Lady A join Kelleigh Bannen on Today’s Country Radio on Apple Music Country to talk about being nervous about getting back on the road after taking over a year off due to the pandemic. In the interview, Lady A also chat about writing music for and releasing ‘What A Song Can Do (Chapter 1).’ Listen to the full interview with Lady A on-demand here.
Lady A on Being the Soundtrack for People’s Lives
Hillary: I know for me, the most healing, incredible part of music, just in general, is that it can say what I’m feeling better than I can. And I think the songs that really connect with me on a deep level, they can say how I feel better than I can. They help me process my emotions. They help me be fully present in a moment. And I think for me, that would be my hope and intention is that [Lady A] can be that for others. And also equate to fun memories at live shows, or out on the boat with their friends, listening to a really fun uptempo song, or just being a part of people’s lives. The soundtrack, that’s such a common statement to say of being the soundtrack of people’s lives. But for me, being able to help people enter into moments fully.
Lady A on Releasing a Balance of Ballads and Party Songs
Dave: I think we obsess over that, Kelleigh, I mean walking the line of art that really jerks at the soul and really hits you in the heart versus… I mean, sometimes I just put on songs that I love because they just feel good and I want to escape for a minute, roll down the windows and just cruise and just have a great day. I don’t know. We’re very intentional about making sure we have singles that represent both of those things, making sure our albums are well-rounded and they represent both of those things. I mean, playing big shows, knowing people love to crank up the radio, I want to be a part of that story, too, with people.
Lady A on Feeling Nervous to Tour Again After Taking Time Off
Hillary: It feels new again, which is exciting. To be 15 years into this as a band in Nashville and pursuing this career that we love so much, it’s like we’re getting butterflies and we’re getting nervous. And that’s a gift because so much of it-
Charles: It feels good to feel nervous again.
Hillary: Yeah. Yeah.
Dave: Some of that nervousness is good. That’s why I’m excited to tour again. I mean, that moment before you step on stage, kind of being anxious, you want to put on a great show, you want to connect with the fans. Once we hit the stage, I know things will go all away, but I’m definitely feeling a little pre-tour… we are rusty anxiety because we just haven’t stood on a real stage in close to two years, since the last time we really toured, in the summer of 2019. But I think there’s some healthy butterflies, some healthy excitement. Like Hillary was saying, it does kind of feel like you’re starting all over again here, and got to get your sea legs back.
Lady A on “What A Song Can Do”
Hillary: I remember, I listened to the song several times as we were kind of putting the songs together that we were going to record, and on about the fifth or the sixth listen, I was like, “This song is a love letter to our fans.” Yes, there’ve been so many personal instances, I mean, so many markers in my life, memories, moments are songs. I can think about songs and they take me to riding around in the car in high school with my best friend, going to the football game. Like, there’s all of these really specific moments. But to your point exactly, it’s like we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for these songs and the way that everyone in the audience, or everyone streaming, everyone listening, if they had not connected to them. And so I feel like we’ve been very intentional about what we’ve named our albums over the years. But I will say this feels the most like… and maybe it’s just the time, and place and what this past year plus has been, and just the gratitude that we have for what we get to do, but this title and this song in particular, there is no better representation of this music and where we are as a band.
