"Freestyle" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

trio Lady Antebellum. It was written Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Shane McAnally, and co-produced by Nathan Chapman. The song served as the second single for the trio's sixth studio album, ''

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'' and was released on October 20, 2014, and it features lead vocals from Kelley.

Background and composition

During the group's 2014 tour, Charles Kelley told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'', "Songs like 'Freestyle'" was a departure for them but "it's been proven to us over the past couple of years — is that when we do take chances, the fans have responded really well."

Critical reception

Giving it a "C+", Bob Paxman of '' Country Weekly'' praised the song's "catchy" production, but felt that Lady Antebellum was "nearly unrecognizable" due to the rapid-fire lyric delivery. He also criticized the lyrics for having "buzzwords and imagery" that were "scattered".

Music video

The music video for "Freestyle" was released in October 2014 and comedian and dancer Nathan Barnatt appears in the video. Part of the video was filmed at the Gramercy Theatre in

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Synopsis

Barnatt plays his alter ego "Keith Apicary", who is determined to meet Lady Antebellum in person. After falling short of meeting them, he comes up with a way to get past security by putting on a cowboy hat and a Lady Antebellum T-shirt. He eventually meets his goal when Charles (Kelley) invites him backstage where he meets the band.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2014 singles Lady A songs Capitol Records Nashville singles Songs written by Dave Haywood Songs written by Charles Kelley Songs written by Hillary Scott Songs written by Shane McAnally Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer) 2014 songs