Dixie Chicks Admit They’re ‘Definitely Out of Practice’ After Long Break

The Dixie Chicks admit that getting back into the grind of music was harder than they thought.

In an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, the group open up about returning to music after a 14-year hiatus between their upcoming album, Gaslighter, and the previous project, Taking the Long Way, in 2006.

“We’re definitely out of practice," admits Emily Strayer, one-third of the trio. "It’s just as painful as it was to do all the artwork, and we check our own typesetting and we do all of that and it’s a little bit nerve-wracking, and now I’m remembering 15 years ago, the last time we did it.”

The group dropped the new album's title song, "Gaslighter," on Wednesday (March 4), marking their first single in 13 years. The Chicks received a tidal wave of media attention after performing at a show in London in 2003, after Natalie Maines announced their disapproval of former President George W. Bush's decision to send troops into Iraq. She said they were "ashamed" that he was a native of their home state of Texas, leading to a firestorm of backlash against the group.

In 2006, they released the album Taking the Long Way, which went on to win Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Country Album, while its lead single "Not Ready to Make Nice" was named Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.

The group attributes their children as the reason why they have been quiet on the music front since then.

"Well the kids, our nine kids collectively are why we paused for so long," Martie Maguire says. "And, I'm finding out that teenagers are a lot harder than babies. Not any easier."

"Babies pull you off the road, teenagers push you back on," jokes Maines. Strayer adds that the 2016 DCX MMXVI World Tour, their first headlining tour in a decade, is what confirmed their passion for music and inspired them to move forward.

Gaslighter is set for release on May 1. The Dixie Chicks will also tour arenas in 2020, but no dates have yet been announced.

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