Lady A's Hillary Scott Says Charles Kelley's Sobriety Has Impacted the Band in 'Incredible Ways'

Charles Kelley of Lady A is opening up about his sober journey.

The country music stars appeared on the TODAY show as a part of their Citi Music Series on Tuesday. In addition to performing their latest single “Love You Back,” the band spoke about how they postponed their 2022 tour so Kelley, 42, could focus on his sobriety. 

“I feel great” the vocalist said after host Hoda Kotb asked how he’s been feeling now that he’s sober.

“For me, it’s been a new adventure. I know that sounds cheesy, but I went away for so long and I’m finding so much more purpose,” the vocalist/guitarist of the trio also featuring Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood said. 

After explaining that his lifestyle “wasn’t fun anymore” and “got really old and exhausting” in the last few years, the singer-songwriter explained how he’s been living in a more positive light now. “I’m connecting to my spirituality like I never have before. And the connection with my family and everybody,” he said. “And I’m just loving this new kind of lease on life.”

The “Need You Now” band also shared how Kelley’s personal journey has affected the group as a whole. Scott, 37, even said it’s impacted them in “incredible ways.” 

The lead vocalist said, “Charles has always been such an open-hearted, loving, amazing, passionate bandmate and friend. But I would say, you say it more now. You’re just living so much more open-hearted and in so much gratitude. So it’s beautiful.”

The Grammy winners also went on to share that it’s even influenced their songwriting. “I think it naturally wants us to be more honest with our songwriting in general,” Kelley said, mentioning how he and Haywood, 41, wrote their recent song “As Far as You Could” on Big Machine’s compilation Soundtrack to Summer 2023 as “kind of a goodbye letter.” 

Kelley, who spent a month in a rehab facility last year, has previously spoken openly about his sobriety. 

He and his wife Cassie — with whom he shares 7½-year-old son Ward — appeared on CBS Mornings in May and shared that he sought treatment after an argument almost prompted her to meet with divorce lawyers. 

The singer admitted he was "scared to death" to go to rehab, but ultimately is in a much better place. He said, "I go to a lot of group meetings with other alcoholics, and I've got a case manager. I'm not even ashamed to admit it, I've got this little device [to check for alcohol] I blow in every morning and every night and it's not even for me — it's for me, my wife, my band, for everyone else to know."

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The country hitmakers are currently on their Request Line Tour now through December. The tour was originally scheduled to kick off last year, until the ACM winners decided to postpone the show to give Kelley the time and support he needed. 

The hitmakers shared a statement on Instagram in August 2022 when they announced the postponement. "Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make," the group wrote. "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 statement continued: "So, right now in order to be the healthiest, strongest and most creative band we can be, Lady A will take the time with the support of our families and team of professionals to walk through this together. It's early on this road, but we are determined to do what will best set us up for many more years together. We're grateful for your patience."

As the band is back on the road, they recently dropped “Love You Back” on Friday. On TODAY, Lady A confirmed the new release is the first taste of more new music, which is currently undated, to come. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.