Lady Antebellum Decide to Step Away From Limelight, ‘Let Fans Miss Us’

"We're going to step away for a little while," Kelley tells Rolling Stone. "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."

Some country artists may feel unsafe stepping away; after all, the growth of a fan base often comes from touring and being at the forefront of fans' minds. But to the members of Lady A, that's not a concern. In fact, the group's stepping away is in preparation for making their future as solid as can be.

"We can take some time off and not feel like we're going to lose it all," says Kelley. 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."

Lady A's fifth studio record 747 was released in 2014. Lady A's break comes at the most unusual of times, according to Kelley: "The irony is we're probably the happiest as a band we've ever been."

The "Long Stretch of Love" singers acknowledge they've never really had a large break, and it's been a long time coming. Ever since their self-titled debut album in 2008, the trio has been on the road, in the studio and onstage at a frenzied pace.