Editor's note: Former "American Idol" contestant Carmen Rasmusen Herbert writes about her favorite entertainers in her column "What I Love About …"
I've been back and forth from Nashville more times than I can count. One of the first songwriting guru's I was fortunate enough to work with was Victoria Shaw.
She, along with producer Jason Deere, helped me co-write my first single, "Nothin' Like the Summer."
I'd go back and forth from their little studio just off of Music Row, and occasionally bump into other female hopefuls paying their dues and honing their writing and performing skills.
One of these girls was Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum.
The first time Victoria introduced us, I remembered looking at Hillary and thinking, "She doesn't look like the typical 'country star.' " She had on a bright purple sweater, hot pink candy-stripped leggings and crimped hair. She was as bubbly and sweet as can be, if a little shy and — dare I say? — insecure. Hillary, like me, was trying to "make it" in the country music business as a solo artist. We became friends, and although we didn't see each other very much, we exchanged numbers and would catch up whenever I was in town.
Then, several months after laying down the first tracks for my album, Victoria told me some exciting news: Hillary had joined forces with two other guys — Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood — and created a country music group called "Lady Antebellum."
I remember Victoria telling me the group wasn't signed yet, but it was getting an awesome buzz around town and a lot of interest from several major labels.
And then, just like that, they were signed and on the road making music, practicing for smaller venues and working on their act.
Their first single, "Love Don't Live Here," topped at No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart and was quickly followed by "I Run to Youn" which was Lady A's first No. 1 hit.
Since then, the group has knocked out several other No. 1 hit songs, the biggest being "Need You Now" which propelled the group to win several ACM, CMA and five Grammy awards, including Country Song of the Year, best Country Performance by a Duo or Group and Record of the Year. "Need You Now" has recently been certified platinum.
Ironic, seeing as the song barely made the cut for the album.
"We pulled it out very last minute (to producers) and said, 'You're probably not gonna like this, it's just a work tape, but check it out,'" explained lead vocalist Kelley. He had just learned to play guitar and wrote a couple lyrics to the only two chords he knew how to play.
On the day they went into the studio to record the song, producer Paul Worley said, "We knew within one hour that this song was bigger than all of us."
Lady Antebellum is so appealing to me, not only because I know the group personally, but because the music is so great.
They write songs from the heart that reach out and tug at yours, and they are certainly not the typical "cookie cutter" pop-sounding band. Lady A has a very organic sound that reminds me of a country Sheryl Crow mixed with a '70's laid-back groove. Lady A opted out of traditional stacked vocals on their tracks, allowing the raw instruments and simple three-part harmony to shine through.
And because there are actually two lead singers, Hillary and Charles, the band has the freedom to experience both male- or female-heavy songs, creating a more diverse album and likability.
"Having the two lead vocals there can take people into different journeys," says Kelley. "And I think there are people who are just naturally gonna gravitate to (Hillary's) voice that aren't gonna gravitate to mine, and vice versa."
A few years ago, as I was attending the ACM awards, I saw Hillary and the band lounging in the hotel lobby between interviews. Not holed up in a suite away from the fans, but right there in the lobby, listening to iPods, writing in journals, eating and just hanging out. Hillary and I talked for a while, and she was every bit as sweet and bubbly as she was the first day I met her, although her wardrobe was much improved.
Later that week as I sat in Victoria's studio for a writing session, I saw a declaration-type paper framed on her wall from Hillary made shortly after the band was formed in 2006. It read something like this:
"I, Hillary Scott do solemnly swear that being signed to a major record label will not make me a brat. I will not get a big head. I will not take advantage of others or get cocky, no matter how many records I sell or how many awards I receive. I will not be too cool to laugh and eat junk food and be myself. If I do, Victoria has the right to smack me upside the head and bring me back to reality."
So far, so good. And that's why I love Lady Antebellum.
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