Lady A already has their own next-gen band in the making. The group’s Hillary Scott was the first to become a parent. She and husband Chris Tyrrell share three daughters: Eisele, 7; and twins Emory and Betsy, 3. Dave Haywood and his wife, Kelli, are the proud parents of Cash, 6, and Lillie, 3. Meanwhile, Charles Kelley and his wife, Cassie, have a 5-year-old son, Ward.
The group has never been afraid to put family first, and they already have a growing collection of songs inspired by their kids, like “What I’m Leaving For” from Ocean and “The Stars” from Heart Break.
“I want to be the best mother I can possibly be,” Scott asserts. “So over these last several months, I’ve just been trying to dig into the personal work to make sure that I’m the strongest I can be for them.”
As a mother of three girls, Scott realizes the importance of empowering her daughters and making sure they know their true worth. In fact, she says she often recalls advice that Charles’ wife Cassie gave her years ago: “Tell your girls they are smart twice as much as you tell them they are beautiful.” Scott also says giving her girls space to make mistakes, knowing that she and her husband will provide unconditional love, is just as important.
“The example I want to set for them is that giving grace to yourself and to others is a great way to live,” Scott shares. She attempts to model this behavior daily for her trio of little ladies.
“I know in our household right now, my girls are at the ages to where they’re watching everything I do and everything I say. And the way that I talk to myself, the way that I talk about myself, they’re really paying close attention to that,” the singer asserts. “And so raising three daughters who are already proving themselves to be very strong and confident little girls, I want to continue to nurture that in them. And the best way that I can do that is to lead by example.”
Their roles as parents continue to shape Lady A’s artistic evolution in small ways as well—affecting everything from how many tour dates they play each year (often taking them away from their respective families) to the messages in their music. Case in point, the group’s latest single, “Like A Lady,” possesses all the female empowerment Scott hopes to instill in her daughters, who often request the song for spontaneous dance parties, admittedly in between requests for their favorite songs from The Greatest Showman and Moana.
More than just a sentiment in a song, Kelley adds that Lady A is more confident than ever in their artistic identity—thanks in part to the role models they want to be for their children.
“We know what we stand for,” he says. “We know who we want to be and what example we want to lead for our kids.”