Lady A’sCharles Kelleyis opening up abouthis sobriety journeyin the lyrics of an emotional new song.
Kelley, 41, shared a demo of a song called “As Far as You Could” to Instagram on Tuesday, which he wrote with bandmateDave Haywoodand Jimmy Robbins.
The lyrics to the song chronicle Kelley’s struggles with alcohol, from the way he depended upon it to be able to perform, to how it gave him “courage” the night hemet his wife, Cassie.
“You helped me make her laugh/‘Til you helped me make her cry,” he sings. “You started out a friend/Turned into something else.”
The song concludes with an apparent victory over his addiction, as Kelley sings: “‘Cause you took me high/You put up a good fight/But look who’s standing now/Had to almost lose it all before I understood.”
Cassie, whom Kelley married in 2009 and with whom he shares son Ward, 6, celebrated her husband’s new song in an Instagram Story.
“Really proud of how hard this man works daily on his recovery,” she wrote. “There has been no greater gift for our family than his sobriety.”
Cassie Kelley/Instagram
“So overwhelmed and happy I shared it. Feel like this is leading me to more honest songwriting in the future 🙌,” he wrote.
In August, Lady A announced that they’d bepostponing their upcoming tourto 2023 so that Kelley could get sober.
Charles Kelley.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
“Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make,” the group wrote in a statement. “We are a band, but more importantly… we’re family. We’re proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety.”
Days later, thecountry star thanked his supportersin a message shared on Instagram that said he was “grateful for this time to focus on my family and my health.”
“I want to thank everyone who has shown me so much support and encouragement so far on my journey of sobriety,” he captioned the post. “Y’alls kind words have meant the world to me and really lifted me up over the past few weeks.”
The musician continued, “I can’t wait to get back on the road with Lady A next year. Getting on that stage and being able to see, hear and feel everything through a clearer lens is going to be a gift that I won’t take for granted.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
