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Exclusive: Lady Antebellum to sing at Ky. Derby

 

 

Lady Antebellum is reuniting for a big performance in May. But fans will have to be at the Kentucky Derby in Louisville to see them in person. The popular Grammy-Award winning trio is set to sing the national anthem May 7 at Churchill Downs Racetrack.  For the group's rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott will take to the winner's circle just after 5 p.m. ET and just before the running of the 142nd Kentucky Derby. It will be part of NBC's broadcast of Derby events. Haywood answers some questions via email from USA TODAY as the trio prepares for its 2016 summer tour which begins May 27 in Baton Rouge.

Q. What does it mean to be performing at a huge event, such as the Kentucky Derby, and what does the Derby mean to you?
A. It is always an honor to be asked to sing the national anthem, but kicking things off at something as iconic as the Kentucky Derby is pretty cool. There’s so much history and ceremony to it, and people wait all year for not only the races, but all the festivities and parties that go on that weekend. 

Q. Does a task like this still seem daunting?
A. There’s an energy to performing live that you have to love in order to do it, but that adrenaline is what we feed off of. So, we just always go out and have a good time and enjoy the moment. 
 
Q.  Will we hear a touch of Lady Antebellum's "stylization" on the national anthem?

A. It’s one of those songs that holds so much meaning and has already been performed by the best singers in history, so there’s a lot of pressure. We will definitely put our own Lady A spin on it. Being part of a trio gives us a lot of room to play around with harmonies, which is one of the things we are really drawn to when we perform.
 
Q.The group is marking its 10th anniversary this year. Could you even imagine then the amount of success Lady Antebellum has had since those early days?
A. That’s right! Our first album came out 10 years ago this year. We all really started together as songwriters, so it’s crazy to think it turned into a band that has taken us … literally, around the globe. I think one of the best parts of playing music is seeing how universal it is. No matter where we’ve toured in the world, it seems like everyone relates to music.
 
 Q. It's absolutely wonderful that you can do independent projects, personally and professionally, and still come together to do work as Lady Antebellum. Obviously, you're not the first to do that, but what do you think you've gained from taking a break from the group?
A. Exploring our own music projects individually is going to make us stronger as a band. It’s given us the chance to take the time to explore some paths personally and professionally that we might not have and the opportunity or time to go down with Lady A in full-swing. Ultimately, the experience has already brought new ideas to the table for Lady A and has made us that much more ready to get back on the road together this summer. I’m really looking forward to what’s next for us as a band and hope that we’ll have some new music to share with our fans later this year.

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