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LADY A'S HILLARY SCOTT: RISKS AND REWARDS


Interview with
Hillary Scott
by Simon Glickman

You’ve had several Grammy nominations and wins before; say a bit about the significance of these latest noms.
Grammys are always the dream for an artist. But they’ve meant different things over the years, and we’ve been a band for over 10 years. We poured so much of our heart into the process this time. We really changed up the way we recorded and our approach; we changed our producer. We took some risks. It means so much, because it just affirmed that we need to take those risks.

Our producer, busbee, worked with several other artists, including Maren Morris and Keith Urban. He’s very focused on not only creating incredible art but also the Grammys. That’s what you shoot for. We said, “Let’s stretch ourselves. Let’s write and record as honestly as we can.” It was very much a part of the work ethic that we put into this album: What if this gets nominated? We wanted it to be worthy of that.

Let’s talk about some of those risks you describe and the musical currents that made their way into the new album.
Changing producers is always a huge risk. We’ve known busbee for more than 10 years, but we’ve never had him in the producer chair. He has an objectivity that a lot of people in our immediate circles don’t have. To have not only his skill set and unbelievable talent, but also that perspective, was really valuable for us. That risk, for me, was definitely the biggest.

It was also about getting out of our comfort zone. We’d normally write in Nashville, either at one of our homes, a studio or a publisher’s writing room. This time we flew to Florida and did a writers’ retreat, and then moved into a house in L.A. and wrote and recorded half the album out there, and did the other half back in Nashville. So we got out of our normal day-to-day routine. That was a huge sacrifice for our families, but it allowed us to be free creatively. We had no real agenda other than to write the best song, have fun, and make music that connects.

I imagine that separation wasn’t easy.
There’s this pull once you become a mom or a wife. But it all works its way into the music. One song on the album that came from that trip to L.A., “Home,” is about how, when you’re away from your loved ones, you realize how steady they made you. I don’t know if that song would have come out of us had we not been removed from our families.

The other risks were in “You Look Good,” the lead single. Bringing in the horns and [R&B groove], it was a much more polarizing song. Sometimes you have to move the meter that way; it was one of the greatest decisions we could have made, because it took our live show to a totally different place.

"You Look Good" was a polarizing song. Sometimes you have to move the meter that way; it was one of the greatest decisions we could have made.”

What’s coming up for you guys?
Well, I’m kind of homebound because I am having twins in February. So, Charles [Kelley] and Dave [Haywood] will be heading up to Madison Square Garden without me, unfortunately, because I will be in the last couple of weeks, most likely, waiting on my daughters to get here.

That’s a pretty legit excuse.
Yeah. We’re hunkering down on the home front, taking the holidays to reflect and be grateful for a really special year. And then we have plans that we’ll announce right after the first of the year, to play some shows and have some fun. I’m going to need a little time to acclimate.

No matter what, the top of the year is going to bring something new.
Yes, I’m bringing home as many babies as we have nominations!

We’re already starting to compile songs. We’re always moving; we realized that’s what’s healthiest for us. But we’re ready to take a breather for a couple weeks, and let me get these babies here.

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