Charles Kelley on Lady Antebellum’s Label Switch: ‘It Was Just Time’
Lady Antelbellum parted ways recently with their long-time record label, Capitol Nashville, after more than 10 years and six studio albums (plus a Christmas album!), announcing they have signed with Big Machine Label Group on Sept. 4. Lady A's Charles Kelley says the band felt like they had run their course with their former label, and it was simply time for a change.
"It was just time for our contract to be up ... We just felt some really new, excited energy from Big Machine.” Kelley told Joshua “Bru” Brubaker of NashFM 93.1 in Detroit. The band reunited with several staff members who are now with BMLG and had worked with Lady A in their early years.
"They had heard some of the songs we’d been writing, and [we] just really felt like they had a fresh energy that would be fun," Kelley explains. "They’ve got some new ideas of where they think they can take this thing.
"So we felt just kinda re-inspired to work with them," the artist elaborated, saying that fans can expect a new sound along with the new record deal. "We’ve been writing a ton. We’ve been going through a lot as a group and even in our personal lives, just growing in our families and growing as a band and we’re ready to kinda really throw it all out on a record,”
While Lady A won't lose their trademark style, the artist shares that the whole band, including Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, were ready to branch out a little.
"We’re definitely wanting to be a little bit more honest with our music and our lyrics and probably show a different side again, just musically ... It will probably sound a lot different than "You Look Good" and "Bartender" and a lot of that, too," Kelley notes. "We’re probably gonna dig a little deeper on this project this time."
Lady Antebellum released Heart Break in 2017 following a hiatus in 2016, during which all three members pursued solo projects. According to a press release about their label move, new music is in the works.
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