The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) surprised Lady A with diamond certification for their 2009 hit “Need You Now” on Friday (April 14). The recognition marks the fifth time a country song has reached this milestone.
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The honor for the highest certified single has been previously held by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus with “Old Town Road,” released in 2019, along with Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” (2015), Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” (2013), and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” (2012).
Co-written by Lady A’s Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood, along with Josh Kear, “Need You Now” went straight to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2009. It also picked up two ACMs awards, a CMA and CMT and four Grammys, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best Country Song.
The news of the group’s diamond certification comes as Lady A kicked off their Request Line Tour with back-to-back sold-out nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 14 and 15.
“Over the past year, planning this tour has kept me awake countless nights dreaming up how we could show the fans that we’ve been profoundly impacted by them,” said Scott in a statement. “This tour is about our fans’ connection to these lyrics and melodies. It’s about how we all love and want to be loved. I believe live music communicates that better than most anything else.”
Scott continued, “I hope every person who steps foot in one of our shows feels seen, feels part of this moment that we’ll never forget and knows they are welcome. Let’s sing. Let’s laugh. Let’s let the light in.”
The tour was initially pushed so Kelley could begin his sobriety journey. During the group’s April 14 show at the Ryman, Kelley received a standing ovation for his performance of “As Far As You Could,” a song he released several months ago addressing his journey to recovery after publicly revealing that he was entering treatment for his addiction in 2022.
During the Request Line Tour, Lady A will play voicemail song requests from fans, who are in attendance, then perform the requested tracks, whether it’s a deep cut, cover or other song within their catalog. Recent fan requests included “Bartender,” from a fan who traveled from Australia to see them live and “Hurt,” from another fan who lost their partner to ALS.
“The stories we’ve heard and read through the requests are the reason we do what we do,” said Dave Haywood of the requests. “We’ve been deeply touched.”
The 21-stop tour will continue across the U.S. before wrapping up in Washington, D.C. on October 28.
(Photo: Dove Shore / Courtesy of GreenRoom PR
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