Lady Antebellum Will Perform National Anthem At 2016 Kentucky Derby, Summer Tour To Follow

Lady Antebellum has landed a brand new gig. It has been confirmed that the country trio will be singing the national anthem at the 142^nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7. They will take their place in the winner’s circle around 5 p.m. ET, just prior to the running of the race. Their big moment is expected to be broadcast on NBC.

According to Taste of Country, the announcement was made in a special press release by President of Churchill Downs Racetrack, Kevin Flanery. He explained how special it will be to have the threesome of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood take part in the annual festivities.

“As an internationally-recognized musical group, Lady Antebellum is the perfect fit to uphold the Derby’s traditions and we are thrilled for them to perform our national anthem for the millions of Derby viewers and fans around the world.”

Get your hats ready: @ladyantebellum to sing at the #KentuckyDerby! https://t.co/lPi7inMa84 pic.twitter.com/csCsPWNxKA

— USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) April 14, 2016

Churchill Downs will be coming alive next month with plenty of yummy mint juleps, a vast array of gorgeous hats, and of course, exciting horse racing. It is definitely the place to be.

The members of Lady Antebellum had been taking a break these last few months to work on some solo projects and to spend some time with their families. The announcement came last summer that they decided to take a breather from the band. They had been so busy for years putting out new music and touring that they felt like a short hiatus would do them some good. Many of their fans went into a panic thinking that this could very well be the end of Lady Antebellum, but they had assured their fans that they would be back soon with new music and another tour. They also mentioned that the time off was in no way a reflection on their relationships with each other at all, just merely a break.

Since then, Charles Kelley has released his own solo album called The Driver. He is also doing some shows at smaller venues for his solo tour. If that wasn’t enough, the 34-year-old singer and his wife, Cassie, welcomed their first child into the world in February, a baby boy named Ward Charles Kelley.

Meanwhile, Hillary Scott has been working on a gospel music project with her family and spending some quality time with her daughter, Eisele. Dave Haywood’s son, Cash, has been seeing a lot more of his daddy as well.

The country stars are excited to be singing the national anthem at a prestigious event like the Kentucky Derby. In an exclusive interview with USA Today, Dave Haywood said that they are honored to be asked to perform and they are going to enjoy the moment.

“It is always an honor to be asked to sing the national anthem, but kicking things off at something as iconic as the Kentucky Derby is pretty cool. There’s so much history and ceremony to it, and people wait all year for not only the races, but all the festivities and parties that go on that weekend.”

As much as Lady Antebellum have enjoyed their time off, they will be coming back together not only for the performance at the Kentucky Derby, but the seven-time Grammy winning trio will be heading out on their 2016 summer tour beginning on May 27.

Pumped to see you this summer! Grab your tickets, sign up for Meet & Greets to hang with us! https://t.co/XL03zMsIEX pic.twitter.com/0eBGGV94a2

— Lady A (@ladya) April 7, 2016

It sounds like the short break from the band has been a good thing. Haywood mentioned that it gave them an opportunity to see what they could do on their own and ultimately gave them a fresh perspective to their upcoming music. It sounds like the break did them a lot of good. Now, they are ready to get back to what they do best as a group. It also sounds like Lady Antebellum may be putting together some new music later this year.

Are you excited to have Charles, Hillary, and Dave back together?

[Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Lady Antebellum]