Tyler Hubbard says “5 Foot 9” is a “good launchpad” for solo artist career

Tyler Hubbard‘s new single, “5 Foot 9,” is a sweet tribute to his wife, Hayley, but he admits the title has one slight error.

In the heartfelt song, Tyler sings of a woman who is “5 foot 9” with “brown eyes in a sundress,” but it turns out, he accidentally missed his wife’s height by an inch.

“She’s actually 5’10”. I went home that night and said, ‘Babe, remind me again how tall you are exactly. You’re about 5’9″, right?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I’m 5’10”.’ And I thought, ‘Well, here’s a new song I wrote today. I’m sorry I cut you short by an inch, but I hope you like it,'” he reveals.

“5 Foot 9” is Tyler’s debut single as a solo artist after spending nine years as one half of the duo Florida Georgia Line. The Georgia native has been on a songwriting kick since embarking on his solo career, writing a collection of new material that tells his story in a unique way. He says that “5 Foot 9” is a “prime example” of a successful day in the writing room and is one of 18 songs that he plans to release.

“I love all of the songs about equally, which made it very difficult. They all have a different purpose and a different feel, and it’s all a little piece of who I am and tells my story,” he says of the unreleased music. “But I think ‘5 Foot 9’ was a good launchpad and a good foundation for the rest of this music and what’s to come in my story and where I’m at.”

Tyler recently signed a record deal as a solo artist under EMI Records Nashville.