CURRENT SINGLE: “What A Song Can Do”
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March is Women’s History Month, which is about recognizing and celebrating the contributions of women that have made an impact on history and contemporary society. For Hillary Scott of Lady A, what the women of country music – both past and present – contribute to people’s lives through the honesty and vulnerability in their songs is incredible. For instance, Hillary says of Carly Pearce’s latest album, 29: Written in Stone, “I love how detailed she is in these songs, and what she’s saying, what she’s experienced and how specific it is.”
Artists often struggle to be as honest and specific about their pain as Carly was on her album because, Hillary says, “I think a lot of times as a writer or artist you kind of can shy away from the really specific things about your life and your experience because you think, well maybe other people won’t relate and it’ll feel too narrow. But in Carly‘s case, I mean, it’s what pulls you in, just how vulnerable and honest she is. I mean that is where you’re like, if I’m not in that place, I know I can access places in my life that I have felt like that. I’ve felt how she’s describing.”
Hillary thinks that gift to be so honest and vulnerable is something that has been passed down from the legends. “That’s what a lot of those incredible artists – Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn – their way of writing so specific and about such specific things, it’s to me, one of the most unique and special parts about country music and specifically women in country music,” says Hillary, “is that ability to talk about the ugly and the messy and it be received so openly by so many, whether you’ve been through it or not.”
While she’s too modest to recognize herself, Hillary from Lady A is another woman in country music history who has the gift of being able to write or sing a song in such an emotional and personal way, that it taps into people’s hearts and their souls and makes them feel seen or understood.
Lady A – honesty of country women Carly 1:09
“With Carly‘s album specifically, I love how detailed she is in these songs, and what she’s saying, what she’s experienced and how specific it is. Because I think a lot of times as a writer or artist you kind of can shy away from the really specific things about your life and your experience because you think, well maybe other people won’t relate and it’ll feel too narrow. But in Carly‘s case, I mean, it’s what pulls you in, just how vulnerable and honest she is. I mean that is where you’re like, if I’m not in that place, I know I can access places in my life that I have felt like that. I’ve felt how she’s describing. That’s what a lot of those incredible artists – Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn – their way of writing so specific and about such specific things, it’s to me, one of the most unique and special parts about country music and specifically women in country music, is that ability to talk about the ugly and the messy and it be received so openly by so many, whether you’ve been through it or not.”