Florida Georgia Line won’t be leaving the country genre anytime soon

ABC/Kelsey McNealFlorida Georgia Line have seen massive crossover chart success with “Meant to Be,” their 27-week number one hit with pop star Bebe Rexha. And while they’ve collaborated with several other artists across genres in the past — including rapper Nelly, pop star Jason Derulo, The Backstreet Boys, electronic music duo The Chainsmokers and singer/actress Hailee Steinfeld — the duo insist they’re not leaving country music behind.

In a new interview with Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast, FGL’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley discuss their evolution and the success of “Meant to Be,” but also their desire to remain country at heart.

“Country music is where we want to live,” Brian stresses. “That’s the seed, this is our home. We can go left, we can go right and show our artistry and be creative, but the heart of it is country music. I grew up wanting to be Garth Brooks … Tim McGraw … Alabama. Tyler, the same thing.”

He continues, “I was walking the dogs down our driveway a couple years ago and I giggled. I said, ‘Man, I’m a country music singer. Hell, yeah!'”