Country star Tyler Hubbard testifies ‘all we really need is Jesus’ as he talks ‘The Chosen,’ faith

One of country music’s biggest hitmakers is opening up about his faith and his love for The Chosen, saying in a new interview that the series has brought the Bible to life for his family and strengthened their faith.

Tyler Hubbard is a solo artist known for No. 1 hits such as 5 Foot 9 and Back Then Right Now, but he first rose to fame as one-half of Florida Georgia Line alongside Brian Kelley, a group that scored 16 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Hubbard isn’t shy about his faith, either, and this fall will be featured on a new album inspired by The Chosen from 5&2 Studios and Capitol Christian Music Group. The album’s first single, All I Need Is You, by Hubbard, celebrates God’s immeasurable love.

“I grew up with a pretty strong faith background,” Hubbard said in a new interview with Chosen director Dallas Jenkins. “I grew up learning and loving music in church, and that’s sort of how I fell in love with Jesus and fell in love with music at the same time.

“I just always assumed He was going to use me the way that I was being used at that time, which was in church, which was leading worship.”

Hubbard met Kelley at Belmont University, a Christian school, in 2010. He assumed the two would spend much of their time singing worship music, but they soon dipped their toes into country music and found unexpected success, eventually recording a string of chart-topping hits.

“I think I sold myself short because then next thing, fast forward – five years, eight years, [God] had me in all kinds of smoky bars and honky-tonks and playing shows and playing country music and I just felt like, man: Why am I here? Is this really where I’m supposed to be?

“And it hit me eventually when we were selling out amphitheaters and we were able to intertwine our faith and preach the gospel at times and tell people about Jesus in front of 20,000 people that probably wouldn’t have heard it otherwise – or at least in a church setting. And so it really kind of hit me that, man, He was opening doors and putting me in different paths that I never even imagined.”

Hubbard, 39, first learned of The Chosen from his children. He and his wife have three kids.

“I was hooked,” he said. “And it became, honestly, a foundation piece for our children’s faith and their understanding of Jesus and their understanding of the Bible. … Anytime we were all in town, after dinner we were watching The Chosen, and so it was really cool to get to have all those conversations with the kids.

“It helped bring Jesus to life for them and for us.”

Meanwhile, Hubbard said his new Chosen-inspired song carries a simple yet powerful message about faith.

“This is biblical truth – all we really need is Jesus. He’ll provide for us, and He’ll take care of us. If He takes care of the birds and the flowers and all that, as the Bible says, then He’ll definitely take care of us.”