Country fans can't get enough powerhouse duo Sugarland! Thanks to singer Jennifer Nettles' country twang and fiddle player Kristian Bush's fabulous fingerpicking, the talented twosome have quickly risen from playing local bars in Atlanta to selling out stadiums across the country.
Although Atlanta is their home base, this country duo loves to hit the road. After taking home two Grammys and a slew of country music awards, the future looks sweet for this group!
When Did It Finally Feel Like They'd Made It?
Jennifer says being on Oprah's stage feels pretty good! "The Grammys were a good moment definitely—where you just go, 'How is this even my life, really?'" she says.
"When you're little and you're growing up, and you're hoping, you're wishing and you're dreaming to think that it can actually happen...," she says. "This is stuff that dreams are made of, and we are doing that. We are living that."
How Long Has Kristian Played the Fiddle?
Since age 3 or 4 at least. "I don't remember consciously not being able to play an instrument," he says. "It's been kind of like a language for me."
What Did President Barack Obama Say to Jennifer at the Inauguration Concert?
At the We Are One Inaugural Celebration concert, Jennifer teamed up with John Legend and James Taylor to sing "Shower the People."
Afterward, then-President-elect Barack Obama spoke with Jennifer. So what did he say? "'Nice pipes, girl, nice pipes,'" she says.
Did Jennifer Really Used to Work 5 Jobs?
"Not all in one day," she says.
Before Sugarland took off, Jennifer says she made ends meet however she could. "There is no guide book that tells you seriously how to do this and make a living at it," she says. "So I worked in an art gallery, and I was a nanny, and I painted houses and got over my fear of heights. ... It gives you character."
What Does Success Feel Like?
Kristian says the first thing that happens is your family gets a lot bigger. "You have a lot more family than you ever knew you had," he says.
Jennifer says it's exciting to share success with their closest family members, but sometimes she likes to change the topic of conversation. "We had a Thanksgiving, for example, where that's all everybody wanted to talk about," she says. "There was a moment where I had to say, 'Okay, I love what I do and I love that you love what I do, but can we talk about something else because, whew, I'm tired of talking about this.'"
What Famous Family Does Kristian Belong To?
The family behind a classic American side dish—Bush's Baked Beans! Although he's proud of his family, he says the beans are hard to stomach after growing up on them. "You're going to love this, but I can't stand them," he says. "You guys buy beans [in cans]. I grew up when they were cans like [barrels]."
