‘FINDING OUR PURPOSE’
Grammy-winning band Lady A emerges from pandemic with ‘What a Song Can Do’ tour
Charles Kelley had an opportunity to reflect on his career during the 16-month break from touring due to the pandemic.
What he thought about was simple — being grateful.
He’s toured the world and found mainstream success with the Grammy Awardwinning country trio Lady A.
As Lady A’s “What a Song Can Do” tour was gearing up to begin in July, Kelley’s appendix decided he wasn’t going to make the first night.
“It’s been a crazy year,” he says with a chuckle. “I also had foot surgery before. Everything is good, man, and I’m healthy. This was just another example that the hits keep coming. I’m grateful to be out onstage now performing for the fans.”
Kelley is joined by Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood in the band, which will release its eighth full-length album, “What a Song Can Do,” on Oct. 22. The tour will make a stop at Isleta Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 9.
Kelley, Scott and Haywood spent most of the pandemic writing through Zoom.
“You realized quickly how adaptable people are, and it was nice to do that,” he says. “We spent time with our families. I was really able to fill up my time off. Once it got a little more comfortable, we would go in and write together. At least half of the record was written over Zoom.”
Kelley recalls the trio’s first show in Albuquerque at the New Mexico State Fair more than a decade ago, when the band had released its first album.
He is proud that the band keeps moving forward at its own pace.
“Our second song in the set is ‘Love Don’t Live Here’ and it reminds us of how far we’ve come,” he says. “When we started, my goal was to sell out a big club, and now we’re doing amphitheaters. We have Grammys and never thought we’d get any. There will be a time where we can get back to a smaller level and play some theaters and make the show more intimate. I’m looking forward to those moments.”
Kelley wants to talk about the songwriting process with fans, as well as the band members’ journey in life.
“We’ve grown a lot closer as a band and to our faith,” he says. “We’re finding our purpose in this life. What we do know is that we want our shows to be about love and welcoming. We want fans walking away form our show feeling good and positive.”
As for the show, with eight albums’ worth of material and lots of hit singles, Kelley says, the set list has input from each member.
“We all have our roles,” he says of the process. “Dave is the musical guy, and he’s the bandleader. Hillary is very visual, so she works with all of the lighting. I’m in charge of the pacing of the show. We’re trying to keep it as exciting for a fan as possible.”
After being on the road for a few months, Kelley has realized a few things.
“Is our goal to be the biggest group? Not really,” he says. “It’s to feel purposeful in what we do and in every step we make. It’s just not about making money. It’s about having that experience.”