'Tis the season of giving back (to fans) for Little Big Town; Q&A with Kimberly Schlapman

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

@joshuamaloni

In Little Big Town’s 25^th anniversary year, the country music hitmakers took a page from fast-food restaurants, movie theaters and the Mars company in offering combos: Delicious, value-driven, delightfully indulgent pairings sure to satisfy both new and especially tried and true fans.

2024 has featured:

•An unexpected mashup with Sugarland for an anthemic recreation of Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home.”

•A team-up with Kelsea Ballerini and Miranda Lambert to put a new spin on “Shut Up Train” and “Little White Church” for a greatest hits album.

•A grouping with Dan + Shay, Sheryl Crow, Kirk Franklin, Josh Groban, Kate Hudson and Orville Peck for “Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry.” The holiday variety special taped earlier this month at the iconic Nashville theater and airs Dec. 16 on NBC.

•A Christmas album, putting new songs together with classic favorites including “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Someday at Christmas.”

•A mega tour with fellow Grammy Award-winners Sugarland, which began Thursday in South Carolina, and travels to KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 2. Not since McDonald’s put a Big Mac with fries, or the movie theater paired popcorn and soda, or Mars filled a pretzel with cheese, has there been a more anticipated amalgamation.

Little Big Town and Sugarland (Photo credit: Becky Fluke // courtesy of KeyBank Center Public Relations)

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The show will feature an impressive array of hit songs, courtesy of Little Big Town – Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook – and the duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. These two groups are responsible for more than a dozen singles that went top 10 or better, including “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone” “Pontoon,” “Better Man” and “Girl Crush,” and “All I Want to Do,” “Stuck Like Glue,” “Babe,” “Baby Girl” and “Stay.”

“It's because of (the fans) that we're even able to do this, and we want to make sure that they just have an awesome time,” Schlapman said.

She shared more in this edited Q&A from a Wednesday phone interview.

Q: The tour starts tomorrow. What are your thoughts and emotions today? Do you still get butterflies?

Kimberly Schlapman: Oh, my goodness. Yesterday, for the first time, we got to see all the content for the screens and everything for the show, and it was absolutely so emotional. This is the biggest production we've ever done – and that was exciting in itself – but then when we saw it all come together, it was absolutely an emotional moment. The four of us stood out and watched it together for the first time. And when things like that happen, it's like almost your life flashes before your eyes, but it's like our career flashed before our eyes, and the 25 years that we've been doing this – every moment, from the very beginning to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows – all of that just came together yesterday as we watched this biggest tour we've ever done kind of come together.

Little Big Town, "Greatest Hits" (Image courtesy of Universal Music Canada)

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Q: It sounds awesome, from a visual standpoint. From a musical standpoint, like you said, you've got quite a catalog of songs. You just released your greatest hits earlier this year. What can you tell me about the show, musically, and what went into the song selection?

Kimberly Schlapman: Oh, the song selection was so hard (laughs), because, with all the songs that we have sung over the years, most important, we want the fans’ favorites and all the hits, of course; we wouldn't do shows without that. But also, the true fans’ favorites – that the song, maybe it wasn't a hit, but the fans really latched onto it. There's a lot of songs like that.

I would say it's a journey. And if you've been a fan of ours the whole ride, then you will think back on the past. And I remember when we played for 25 people at a venue when we started out. And so, I think the song selection will take people on a ride, and just through the years.

It mostly stays very celebratory. We take it down a couple of times and get a little nostalgic. But, for the most part, it's just a really fun celebration of all the 25 years – and we just want to celebrate with the fans. We want them to be a part of the show, and we want them to sing every word, and just have as much fun as we know we're going to have.

It's because of them that we're even able to do this, and we want to make sure that they just have an awesome time.

Sugarland (Photo credit: Joseph Llanes // courtesy of Big Machine Label Group)

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Q: Of course, you're on the road with Sugarland. I could be mistaken, but I think country music was the first genre to really offer these “mega shows,” and I think it's the best in pairing headline acts. For fans, and for your band, what makes a show like this one so special, from a collaborative standpoint?

Kimberly Schlapman: Well, we started touring with Sugarland when my 17-year-old was just a few months old. So, 17 years ago, we first toured together; and then I think we did, like, three tours with them over the years, where they were headliners and we opened up for them.

We just always collaborated. We were friends, but we were also bonded in a huge way, musically, because we just love to collaborate, do songs together, and we did songs together every night on all those tours.

And so, when we were thinking about the 25-year anniversary of our band and doing a tour, we were like, “Who could we have on tour with us who has been part of our journey?” And first came to mind Sugarland. And of course, they weren't playing together. They haven't been for a while. And so, we reached out, and we were like, “We have this idea. How would you feel about getting the band back together and coming out and going on tour with us?” And they agreed, and they're excited.

And so, then we chose a song to do together just to kind of introduce the tour, and that was the Phil Collins song, “Take Me Home.” And it just came together just as easy as everything with them has in the past. And then, what better tour name than “Take Me Home”? So that's the name of the tour.

We're just so honored that they said yes, and we're going to be watching them every night before we head out and do our own show.

I'm excited about my 17-year-old, particularly, coming out and being a part of this tour after she was as an infant. You know, it's just full circle, and it's just mind-blowing how much time has passed – and yet, the music will always bring us back together.

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Q: You mentioned all the interesting and creative reasons for why the tour is named what it’s named. You also covered this song, and you've named the tour in its honor. So, in addition to those reasons listed, was there something about this song, in particular, that resonated with you?

Kimberly Schlapman: Well, I'll tell you that when we knew we wanted to do a song together, we were all just brainstorming, throwing out ideas, and everybody was coming up with just incredible ideas. And then Kristian threw out “Take Me Home,” and then when he did that, of course, we all grew up on Phil Collins; we're crazy, big fans of his, and Genesis. And as a matter of fact, our keyboard and guitar player Akil Thompson, his dad, Chester Thompson, was in Phil Collins band, in Genesis, and Akil was on the road with his dad and Phil when he was a little kid.

It's just all of these things make that song even more special to us. And so, when Kristian threw that out, for so many reasons, we were like, “Yes, that's it. That's it. It says what we want it to say.” And we just have so many heartstrings attached to that song that that's the one.

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Q: Buffalo is known for a few things, of course – primarily the fact that we get snow 13 months out of the year, our football team and its Super Bowl losses. But we are actually a surprisingly big country market, and I think the reason for that is because of how participatory our fans are at these country music shows. How much does that impact a band? How much does that factor into where your routing goes and where you want to play, having fans that are so into the music – as opposed to, at a lot of shows nowadays, a lot of people are on their phones and whatnot. Having a good, participatory crowd – how much of a difference does that make for you while you're up on stage?

Kimberly Schlapman: It makes a world of difference. We want to do shows for people, and with people, who are there because of the music; and absolutely it's very methodical the cities that we choose to route. We know Buffalo is a huge country music market. That's where we want to play country music.

We have a girl, her name is Leslie, on our management staff, and all she does is touring and routing. And she is so very methodical about what she presents to us, and then what the routing ends up being.

So, it makes all the difference where the fans are: That's where we're going – where the fans are.

Q: You released a greatest hits collection in the summer, so, you didn't necessarily need to offer additional content this year. We are glad you did. I'm wondering: What made this the right time for "The Christmas Record," and what can you tell me about the songs you selected?

Kimberly Schlapman: We've always, forever, wanted to make a Christmas record, because we're all crazy about Christmas music. I mean, I can hardly wait until mid-November to start playing it at my house and decorating – and then the band feels the same way. We always, Christmas time when we're on the road, we always have music – Christmas music – popping through the backstage area, in the dressing rooms. We just all love Christmas.

And it was always our plan to make a Christmas record. Why did it work out this year? I don't know. I think it's just divine timing, that this is just the perfect way to wrap up our 25th year together.

As far as the song choices go, we wanted the songs, a lot of them, to be identifiable – nostalgic – and songs that everyone knows, and has known forever, and can sing along to. And we also wanted to put some originals on there that we felt really strongly about, that people would identify with, and also wrap their arms around and make them new Christmas anthems for them.

So, it's about half and half. It's about half songs everybody knows the words to. And then it's about half brand-new songs that we wrote, or that were written for us.

We're so proud of it. We worked so hard. We started last Christmas season, recording the record, because our manager – I think it was a brilliant idea – our manager wanted us to do the bulk of it at Christmastime.

You have to turn in a Christmas record by June or July, for the record label. People might not realize that. But it's not like you can start recording in October, a Christmas record, and turn it in, and it be on the shelves. You have to turn it in months and months ahead of time.

So, we started recording, and recorded the bulk of it last fall, and then finished it up after the first of the year.

We decorated the studio every time we went in to work on it. We had Christmas trees up, and garland, and Santa hats, and all the things (laughs), because we wanted to make sure we were in the spirit of the music. We had just a ball. It was a lot of work, but we had an awesome time.

Little Big Town (Photo credit: Blaire Getz Mezibov // courtesy of 2b Entertainment)

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Q: NBC is airing “Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry.” And certainly, while Little Big Town is enjoying a stellar and award-winning career, to do something like this really puts you, I think, in rarefied air. Tell me how this opportunity came about, and what made it a good fit.

Kimberly Schlapman: Well, thank you. You know, our manager is brilliant, and I don't know this for sure, but I'm assuming this was his idea from the start. And, NBC, I honestly don't know if it was our manager or NBC, but the idea came up, and we were pitched it, and we were like, “Oh, my word! First of all, are you kidding me? We're going to have our own Christmas special, and it's going to be at the Opry, and it's going to be on NBC?” It's like, “Holy moly!” It's like, you know, winning a CMA Award or something, when you tell somebody that.

And so, we went to work on putting the show together, and we were really meticulous about what songs. We grew up watching all the variety shows in the ’70s and ’80s that were on TV back then, Sonny & Cher and the Barbara Mandrell show and all that. We have always wanted to do a bit of a variety show. And so, we thought, “Well, this is our chance.”

We started putting the ideas together. We wanted to bring friends in – like those shows, those old variety shows did – bring friends in that we had relationships with, and sing with them, and have them sing their own songs. And we wanted the production to just be over the top, out of this world, “winter wonderland” stunning.

And I'm telling you, when the days came to put it together and to finally record, it did not disappoint – and what NBC offered us, and the production – and then doing it at the Grand Ole Opry is another one of those just little gifts with the most beautiful bow on top that. That was another full-circle moment to us. One of our best moments, most important moments of our career, was being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

And so, to do that – our own Christmas special, at the Grand Ole Opry, in our 25th year, to celebrate our Christmas record we finally made – it's mind-blowing; and we're just so grateful that all of that came together.

We had so much fun doing it. We cannot wait till it airs on TV, and you can put the whole family together around the television, or you're streaming, or whatever you want to do with your family, and it's going to be a fun time for everybody; very heartwarming, a little funny, nostalgic – you know, all the feels.

The “Take Me Home Tour” visits KeyBank Center in Buffalo at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Click HERE for tickets or more information.

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