Lady A Postpones Their Tour For A Serious Reason
Plain and simple: Lady A is one of the hottest bands in country music. In 2006, the trio of musicians in Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood formed and they have been going strong ever since. According to their page, the band has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, and they have taken home the trophy five times, thanks to some of their hit songs like "Need You Now" and "I Run to You."
Over the years, the group has faced a bit of adversity, especially in 2020. Scott, Kelley, and Haywood came under fire over their name, Lady Antebellum, after concerns that it had racist roots in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, per Billboard. On June 11, 2020, the band shared a lengthy statement on Twitter to express their remorse to anyone who was offended by the name, stating that they felt "regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations to the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery."
They later wrote, "After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word 'Antebellum' from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start." Two years later, the band is facing another hard-hitting issue, but this time it's not over a name change, rather a struggle one of its members is facing.
Charles Kelley needs some time for his health
Lady A shared some serious news with fans on August 4. On the heels of their highly anticipated fall tour, the band announced they would take a step back from music while postponing the tour. "We are a band, but more importantly...we're family. We're proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety," the band wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. The trio shared they need to take this step in order to "be the healthiest, strongest, and most creative band" they could be.
"It's early on this road, but we are determined to do what will best set us up for many more years together," they added. "We're grateful for your patience." The band also said they would provide updated information to ticket holders in the coming days. Most of Lady A and Kelley's fans made sure to send their well wishes in the comments section. "We love you guys!! You got this Charles! Prayers got the entire lady A family," one fan wrote. "Take care of yourselves and family FIRST! So proud of you all for the support of one another and for Charles for making this commitment!" another Instagrammer added. "We are cheering for you."
A few days before the announcement, Kelley took to Instagram to share artwork for their new song titled, "I Told You I Could Drink." He noted in the caption that the title was "Ironic since I stopped drinking haha." We wish him the best!
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).