road. It's quintessential Sugarland — modern, but nostalgic for a simpler, more innocent time that doesn't seem very long ago.

Naturally, they also play "Settlin'." At the end of the song, as the carnival continues, you can see Nettles' breath hanging in the cool night air.

RELATED LINKS:
• Hear song sample and Nick Marino's take on Sugarland
• CD review: 'Enjoy the Ride'
• Critics name picks for CMA winners