Dove Shore

2020 will go down as a year that held plenty of surprises for everybody, including Lady A.

In January, they were honored for their work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, and by February, they were celebrating their most recent number one, “What If I Never Get Over You,” and preparing for the Ocean cut, “What I’m Leaving For,” to be their next hit.

But an April appearance on an NBC songwriting competition and the non-album track, “Champagne Night,” changed all that.

“It was funny,” Charles Kelley recalls. “We were on that show, Songland, and the reaction to the song was just so amazing that we were like, ‘Gosh, let’s just put this out.'”

“I mean, we live in a day and age where everything is moving so fast,” he reflects. “And it’s like, ‘Listen, if the fans are reacting to this, let’s put it out.'”

“And we had a tour obviously lined up and it was gonna be our show opener,” he laughs. “It would’ve been a great live show song, and it still will be next year.”

As it turns out, the effervescent “Champagne Night” is better suited for life during the COVID-19 pandemic than the emotional longing of “What I’m Leaving For” anyway.

“I think during these times, you need some lighthearted songs, too,” Charles tells ABC Audio. “People don’t wanna be reminded so much about all the heaviness.”

“I think it’s nice to have some songs like that,” he continues. “Like Luke Bryan‘s [“One Margarita”], I just sometimes, I just wanna turn the radio on and just listen to something fun. So I’m glad people are liking it.”  

Friday, Lady A adds four new songs to their Christmas album, to deliver On This Winter’s Night Deluxe just in time for the holidays. 

By Stephen Hubbard
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