This week Lady Antebellum released their brand-new single “Downtown,” a funky song that takes the group’s sound in a fresh new direction. It’s the first taste of the music they’ve been working on for their new album, which is due later this spring.

It turns out, though, that “Downtown” was almost recorded by another country superstar.

“It was one of those songs that we heard and fell in love with and then found out that someone else had that song on hold,” says Hillary Scott in an interview with the morning show team at Detroit’s WYCD. “That someone was actually a girl by the name of Miranda Lambert, who I consider a good friend.”

But Miranda, it turns out, didn’t stand in the group’s way.

“She very very selflessly said ‘let Lady A have it,’ so we owe her a huge thank you.”

“She really went above and beyond, and that’s what you find in our amazing genre of country music. That the artists really do love each other and support one another.”

Listen to the full Hillary Scott interview on WYCD

Now if the tables had been turned, and it was Miranda who was asking about one of Lady’s A’s song–say “Need You Now”–would the band have given it to her? “You know what? Probably so,” says Hillary, “because we did not know what we had, until we cut it.”

Written by Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, and Natalie Hemby, “Downtown” is the first single from Lady A’s upcoming fourth album, which according to Hillary is coming this spring. “We don’t have an official date yet, but we’re really excited.”

- Kurt Wolff, Radio.com