MARCH 10, 2017 EW.COM 37SWEET [When we got her email]
I was thinking, “Please let it be
good. Please let it be good.”
[Everyone laughs.] We all fell in
love with the melody.
SCHLAPMAN It’s the first
time she’s pitched a song to
another artist.
WESTBROOK We’ve known her
since she was knee-high to
a grasshopper.
FAIRCHILD We used to hang
out in the dressing room with her
at the CMA Awards and play
videogames.
SCHLAPMAN She wrote her high
school paper about us!
FAIRCHILD It was a paper about
perseverance, how to keep
going. It was pretty cool.3
R
OUNDWater and crispy
shrimp hors d’oeuvres
for everyoneWas there a song you would say
just wrote itself?
FAIRCHILD “Don’t Die Young.”
We’d just lost Jimi’s sister to
cancer, and I had come back to
Nashville to get together with
the girls who wrote “Girl Crush.”
It was therapeutic to be in the
room and talk about it. Lori
McKenna said she had this title,Speaking of which, have
you ever visited that college
choir camp where you gals
first met before deciding
to form a band? Whatischoir
camp, anyway?
SCHLAPMANIt was an a cappella
choir. I got a scholarship. Karen
was a year ahead of me in college.
I was a freshman.
FAIRCHILD Did you have to
say that?
SCHLAPMANShe was a year
behind me. I was three years older.
[Laughs] I’m really not. On the
way to choir camp we were sitting
back-to-back. We found out we
were both from Georgia. We knew
the same guy that broke my
heart. That started our friendship.
FAIRCHILD She’s more like
my sister. She knows what I want
to be buried in: my black Tom
Ford dress, my beautiful fringe
leather coat, and all the hair exten-
sions in Nashville.
SCHLAPMANI’ll make it happen.
I’ll also make sure she has false
eyelashes. This is how close
we are.
FAIRCHILD For a while, we
synced up.
SWEET Their moon cycles
corresponded to one another.
WESTBROOK There’s your scoop!
SWEET It’s hard to find firsts
with this band, but that’s one
right there.
WESTBROOK Are we on the
fourth round or what?
FAIRCHILDI’m totally sober.
It’s the dang truth. It’s three
rounds and the truth.X“Don’t Die Young, Don’t Get Old.”
That’s what we would say to
each other on Panama Beach
during spring break.Is there a song onBreakeryou’re
afraid will be overlooked?
FAIRCHILD I hope “Beat Up
Bible” isn’t. It’s a beautiful, heart-
felt sentiment about faith and
family. We sang it the other night
at the San Antonio Rodeo, and
people literally cheered halfway
through. It rings true for people
right now. They just want to feel
some peace. [Looks at Sweet]
You got all teary-eyed!
SWEET Stop it.
FAIRCHILD A band that cries
together stays together.Sweet,
Schlapman,
Fairchild, and
Westbrook(PHOTO SHOOT) MAKEUP: KARAN MITCHELL/KOH GEN DO AND BEAUTY BLENDER/EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS; HAIR: RICHARD COLLINS/TRACEY MATTINGLY