Brett Young Admits New Single ‘Lady’ Is ‘Difficult to Sing on Stage’

On Friday, Brett Young released his newest single, “Lady,” a touching tribute to his wife, Taylor, and a sweet message to their daughter, Presley, who was born in October. Speaking to PEOPLE about the personal track, Young admitted that “Lady” is difficult for him to play live because of how meaningful it is to him. “It’s difficult to sing on stage,” he said. “I have to almost go blank on purpose and not think about the words, because if I do, it’s hard to get through.”

Young began performing “Lady” on his The Chapters Tour earlier this year, though he wasn’t sure he would ever officially release the song. “I thought it was just a gift for my wife and daughter,” he said, but when producer Dan Huff gave him a finished version as a baby gift, he realized that “maybe people need to hear this.” “Lady” begins with a recording of Presley’s heartbeat that her parents took during an ultrasound appointment, and Young joked that his daughter “was a little musician before she knew it.”

“Our doctor said, ‘Okay, you probably want to get your phone out and take a video of this because you’re about to hear a heartbeat for the first time,’” he recalled. “And so I videoed it probably a good minute and a half. And of course my wife and I are talking and crying through the whole thing. Luckily, there was a long enough snippet in there where we were quiet, and it was just the heartbeat.”

Young wrote the song with Ross Copperman and Jon Nite in July and immediately sent a demo to Taylor as he was driving home from the session. “And of course I couldn’t wait, so I sent it to her and of course I missed the part where she was apparently sobbing and weeping listening to it,” he said adding that they both got emotional when Young arrived home and they listened to the song together for the first time. “Actually,” he added, “I think she would agree that she probably still gets teared up every time she hears it.”

“I hope you look just like your mama and love her like I do / You’ll see close to perfect patience if you watch her every move,” Young sings in the song’s chorus. “You can always run to daddy, you’ll always be my baby / But look at her, baby girl, and you’ll learn how to be a lady.” As for what it means to be a “Lady,” Young was the first to admit that isn’t his area of expertise. “Well, that’s the whole point,” he laughed. “I have no idea! I’m so grateful that I’m not the one having to teach that.”