Sugarland Breakup Rumors Put to Rest

Over the past few months, there has been much speculation about the future of Sugarland. As members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush wrapped up their In Your Hands tour in August, and Jennifer announced the upcoming birth of her first child, rumors began to surface that the pair would be splitting up.

"Jennifer and I are not finished making records. We know that," Kristian confirms to The Boot. "We're excited and this a great time to take a little bit of a breather because she's got to figure out being a mom. We've been on the road for a very long time, so there's no reason we shouldn't take a little time off. You've got to give people space to be a parent. I'm a parent and I know what kind of adjustment that has been for me. I love her more than anything in the world, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure her life adjusts so she can become the best possible mom she can be."

"Right now we're both in the writing phase and I'm going to take some time with baby and figure that out, hopefully [laughs], and see what's next musically," Jennifer said at a recent CMA press event, echoing her bandmate's sentiments. "We're both writing separately and doing our separate things and seeing where that's going to go. Then, I'm going to taking a pause for a little while to be a mom and enjoy this new little one."

Speaking of writing, Kristian says it's an everyday thing for him, as he finds new creative outlets ... and collaborators. "I've been seeking out those people who are masters of their craft. I have a lot to learn, and one of the places that I went seeking that knowledge and experience was Sweden," he reveals. "There's a huge history of Swedish pop production, from ABBA to all the way to the most recent Taylor Swift song. One of the things I was interested in is that they have this great command of this beautiful, easy melody."

The Georgia native was then able to take that experience and apply it to the songwriting he'd been doing in Nashville for a decade.

"It was completely complimentary to my last 10 years of learning the emotional arch of country music. When you put them together you have this really neat aggregate of how to put a songs together from two completely different angles. I really want to learn. I'm loving that experience of seeking out people to teach me more. Then there's the converse side, when I get to sit down and write a song with newcomers like Lucy Hale or Alana Springsteen or Canaan Smith, and I get to take that stuff that I've absorbed from these guys and maybe they'll pick it up and pass it on."

So with all this time being spent on creativity, where will fans get to hear this new music? The answer is in the round.

"I've been doing a lot of songwriters nights, and I have a couple coming up in Atlanta at Eddie's Attic. I have one coming up on Halloween for the CMA in Nashville," Kristian reports. "Sometimes some of these songs bubble up that way. You never know where a song is going to find a home. It could be a Sugarland record or something else. There's one coming out on the next Boys Like Girls record. It's called 'Stuck in the Middle,' and it's awesome, I love that song. It's a big pop song, but I play mandolin on it so it has this flavor of country on it. Then, Jaida Dreyer is putting out a record and I have a song with her called 'The Boy Who Cried Love,' so they're starting to mature."

Sugarland will reunite to present at the CMA Awards this Thursday (Nov. 1), which could be the last time before Jennifer pops! The 46th Annual CMA Awards air live on ABC, beginning at 8:00 PM ET.