Hillary Scott (singer)
Encyclopedia
Hillary Dawn Scott is an American country music
singer-songwriter. She is currently a member of Lady Antebellum
, a country band that was formed in 2006 and signed to Capitol Nashville.
, to country music artist Linda Davis
and Lang Scott, a musician and entrepreneur. Growing up, she despised being a musician, as it entailed being away from home for long periods of time. Her first performance was during her junior year in high school, when she joined Davis on stage for a family Christmas show at Opryland. Following the show, she was convinced to pursue a musical career.
Scott attended high school at Donelson Christian Academy
and graduated in 2004.
Victoria Shaw
and earned some publicity, but was unable to secure a contract with a major label. She auditioned for American Idol
twice, but failed to make it through to the judges round in both cases. Then she met future bandmates Charles Kelley
and later, Dave Haywood
, in May 2006. She ran into Kelley at a Nashville bar and recognized him from his MySpace
page, where she had been listening to his music. She introduced herself to Kelley and complimented him on his music, which led to his deciding that they should get together to write some songs. Afterwards, the trio began writing songs together, eventually forming Lady Antebellum. Scott claims that being part of Lady Antebellum, as opposed to being a solo artist, lessens the pressure on her on stage.
and Dave Haywood
. They released their debut single, "Love Don't Live Here", on October 2, 2007; it entered Billboard
s Hot Country Songs
chart that year, peaking at No. 3 in early 2008. Their self-titled debut album
was released on April 15, 2008, and debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. It consisted of eleven songs, ten of which were either written or co-written by the members of the trio, and was produced by Paul Worley
and Victoria Shaw
. The trio released their second single, "Lookin' for a Good Time
", in mid-2008; it peaked at No. 11 in December of that year. Their third single, "I Run to You", became their first Number One hit on the Hot Country Songs chart in July 2009. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA three months later, in October 2009.
In August 2009, Lady Antebellum released "Need You Now" as the title track of its sophomore album
. The song topped the Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks in late 2009 before peaking at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 charts, respectively, in early 2010. Need You Now was released on January 26, 2010, and debuted at No. 1 on Billboards Top 200 Albums chart with first-week sales of almost 481,000 copies. The album consisted of eleven songs, eight of which were co-written by the members of the trio, and showcased production by both the trio and Worley. The next two singles from the album, "American Honey
" and "Our Kind of Love
", reached No. 1 on the country charts in April 2010 and September 2010, respectively. The album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA in October 2010. It's fourth and final single, "Hello World
", peaked at No. 6 on the country charts in April 2011.
In May 2011, Lady Antebellum issued "Just a Kiss
" as the first single from their third album, Own the Night
, which is set for release on September 13, 2011.
's song, "Do I
", which fellow Lady Antebellum
bandmates, Charles Kelley
and Dave Haywood
, wrote alongside Bryan. The song was released to radio in April 2009 and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard
s Hot Country Songs
chart in December of that year.
Scott has recorded a duet with Dave Barnes
called "Christmas Tonight" and was featured with Kelley and Haywood, as Lady Antebellum, on Maroon 5
's "Out of Goodbyes". "Christmas Tonight" was a single off Barnes' 2010 holiday album, Very Merry Christmas, and peaked at No. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart on New Year's Day, 2011. "Out of Goodbyes" was included on Maroon 5's 2010 album, Hands All Over
, but was never released as a single.
In addition, Scott has co-written songs for other country artists, including Sara Evans
' "A Little Bit Stronger
" and Blake Shelton
's "Suffocating". "A Little Bit Stronger" featured Scott on harmony vocals and was released in September 2010 as the leadoff single to Evans' sixth studio album, Stronger
. The song was widely used in the 2010 film, Country Strong, and topped the Hot Country Songs chart in May 2011 for two weeks, becoming Scott's first-ever Number One hit recorded by another artist. "Suffocating" was written by Scott with Shelton's wife, Miranda Lambert
, and recorded by Shelton for his 2010 EP
, All About Tonight
.
and fellow country music band Love and Theft
, in which Tyrrell is the lead drummer, both served as opening acts on Tim McGraw
's Southern Voice tour in early 2010, and began dating later that summer. After their relationship began, Tyrrell became Lady Antebellum's lead drummer on their Need You Now 2010 tour. Rumors of an engagement had already circulated in April 2011 when Scott arrived at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music
Awards wearing a ring on her left hand. At that time, Scott shot down the rumors, stating that there was no engagement yet. When Lady Antebellum released "Just a Kiss
" a month later in May 2011, Scott hinted that the song was inspired by her relationship with Tyrrell, saying, "We love writing songs from personal experience, and this is definitely one of those songs. There is so much excitement at the beginning of a new relationship ... all the butterflies and that optimistic feeling that this person could be 'the one.' This song is about one of those times when your brain kicks in and tells your heart 'good things are worth waiting for.'" No wedding date has been set.
Scott was once rumored to be dating Green Bay Packers
quarterback Aaron Rodgers
after they were spotted together at a Las Vegas casino in April 2009 and again at a nightclub after the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2010. However, no romantic relationship between the two was ever confirmed.
Scott has two tattoos, a music note on her right foot and the number 14 on her right wrist.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter. She is currently a member of Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
, a country band that was formed in 2006 and signed to Capitol Nashville.
Early life
Scott was born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, to country music artist Linda Davis
Linda Davis
Linda Kaye Davis is an American country music singer. Before beginning a career as a solo artist, she charted three minor country singles as one half of the duo Skip & Linda. In her solo career, Davis has recorded five major-label studio albums and more than 15 singles...
and Lang Scott, a musician and entrepreneur. Growing up, she despised being a musician, as it entailed being away from home for long periods of time. Her first performance was during her junior year in high school, when she joined Davis on stage for a family Christmas show at Opryland. Following the show, she was convinced to pursue a musical career.
Scott attended high school at Donelson Christian Academy
Donelson Christian Academy
Donelson Christian Academy was started in 1971. Its original location was in the Donelson Free Will Baptist Church across from McGavock High School. Classes were conducted there for three and one half years before moving to their present location at 300 Danyacrest Drive, Nashville, TN. The school...
and graduated in 2004.
Career
After high school, Scott worked with singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Victoria Shaw
Victoria Shaw (singer)
Victoria Lynn Shaw is an American country music artist. She has recorded four studio albums, and has charted five singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
and earned some publicity, but was unable to secure a contract with a major label. She auditioned for American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
twice, but failed to make it through to the judges round in both cases. Then she met future bandmates Charles Kelley
Charles Kelley
Charles Burgess Kelley is an American country music singer-songwriter and founding member of Lady Antebellum, a country rock trio formed in 2006 and signed to Capitol Nashville.-Early life and career:...
and later, Dave Haywood
Dave Haywood
David Wesley Haywood is an American country music singer. He is one-third of the band Lady Antebellum, in which he plays piano, guitar and mandolin, and sings backing vocals....
, in May 2006. She ran into Kelley at a Nashville bar and recognized him from his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, where she had been listening to his music. She introduced herself to Kelley and complimented him on his music, which led to his deciding that they should get together to write some songs. Afterwards, the trio began writing songs together, eventually forming Lady Antebellum. Scott claims that being part of Lady Antebellum, as opposed to being a solo artist, lessens the pressure on her on stage.
Lady Antebellum
Scott formed the country music group Lady Antebellum in 2006 with Charles KelleyCharles Kelley
Charles Burgess Kelley is an American country music singer-songwriter and founding member of Lady Antebellum, a country rock trio formed in 2006 and signed to Capitol Nashville.-Early life and career:...
and Dave Haywood
Dave Haywood
David Wesley Haywood is an American country music singer. He is one-third of the band Lady Antebellum, in which he plays piano, guitar and mandolin, and sings backing vocals....
. They released their debut single, "Love Don't Live Here", on October 2, 2007; it entered Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart that year, peaking at No. 3 in early 2008. Their self-titled debut album
Lady Antebellum (album)
Lady Antebellum is the self-titled debut album by the American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on April 15, 2008. Its lead-off single, "Love Don't Live Here" was released in late 2007 and entered Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in May 2008. A second single,...
was released on April 15, 2008, and debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. It consisted of eleven songs, ten of which were either written or co-written by the members of the trio, and was produced by Paul Worley
Paul Worley
Paul Worley is an American record producer and session guitarist, known primarily for his work in country music. Formerly a vice president at Sony BMG, he later joined the staff of Warner Bros. Records' Nashville division as chief creative officer...
and Victoria Shaw
Victoria Shaw (singer)
Victoria Lynn Shaw is an American country music artist. She has recorded four studio albums, and has charted five singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
. The trio released their second single, "Lookin' for a Good Time
Lookin' for a Good Time
"Lookin' for a Good Time" is a single by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It is the second single from their self-titled debut album, as well as their second Top 20 hit on the Billboard country charts...
", in mid-2008; it peaked at No. 11 in December of that year. Their third single, "I Run to You", became their first Number One hit on the Hot Country Songs chart in July 2009. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA three months later, in October 2009.
In August 2009, Lady Antebellum released "Need You Now" as the title track of its sophomore album
Need You Now
"Need You Now" is a country pop song performed by American country music group Lady Antebellum. The song was co-written by Lady Antebellum and Josh Kear, and produced by the trio along with Paul Worley. It serves as the lead-off single and title track to their second studio album, Need You Now,...
. The song topped the Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks in late 2009 before peaking at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 charts, respectively, in early 2010. Need You Now was released on January 26, 2010, and debuted at No. 1 on Billboards Top 200 Albums chart with first-week sales of almost 481,000 copies. The album consisted of eleven songs, eight of which were co-written by the members of the trio, and showcased production by both the trio and Worley. The next two singles from the album, "American Honey
American Honey
"American Honey" is the title of a song written by Cary Barlowe, Hillary Lindsey and Shane Stevens. It was recorded by the American country music group Lady Antebellum, who released it on January 11, 2010 as the second single from its second studio album, Need You Now...
" and "Our Kind of Love
Our Kind of Love
"Our Kind of Love" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. Written by the trio along with Busbee, it serves as the third single from their second studio album, Need You Now...
", reached No. 1 on the country charts in April 2010 and September 2010, respectively. The album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA in October 2010. It's fourth and final single, "Hello World
Hello World (song)
"Hello World" is the title of a song written by Tom Douglas, Tony Lane, and David Lee which was recorded by Lady Antebellum. It was released as the fourth single from their album Need You Now. The song was scheduled to be released to country radio on 4 October 2010, but debuted on the Hot Country...
", peaked at No. 6 on the country charts in April 2011.
In May 2011, Lady Antebellum issued "Just a Kiss
Just a Kiss
"Just a Kiss" is a song by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 2, 2011, by Capitol Records, as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Own the Night . Dallas Davidson collaborated with band members Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood to write...
" as the first single from their third album, Own the Night
Own the Night
Own the Night is the third studio album by the American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on September 13, 2011 through Capitol Nashville. It was produced by Paul Worley...
, which is set for release on September 13, 2011.
Other projects
Scott's other works include singing background vocals on Luke BryanLuke Bryan
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan is an American country singer who debuted in 2007 with the single "All My Friends Say", a Top 5 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His debut album, I'll Stay Me, was released on Capitol Records in 2007. This album also produced chart singles in "We Rode in...
's song, "Do I
Do I
"Do I" is a song co-written and recorded by country music artist Luke Bryan. It is the lead-off single to his second studio album Doin' My Thing...
", which fellow Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
bandmates, Charles Kelley
Charles Kelley
Charles Burgess Kelley is an American country music singer-songwriter and founding member of Lady Antebellum, a country rock trio formed in 2006 and signed to Capitol Nashville.-Early life and career:...
and Dave Haywood
Dave Haywood
David Wesley Haywood is an American country music singer. He is one-third of the band Lady Antebellum, in which he plays piano, guitar and mandolin, and sings backing vocals....
, wrote alongside Bryan. The song was released to radio in April 2009 and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in December of that year.
Scott has recorded a duet with Dave Barnes
Dave Barnes
Dave Barnes is an American rock-R&B-contemporary Christian singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee.-Early life:...
called "Christmas Tonight" and was featured with Kelley and Haywood, as Lady Antebellum, on Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
's "Out of Goodbyes". "Christmas Tonight" was a single off Barnes' 2010 holiday album, Very Merry Christmas, and peaked at No. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart on New Year's Day, 2011. "Out of Goodbyes" was included on Maroon 5's 2010 album, Hands All Over
Hands All Over
"Hands All Over" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by guitarist Kim Thayil, "Hands All Over" was released in 1990 as the second single from the band's second studio album, Louder Than Love . It also appeared on the...
, but was never released as a single.
In addition, Scott has co-written songs for other country artists, including Sara Evans
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...
' "A Little Bit Stronger
A Little Bit Stronger
"A Little Bit Stronger" is the title of a song written by Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, and Hillary Scott, and recorded by American country artist Sara Evans. It was released in September 2010 and serves as the lead-off single to her sixth studio album, Stronger, which was released on March 8, 2011....
" and Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
's "Suffocating". "A Little Bit Stronger" featured Scott on harmony vocals and was released in September 2010 as the leadoff single to Evans' sixth studio album, Stronger
Stronger (Sara Evans album)
Upon its release, Stronger received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".Jon...
. The song was widely used in the 2010 film, Country Strong, and topped the Hot Country Songs chart in May 2011 for two weeks, becoming Scott's first-ever Number One hit recorded by another artist. "Suffocating" was written by Scott with Shelton's wife, Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut...
, and recorded by Shelton for his 2010 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, All About Tonight
All About Tonight
Upon its release, All About Tonight received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
.
Personal life
Scott is currently engaged to Nashville-based drummer Chris Tyrrell. Tyrrell proposed to Scott on July 2, 2011, during a family vacation in East Tennessee. The two met when Lady AntebellumLady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
and fellow country music band Love and Theft
Love and Theft (band)
Love and Theft, an American country music duo, is composed of Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson, both of whom sing lead vocals and play guitar. Love and Theft originally formed as a trio, along with Brian Bandas , in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006...
, in which Tyrrell is the lead drummer, both served as opening acts on Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
's Southern Voice tour in early 2010, and began dating later that summer. After their relationship began, Tyrrell became Lady Antebellum's lead drummer on their Need You Now 2010 tour. Rumors of an engagement had already circulated in April 2011 when Scott arrived at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Awards wearing a ring on her left hand. At that time, Scott shot down the rumors, stating that there was no engagement yet. When Lady Antebellum released "Just a Kiss
Just a Kiss
"Just a Kiss" is a song by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 2, 2011, by Capitol Records, as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Own the Night . Dallas Davidson collaborated with band members Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood to write...
" a month later in May 2011, Scott hinted that the song was inspired by her relationship with Tyrrell, saying, "We love writing songs from personal experience, and this is definitely one of those songs. There is so much excitement at the beginning of a new relationship ... all the butterflies and that optimistic feeling that this person could be 'the one.' This song is about one of those times when your brain kicks in and tells your heart 'good things are worth waiting for.'" No wedding date has been set.
Scott was once rumored to be dating Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
after they were spotted together at a Las Vegas casino in April 2009 and again at a nightclub after the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2010. However, no romantic relationship between the two was ever confirmed.
Scott has two tattoos, a music note on her right foot and the number 14 on her right wrist.
Collaborative albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Family Christmas (with Linda Davis Linda Davis Linda Kaye Davis is an American country music singer. Before beginning a career as a solo artist, she charted three minor country singles as one half of the duo Skip & Linda. In her solo career, Davis has recorded five major-label studio albums and more than 15 singles... and Lang Scott) |
|
Featured singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
||||
| 2010 | "Christmas Tonight" | Dave Barnes Dave Barnes Dave Barnes is an American rock-R&B-contemporary Christian singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee.-Early life:... |
9 | Very Merry Christmas |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Award | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SESAC SESAC SESAC, originally the Society of European Stage Authors & Composers, is the smallest of the three performance rights organizations in the United States. SESAC was founded in 1930, making it the second-oldest performing rights organization in the U.S. SESAC is also the fastest-growing PRO in the... |
Songwriter of the Year | |
| 2010 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... s |
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - "I Run to You" | |
| Best Country Song - "I Run To You" | |||
| Academy of Country Music Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the... |
Song of the Year - "Need You Now" | ||
| SESAC | Songwriter of the Year | ||
| Country Music Association Country Music Association The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre... |
Song of the Year - "Need You Now" | ||
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year - "Need You Now" | |
| Best Country Album - "Need You Now" | |||
| Record of the Year - "Need You Now" | |||
| Song of the Year - "Need You Now" | |||
| Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - "Need You Now" | |||
| Best Country Song - "Need You Now" | |||
| SESAC | Song of the Year - "Need You Now" |