Lady A Lead Vocalist Calls Sobriety the ‘Best Decision’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Lady A lead vocalist Charles Kelley has a new lease on life.
In the Hulu docuseries IT’S ALL COUNTRY, Kelley opened up about his journey with alcoholism and how sobriety changed his life.
“Success is a double-edged sword, for sure. You know, once you know what it feels like, and once you’ve been out there, it’s a drug in itself,” he said. “There is a lot of doubt that can come in and there’s just a lot of, I think, keeping your ego in check. I had to come back from treatment.”
In 2022, Lady A was about to begin their Request Line Tour, but the band decided to postpone it so that Kelley could get the help he needed.
READ MORE: HOW DOES LADY A SINGER BALANCE MUSIC AND FAMILY? ONLY BY GOD’S GRACE
“Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make,” the group said at the time. “We are a band, but more importantly…we’re family. We’re proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety.”
“So, right now in order to be the healthiest, strongest and most creative band we can be, Lady A will take the time with the support of our families and team of professionals to walk through this together,” the statement continued. “It’s early on this road, but we are determined to do what will best set us up for many more years together. We’re grateful for your patience.”
READ MORE: LADY A POSTPONES TOUR TO AID BAND MEMBER CHARLES KELLEY IN SOBRIETY JOURNEY
Kelley wouldn’t have been able to get sober if it weren’t for his two bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood.
“Dave and Hillary were such good friends throughout this whole journey,” Kelley said. “And thank God, I felt like I was given this second lease on my career and my marriage.”
Kelley’s wife, McConnell Kelley, opened up about her side of his sobriety journey in an interview with CBS Mornings.
“When he was in rehab and I went out there for family week, one of the first messages you receive is, ‘You’re gonna have to do just as much work here.’ And I remember being so mad,” McConnell said. “Like, you did this. And now I have to do all of this work too? But…it affects every person in that family system. So I could’ve chosen not to do the work, but then I have to live with the way that I’ve been affected and unhealed. So whether Charles and I were in a marriage or not, whether I saw him again for the rest of my life, I still had to deal with what I had gone through.”
