Sugarland have officially released their first single in five years. Titled "Still the Same," the song will impact country radio in early 2018, but readers can hear it below.

A joint release through Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville, "Still the Same" finds Sugarland reflecting "And here we are / We've come so far / Let's leave it better then how we came / Don't be afraid to change / Our love is still the same, still the same, still the same." Although it's a love song, "Still the Same" has a perfect message for a "comeback single" following the duo's years-long break.

“We are thrilled for fans to hear our new music, especially this new single,” says Jennifer Nettles in a press release. “The title of the song is so meaningful to us as we want fans to know, we are still the same, we are still the same Sugarland they’ve known and loved."

"Still the Same" is the first single from a forthcoming new album from Sugarland. The duo hinted at a possible reunion while giving the Vocal Duo of the Year trophy to Brothers Osborne at the 2017 CMA Awards, then announced one day later (Nov. 9) that they are working on a new record. Nettles and duo partner Kristian Bush have also stated that they will tour together as Sugarland in 2018; they'll ring in the new year by performing in Times Square in New York City for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest.

"We want to finish where we left off. We always knew were going to make music again, so this has been the best of both worlds," Bush says. "We were able to take time to feed our personal passions, and we're excited to come back together to create music as a band again."

Sugarland Still the Same
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Sugarland released five studio albums between 2004 and 2010 before taking a break to focus on their solo careers. Their last album, The Incredible Machine, was released in 2010; the record spawned three singles, including the multi-platinum hit “Stuck Like Glue.” But after its release and the devastating stage collapse that occurred during one of the duo's concerts, at the Indiana State Fair, in 2011, Bush and Nettles decided to take a break.

As solo artists, Nettles released That Girl in 2014 and Playing With Fire in 2016, while Bush released Southern Gravity in 2015. Although they pursued endeavors on their own, both artists have always said they hoped to reunite someday.

“That project’s beginning time is really up to Jennifer,” Bush shared with The Boot earlier this year. “That’s really [because of] the nature of how radio works: Her voice, as the lead singer of the band, is the voice that kind of defines it. And if she’s working a solo project, it’s very difficult, probably for a listener, to tell the difference [between a solo single and a Sugarland single]. So we as a band can’t do anything until Jen decides to do it.”

Nettles also used Sugarland's hiatus to pursue an acting career. During the time, the 43-year-old appeared in, among other projects, both Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors made-for-TV movie and its sequel, Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. In both movies, she played Parton’s mother, Avie Lee Parton.

Listen to Sugarland's "Still the Same"

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