Next out of Nashville

Lady Antebellum. Photo / Supplied

Chances are, when you talk to someone who calls Nashville, Tennessee, home, they will say the name of their beloved city with pride. Sure enough, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum-currently the biggest country music band, if not biggest band, in the United States-lets loose with a hearty and cheery: "I'm in Nashville, Tennessee."

He says it like he owns the place-and he's not even a Nashville native, having only moved to the great American music city five years ago with ambitions of becoming the next big thing in music.

And now, along with bandmates Hillary Scott (singer) and Dave Haywood (guitarist, pianist), who's one of Kelley's oldest friends, he's realised his dream.

"It's been wild," says Kelley with a chuckle of disbelief. He's about to jump on a bus for a tour which will see the band on the road almost continuously until the end of September.

"We're kind of used to it now and we're trying to hatch a plan to travel the globe, and for me, I've never really been anywhere, so it's going to be an experience."

The long and winding tour road is Lady Antebellum's lot these days, following the release of their second album, Need You Now, in the US in January. It has sold more than two million copies, had three stints at No. 1 in that time, and is still riding high at No. 2.

It was released in New Zealand this week and debuted at No. 1, with the title track and latest single, Need You Now, jumping up the charts to No. 5.

The band started getting big in America following their self-titled debut in 2008, which sold more than 1.5 million copies. But this time round they have blown up thanks to one track: Need You Now.

It's not a flashy or spectacular song, but it has an inviting and jaunty lilt, with a rousing chorus about being "a little drunk" and longing for your loved one. It's made them the biggest thing in country music since the Dixie Chicks or pop country starlet Taylor Swift.

"That song has resonated with so many fans on such a broad level that we really never could have dreamed of," says Kelley. "Ever since it came out, from even the first month, the response felt like something bigger than we'd ever had. So yeah, if it wasn't for that song, we might be back at square one. It's definitely opened up a lot of doors."

He has no idea why the song hooks people in ("for whatever reason, people seem to love it," he offers), nor does he know why the band has a far wider appeal than just country music fans.

"We just try to keep doing what we're doing, and stay true to the kind of music we feel we need to create. We just want to stay true, and try not to think too much about it, and enjoy ourselves."

The 28-year-old, who is influenced by country, southern rock, The Beatles, and Rufus Wainwright ("I love the vulnerability in his songwriting.), says their appeal might have something to do with the fact they write about "what we know and have lived through".

Things like guys and girls ("she grew up good, she grew up slow, like American honey"), love, and heartbreak. "We're all still in our 20s, so we know all about love and falling in and out of love. We don't know how to change the world just yet, maybe we'll get there. We'll have our Bono stage, you'll see," jokes Kelley.

"But as far as it goes now, we're just trying to have a good time with it."

It is a dream come true, especially for the soothing and husky-voiced Kelley. He moved to Nashville from his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2005 to try and make it as a solo artist.

"I worked in construction for a year - and after that I thought, 'I'm moving on'," he remembers. In 2006 he convinced Haywood to join him and together they started writing songs, and doing the rounds of different venues, playing acoustic sets.

It was later that year when they met Scott - who has twice tried out for American Idol but failed to get past the first round-that Lady Antebellum kicked off.

With the help of Kelley's brother Josh, a well-known musician in the US who is married to actress Katherine Heigl, and Scott's mum, Linda Davis, a Nashville country singer, they made some music industry connections and got the big break they needed.

But, says Kelley, the band still had to "earn their stripes" in Nashville.

"Her parents tried to stay as far removed from the band as they could but, hey, they'd tell people that they would have to come and check out their daughter's band.

"So yeah, we were really fortunate, we were in the right place at the right time. There are people far more talented, especially in Nashville, that haven't got a break yet but it's just all about timing.

"But we've been playing music for years, and I've been in bands since I was 12 years old, the same goes with Dave, so we've been at this a long time - but it was never a full-time job until we moved to Nashville."

For someone who has happened upon major success, Kelley's still a humble, easy-going bloke. But there's no doubt their lives have changed.

"Getting on the phone to New Zealand right now, I sense all these doors opening and the dream is getting bigger, it seems. And then on the negative side, it's a lot more work and travel than anybody ever realised. But these are the days when you're waking up doing what you love, which makes it all worth it."

LOWDOWN

Who: Lady Antebellum
What: The biggest thing out of Nashville since Taylor Swift and the Dixie Chicks.
Line-up: Charles Kelley (vocals); Hillary Scott (vocals); Dave Haywood (guitar, piano)
New album: Need You Now, out now and currently at No. 1 on the NZ charts
Trivia: The term Antebellum refers to pre-Civil War America, or the culture in the southern US states in the era between 1789-1859.