Lady Antebellum is on the road (with Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt), flying high in cities across the country on its Wheels Up Tour; however, when the curtain closes, it appears it will be a slightly long-term farewell to the beloved trio.
Charles Kelley told Rolling Stone:
We’re going to step away for a little while. As a band, we’ve talked about wanting to get off the hamster wheel for a little bit and let the fans miss us for a second. We want to spend some time to write a record like we did for our first record. But it’s always been go, go, go, so we’ll try to get re-inspired a little bit.
The group is confident in its decision to remove itself from the spotlight for a bit, remaining positive that fans will be there to welcome Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley with open arms when they are ready to make their return. Charles explained:
We can take some time off and not feel like we’re going to lose it all. We felt like that in the past, if we left off the throttle. So, yeah, we’re not quite as hot as we were around “Need You Now,” but we realize the fans are there. It’s all about the music, so we need to step away and make the best music we can. That’s the only way it’s going to sustain itself. . . . The irony is we’re probably the happiest as a band we’ve ever been.
Hillary supplemented the statement with her feelings toward taking some time off:
We’ve just made so many albums in such a short period of time, and we’re proud of them, and what we’ve done in our career, and what we’ve said with them — but we’ve never given ourselves the gift of time. So, that’s what this next season is for us, spending time with our families, and really relishing in this successful year for us, and focusing on where we’re headed next.
Though the group has not said how long the break will be, Hillary did hint that the members of Lady A have trouble sitting still, so it may not be quite as lengthy as they have in mind at the moment.
Knowing us, it will probably be a lot shorter than what we probably set out for it to be, because we can’t ever really stop. But yeah, there’s no timeline, and that feels so nice to know. When we feel like it’s ready we’ll go to work.
We will definitely miss having Lady A at the forefront of country music for a bit, but we understand and fully support the decision to take a breather. Who doesn’t need one of those every now and then?! And Hillary, Dave, and Charles, just know we will be here, eagerly anticipating your glorious return.
