Lady A On "Love You Back," Request Line Tour, Career Longevity & More | Billboard News - video Dailymotion

Billboard

Country band Lady A talks about their single "Love You Back, "unique request line tour, 15-year career longevity, the recent surge in country music popularity, Charles opens up about being one year sober, and more.

Transcript

00:00 Of course they do it on a Monday.

00:02 [radio chatter]

00:04 [radio chatter]

00:06 [radio chatter]

00:08 It works gang. You did it. Good job.

00:10 How's it going everybody?

00:12 This is Lady A.

00:14 You're watching Billboard News.

00:16 [music]

00:18 Lady

00:20 I'm a little drunk

00:22 and I need you now

00:24 I run to you

00:26 baby but a memory

00:28 I can't love

00:30 you back

00:32 I'm very very stoked about the new

00:34 single. It's so so cool.

00:36 Tell me a little bit about what went into writing this.

00:38 Well this one, it's actually a really cool

00:40 story. So you know we write 80

00:42 percent of our own music.

00:44 And then we learned early on in our career

00:46 that you never say no to a great song

00:48 whether we write it or not. And so this

00:50 was one that a really good friend of ours and

00:52 co-writer, her name's Emily Wise Band,

00:54 sent this song to Charles. So I called her up

00:56 and I said, "Hey, let's find an hour.

00:58 I want to come over. You play Hillary.

01:00 I'll play me." [laughter]

01:02 And let's see if this fits

01:04 before I even send it to them. For sure.

01:06 Sometimes I just like to save some time and

01:08 just see if something is even in the realm of

01:10 our world. And it just felt so much like

01:12 us in a minute. I sent it to the gang and they were like, "Oh wow."

01:14 I mean we've had a handful of songs. Like

01:16 most of the music that you know from us

01:18 we've written like "Need You Now," "Run To You," but

01:20 "American Honey" was one that we didn't write that.

01:22 Nothing sweeter than summertime

01:24 in American Honey.

01:29 Sometimes you get songs that you feel

01:31 you're like, "Y'all wrote this for us." Yeah.

01:33 And it just, that's what it felt like. Yeah.

01:35 I was going to say, it sounds so much like

01:37 your guys' much earlier work.

01:39 It sounds a lot like the "Need You Now" era.

01:41 And I mean that in like the greatest way possible.

01:44 The vocal is so

01:46 powerful on the track.

01:48 How intentional was that wanting to like

01:50 go back to the roots of where you guys

01:52 started with this song? Well I really think

01:54 it is a part of

01:56 just where we are right now as

01:58 a band and with the tour that we've been on.

02:00 You know the Request Line Tour, the whole

02:02 concept of this tour and

02:04 this music is really wanting to give

02:06 the fans what they want. They send

02:08 us DMs, they call in and

02:10 leave us voicemails of songs they want us to play

02:12 live. We really want

02:14 to give our fans

02:16 what they want to hear from us.

02:18 And they're the songs that we love to sing

02:20 together. So it really kind of

02:22 works out.

02:24 Oh.

02:26 Okay.

02:28 They want to hear "Like a Lady."

02:30 Alright, here we go.

02:32 Cause I feel like a lady.

02:34 I'm really glad that you brought up

02:36 the Request Line Tour because I'm

02:38 obsessed with this concept.

02:40 I think it is such a smart way to get

02:42 your fans involved in the music that

02:44 you're doing. When did you guys

02:46 come up with that idea? Sometime

02:48 last year we did a couple

02:50 small shows and you know

02:52 we love to be spontaneous and if

02:54 we're in a room like a theater, I mean

02:56 you can have people shout stuff in the audience

02:58 and just do something off the cuff.

03:00 And we kind of started going, what if we tried to

03:02 organize that a little bit better? So we have

03:04 people sending requests. We get up every morning

03:06 and have a full drop box of voicemails

03:08 and messages on Instagram

03:10 that our team helped organize so we can get them in the right

03:12 city. And then we just build the set list

03:14 from scratch based on requests. And then

03:16 when we do the song we find them in the audience

03:18 and try to connect with them and have a moment.

03:20 It's so neat to connect with people when you actually

03:22 get to see them in person. We've learned some little tricks too

03:24 that we're going to start bringing the audience in

03:26 and having those connections. I think we'll

03:28 continue to do that the rest of our career.

03:30 Some of the most powerful moments too

03:32 have been because you know they don't

03:34 get a heads up if their voicemail is getting played.

03:36 So we've had one show in

03:38 particular where the person was not

03:40 there so that was interesting. It was like

03:42 Jason where are you? Maybe he was in the

03:44 bathroom. Maybe he'd gone to the bathroom.

03:46 The majority of them it's been

03:48 you hear just this kind of

03:50 and then we find them in the room

03:52 and then it's just this really sweet moment.

03:54 Some of the songs have been hilarious

03:56 requests like we got a request

03:58 to do a Sugar Land song and so we made

04:00 a joke like are you at the right show?

04:02 I think they were confused. I literally

04:04 think she felt that we had that song.

04:06 But then we also have these heartfelt

04:08 this song met me at one of the hardest moments

04:10 in my life. Can you please play

04:12 this song? We'll bring him up sometimes

04:14 give him a hug. We had a bachelorette

04:16 dance on stage with me singing Shania Twain.

04:18 It's been very fun.

04:20 You never know what you're going to get. I was going to say are there any

04:22 particular requests you guys have gotten

04:24 that have made even you just kind of go like

04:26 I'm sorry what? We did come up with a pretty

04:28 funny thing. Dave had this idea

04:30 and we started getting all these really crazy

04:32 requests. Lava Taylor Swift. Mmmbop

04:34 like just random stuff. You guys

04:36 would have been so good. You could tell people were just trying to

04:38 kind of like just kind of be funny or whatever

04:40 and so Dave had this idea. He was

04:42 starting to play Boys of Summer on the piano

04:44 and we realized that over Boys of Summer

04:46 you can sing almost any song. The chords

04:48 of Boys of Summer.

04:50 We started doing this little idea

04:56 some of the nights where we would sing

04:58 requests from other artists in one section

05:00 but it was all over those chords.

05:02 That's so smart. I think they literally

05:04 call it the four chords. Yes.

05:06 You can get as many. You can. Anything.

05:08 That's so cool. I love that.

05:10 Well now that Love You Back is coming out now

05:18 it is such an interesting time for it to be happening

05:20 because there is this sort of

05:22 renaissance that's going on in country music.

05:24 I feel like it's gotten so much more

05:26 popular with so many more fans

05:28 over the last couple of

05:30 years. What do you guys attribute

05:32 this like sudden rise to

05:34 popularity of the genre?

05:36 First and foremost I think it's just the blend of all

05:38 the different influences. I really truly do.

05:40 I think we grew up in the playlist area.

05:42 You make a mix tape.

05:44 Now it's the playlist.

05:46 I grew up

05:48 loving everything. So I feel like

05:50 when we started our band it was like

05:52 a little bit of the Eagles meets Fleetwood Mac

05:54 meets the Chicks meets Rascal Flatts.

05:56 It was just everything kind of

05:58 coming together into this

06:00 sound and I really think that it's

06:02 probably a little bit more approachable.

06:04 I also just think people make great music.

06:06 At the end of the day it's songwriting.

06:08 It's a story telling.

06:10 And there's really authentic

06:12 story telling. It's not just about a hooky

06:14 melody or something like that. But there's room for everything

06:16 man. I just think that's the beauty of it.

06:18 And the fans really want

06:20 to know you.

06:22 In country music. I mean I think about the

06:24 albums that jump out to me that

06:26 have connected in really big

06:28 ways. I mean Carly Pierce 29.

06:30 She was bearing it all in her story

06:32 of what was going on with her life and that

06:34 really resonates with people. When you are

06:36 brave enough to be vulnerable in plain sight

06:38 that is poured into your

06:40 music. I think that is where real

06:42 connection happens.

06:44 [Music]

06:46 [Music]

06:48 [Music]

06:50 Charles I also wanted to congratulate you. You recently

06:52 celebrated one year of sobriety.

06:54 Yeah. Getting close to 15 months

06:56 and I never thought

06:58 that

07:00 I would actually enjoy it.

07:02 I kind of was like okay I want to do this. I want to do this

07:04 for my family. I want to do this for my band. I want to do

07:06 it for myself.

07:08 But I never really thought I would

07:10 actually enjoy

07:12 it like I have. And I think it's the energy you get

07:14 from not having

07:16 crazy nights and all those different things.

07:18 But just also for me I think it's

07:20 kind of led me a lot closer to my spirituality.

07:22 It's led me to look at myself

07:24 and what I want more.

07:26 Like what am I doing? What am I standing for?

07:28 What do I want the next 20 years?

07:30 And I think sometimes you have to kind of hit

07:32 that little point of desperation

07:34 in a way I think to find that.

07:36 I'm glad I hit it in my

07:38 40s and didn't wait until later

07:40 on in life. What kind of difference have

07:42 you guys noticed in the year since

07:44 Charles has been in recovery?

07:46 A lot.

07:48 The first thing that comes up to me

07:50 is I was listening to you answer that question.

07:52 You've always been so big

07:54 hearted. You've always had a big heart and a passion

07:56 for music and the people

07:58 you love and loyalty.

08:00 And now I feel like

08:02 there's more communication of those feelings.

08:04 A lot of daily gratitude of, you know, let's

08:06 celebrate, enjoy this moment.

08:08 We don't always have to look for the next thing.

08:10 What's going to be the next thing we do is

08:12 let's be grateful with this music, with this

08:14 moment, with this show tonight.

08:16 He's been fantastic. We're so proud of him.

08:18 When other artists, new artists, specifically

08:20 ask us, "If you have any advice,

08:22 what would it be?"

08:24 Because we're 17 years into this now,

08:26 you know, that's really the

08:28 unanimous thing we say

08:30 is just be present.

08:32 Take each day and take a second

08:34 or more, as much time as

08:36 you want to just soak up

08:38 in gratitude where you are.

08:40 The good days and the hard days because they're teaching

08:42 you something, you know? And so I think that

08:44 you've definitely been living in.

08:46 Thank you. Well, you actually mentioned

08:48 you guys are coming up on 17 years

08:50 in the industry. It's been 15 years

08:52 since you put out your debut album.

08:54 I feel very old hearing that.

08:56 [Music]

08:58 [Music]

09:00 [Music]

09:02 [Music]

09:04 [Music]

09:06 What does that mean for you

09:08 to have had this longevity

09:10 in the industry? I just got goosebumps

09:12 when you said that. We feel it

09:14 really deeply. We are so

09:16 grateful. I mean, there are so

09:18 many times we look at each other

09:20 over these last five years specifically and

09:22 we're like, "Man, we're still here

09:24 and we love doing this together

09:26 and we're still excited about

09:28 the music and getting it to the fans

09:30 and performing live." And it hasn't felt

09:32 that long in a lot of ways.

09:34 I mean, it feels like such a

09:36 blink. But then at the same time

09:38 when we sit down with you and have these conversations

09:40 and we think about all of these things that

09:42 we've been a part of and experienced,

09:44 now for us it's how do we pay

09:46 that forward and then also continue

09:48 to dig in creatively

09:50 and make art that we're proud of

09:52 and that connects. With it being 15

09:54 years since your debut album, what are

09:56 you guys hoping for the next 15 years?

09:58 Gosh. That's a good question.

10:00 I mean, when you said longevity, I just

10:02 that's our goal. I mean, we've said

10:04 that for years. As a band, you know,

10:06 we work hard at that. We try to communicate a lot

10:08 like your earlier question, to be there for each other

10:10 when each other needs us and

10:12 to support each other as best we can. So,

10:14 just still be standing and do what we love.

10:16 I mean, the longevity is the win for us.

10:18 Another 15 years of getting to do

10:20 any venue we can. You know, we all know

10:22 that there's ups and downs in careers

10:24 and so there'll be different kinds of places

10:26 we're playing, different, you know,

10:28 places and styles of music we'll go, but

10:30 just to be together I think is going to be the win.

10:32 Well, this has been so much fun. Thank you

10:34 guys for taking time to talk to me. It was so

10:36 great. I appreciate it.

10:38 Amazing.

10:40 (whooshing)

Lady A On "Love You Back," Request Line Tour, Career Longevity & More | Billboard News

Category

Transcript

Recommended