Lady A interview: Country trio promise UK fans they will be back soon: "We miss you so much"

22 October 2021, 08:00

Lady A interview: Country trio promise UK return soon

Lady A are back with a new album, and it won't be long before UK fans will finally be able to see them live again after more than two years away.

Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood have only recently returned to live performances after the Covid-19 pandemic saw a stop to concerts around the world in 2020.

Thankfully, that didn't stop them recording new music, and they are back with their ninth studio album What a Song Can Do, released today (October 22).

The group caught up with Smooth Country's Eamonn Kelly about the new album, and what fans have to look forward to on the LP.

Watch the interview above.

Dave said about the new album's recording process: "That’s the one thing we know how to do, no matter what. We got together on Zoom. And then when we were safely able to get together in person, we came over to my studio, in my basement, at my home, and wrote and wrote.

"And just tried to keep our heads down, and write music with all the uncertainty. That was our happy place throughout the pandemic – writing music. And then we were able to get into the studio with Dan Huff, and put this whole record together.

Lady A - Like A Lady (On Set Version)

"So we’re thrilled about it. It’s a lot of our personal journey. It’s a lot of reflective songs over the course of our careers, as a band for 15 years, and the direction and journey our music has taken us on.

"So there’s a lot of reflective material, and some deeper stuff, some fun stuff."

The group also spoke about their new song 'Friends Don't Let Friends', which features Darius Rucker, Carly Pearce and Thomas Rhett.

Charles said: "I think why those three are the closest group of artist friends that we have. Thomas Rhett and I actually wrote that. We were down at the beach and watching our kids play. We each had a beer in our hand.

"He was like, 'Friends don’t let friends drink alone'. He was, 'We should write this song'. And so, yeah, we wrote that down at the beach. And then I played it for Darius Rucker on the golf course. I was like, 'Would you want to sing on this with us?' And he said yes.

"And then we knew we needed to get another strong female in there to balance out the male energy. So Carly heard it, and she loved it. But the thing for us was like, 'Listen, we’d love to have you all there' – because we really did want to have our actual friends... We wanted people so they could hear it, and feel it, when it’s genuine. It’s just a fun song."

Lady A – ‘What A Song Can Do’ - Album Trailer

The group also promised UK fans that they will be back soon. Charles said: "Absolutely no question. We’re already in talks of... when can we get back over to the UK. It’s just been a tricky time, and everybody’s got different rules. We want everyone to be as safe, and feel as safe, as they can.

"The UK is one of our strongest fanbases, and we cannot wait – especially because there’s so many songs, too, that we haven’t got to play for UK fans. An entire record – that whole Ocean record. It really is a special place for us.

Read more: How Amy Winehouse's death inspired a beautiful song by Lady A

"We’ve been a band now for 15 years. I will say that a lot of the shows that we play in the UK still stand up at the top for us. It’s some of the most fun that we can ever remember, especially the O2 – that was such a bucket-list moment.

Hillary added: "We’re always talking about future plans, touring plans. That is always a question, of: when is it possible? I think similarly to even this tour, in North America, as soon as we got the green light, we went. I think what we’re going to try to do is just be as prepared and ready and 'on go' as we can.

"And then when we can, we will be there. Because we miss it so much. We miss you all so much! But we will be there again."

Lady A's new album What a Song Can Do is out now.