The title for Lady Antebellum’s forthcoming new album, 747, refers to a hook in the title song about how a commercial jetliner can’t go fast enough for a man trying to reclaim his love. It’s also a fitting analogy for the country trio’s own super-sonic momentum over the last year.
Their last album was released just 14 months ago, a couple of months before singer Hillary Scott gave birth to her daughter, Eisele. A deluxe version of the album came out November, and then they started writing new music while out on tour. Now, it just gets more complex as 747 is due out Sept. 30 — about the same time singer-guitarist Dave Haywood is expecting his first child.
“We are just so excited for the opportunity to just continue to build our career,” Scott said as she was heading into the studio to put the finishing touches on the record with Haywood and singer Charles Kelley. “And then also in our personal lives... our families are growing. That’s the energy level we are in, in both personal and career.”
For a fresh take and new ears, they turned to Taylor Swift producer Nathan Chapman. Scott said the band got famous for their softer, romantic songs like the crossover Grammy Award-winning ballad Need You Now and the multiplatinum Just A Kiss. But seeing the fans’ reactions to their last two up-tempo singles, Compass and Bartender, both produced by Chapman, convinced them of the direction they needed to go.
“I know that once we released Compass as a single, the energy that song brought to our career, to our live show, it was really evident that was something we needed more of,” Scott said.
The band co-wrote about half of the 11-song album by taking songwriters out on the road with them, no easy feat for Scott, who also took her baby girl out on tour. And with another band baby on the way, Lady Antebellum just keeps picking up speed along the way.
“When people put their ear buds in to listen, we want it to come at you,” Scott said. “We want you to feel that energy.”
