Kristian Bush Spent Two Months With His Dying Father and It Changed Everything
A broken heart is just one tragedy driving Kristian Bush's next album. The singer says that two months spent with his dying father forever changed his perspective and his music.
"This album is as real as I can be during this time," Bush says. "I didn't really want to be that real, but I don't think I had a choice."
During Part 1 of this two-part interview, Bush talked about how his new single "Sing Along" was inspired by a mistake he made in a recent relationship, and how in some ways, he's hoping his ex hears the song. This sense of hurt and longing comes through in an otherwise uptempo love song. Bush often puts the sweet in bittersweet, but he admits the smile is sometimes a facade hiding pain, heartbreak and troubles he's working to sort through.
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A new record label, his quest to find love again after his divorce and a phone call from his father all helped shape the songs on his next album. Bush admits the two didn't get along, so when he heard Dad admit he had two months to live and wanted to spend his time with his son, it was a shock.
"And in two months I watched my father parent me in a way he hadn't parented in 20 years," the 47-year-old shares. "When you see a parent like that do something as heroic as say, 'Look, I know we've had problems before and I'm your parent, let's just clear it up. Let's just sit here for the next three hours and fix it.' That's cool."
"It also reminded me that redemption is available to everybody," the male half of Sugarland adds. "It's not just for people who are famous people with a drug problem and go to rehab. It's not just for Disney characters. It's for everybody."
Bush's father died last August. He's not certain when the new album will be released, but admits it's the first time his personal life has been front and center on a project.
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