Little Big Town Reflect on Message of Empowering New Single, 'The Daughters'

Little Big Town performed their new single, "The Daughters," during Sunday night's ACM Awards ceremony. The song, which says, "Girl don't be weak and don't be strong / Say what you want just as long / As you nod your head with your lipstick on / And pose like a trophy on a shelf / And dream for everyone but not yourself / I've heard of God the Son and God the Father / I'm just looking for a God for the daughters," is the opposite of some of the songs that are currently dominating the charts right now – which is exactly why the quartet wanted to record it.

"We've always tried to let the best song win when it comes to what we cut and what we choose to share with the world," Jimi Westbrook told CMT. "This song has always felt special to us, and it's important for us to stand behind that, and the story it tells. Of course, we would love for country radio to play it and embrace it the same way we've seen our fans react to it."

Kimberly Schlapman, who shares 11-year-old Daisy and Dolly, 2, with her husband Stephen, found "The Daughters" more important because of her own children.

"It's incredibly important to me that my daughters know and believe that whatever they dream up is possible," Schlapman said. "I want them to feel empowered, supported, confident and free to achieve whatever their passions might be. This song represents all of that."

Karen Fairchild hopes "The Daughters" highlights some of the struggles women, regardless of their occupation, face.

"This song is about the laundry list of expectations and long-standing traditions put on women," she said. "It's about equality. It's about hope for our children and what their view of the world will be. It's not about a lack of believing in God or God's love for girls."

Fairchild and Westbrook share a 9-year-old son, Elijah, who is unfortunately aware of the prejudices women face.

"My hope for Elijah is that throughout his life, he continues to see no race, no religion, no gender, no color the way he does right now," Fairchild maintained. "He asked me a few weeks ago why we haven't had a woman president. And I said, 'I just don't know buddy … but I think it's coming."

"The Daughters" is from an upcoming, still-untitled new album. Download the single on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jeff Kravitz