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Country band Lady A says member Charles Kelley is embarking on ‘journey to sobriety’

Lady A fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see their favorite country band on tour since 2022 tour dates are now postponed until next year.
Image: Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood of Lady A perform onstage during the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards on March 7, 2022 in Las Vegas.
Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood of Lady A are taking a break from touring for a very important reason. Kevin Winter / Getty Images for ACM

One of country music's hottest bands is postponing an upcoming tour so one of its members can focus on their health.

On Thursday, Lady A announced that its Request Line tour is on hold until next year while Charles Kelley embarks on "a journey to sobriety."

The group broke the news on Instagram in a lengthy joint statement.

"Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make," the trio wrote. ⁣"We are a band, but more importantly…we’re family."

While Kelley, 40, focuses on his sobriety, his bandmates Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott are ready to offer him all the support he needs.

"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 band shared.

Image: Charles Kelley of Lady A performs onstage during the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards on March 7, 2022 in Las Vegas.
Charles Kelley performing in Last Vegas in March 2022.Jason Kempin / Getty Images

The trio, who formerly went by the name of Lady Antebellum, didn't offer details on Kelley's treatment plan, but thanked fans for their patience and said they are excited to come back stronger than ever.

"It’s early on this road, but we are determined to do what will best set us up for many more years together," they wrote.

Following the news, all 2022 tour dates were updated with the following message on the hit band's website: "Postponed — New date coming soon." Dates for 2023, however, remained on the website with no change.  

Additional information for ticketholders is still forthcoming, but Lady A said it will be released soon.

"This update is coming in real time, but in the coming days, your point of purchase will be in touch with new ticket information. We’re looking forward to making 2023 our best year yet!⁣⁣" the band wrote.

In June 2020, the country artists announced that they would be changing their band name to Lady A and removing the word antebellum (a term that's associated with the U.S. Civil War and slavery) from their moniker following the death of George Floyd and the increased attention on racial injustice.

“After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word ‘antebellum’ from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start, ⁣⁣” the singers shared on Instagram at the time.

Soon afterwards, blues singer Anita White, who also goes by the same name, spoke to Rolling Stone and argued that it was “pure privilege” that the band changed their name without confirming that the name wasn't already being used by another singer.

The band ended up meeting with White to host a “transparent, honest and authentic" conversation.

"We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come,” they wrote at the time.