‘Discovering Lucy Angel’ Cast & Exec Producer Dish on What to Expect From the Reality Show
Country music fans will get a inside look at the path to stardom on Jan. 13 with the premiere of Discovering Lucy Angel. The 13-episode series will chronicle the story of the Anderton family, better known as Lucy Angel.
615 Spotlight: Lucy Angel Has Fame in Reach
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The series captures the ups and downs of the family’s lives as they make a name for themselves in country music and highlights the endearing group while on the road and at their family home in Franklin, Tenn.
The cast includes daughters Lindsay and Emily; their mother Kate Anderton (who comprise Lucy Angel); along with father and band manager Doug (aka G-Man); sons Fletcher and Jake; hit songwriter Anthony Smith; Anthony and Lindsay’s daughter McCartney; and the family’s two beloved dogs, Faith and Hope.
Discovering Lucy Angel premieres Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. eastern on AXS TV.
Lucy Angel has been at their craft for several years now. In fact, in the fall of 2011, the trio was the very first act featured in the weekly 615 Spotlight on Billboard.com.
Billboard had the chance to chat with the talented trio, as well as J.T. Taylor, who serves as executive producer of the series, about what fans can expect. The premiere date coincides with the release of their current single “Crazy Too,” as well as their full-length self-titled debut, which will be available digitally on Jan. 13, and at Walmart and Target locations throughout the U.S. on Jan. 27.
Billboard: You’ve been working on this series for quite a while now. How does it feel to see the finished product?
Kate Anderton: It’s been such a long time since we started meeting with the production companies to get to this point. The idea that it’s about to air is very surreal. We keep having to pinch ourselves. We are so excited with the timing of the show airing at the same time our single is going to be hitting radio, and the album will be hitting stores.
During the filming of Discovering Lucy Angel, the cameras followed the mother-daughter trio very extensively. How did that make them feel?
Emily Anderton: I don’t know if this is good or bad, but after the first day of filming, we all felt the same way — is it strange that this just feels really natural to have the cameras here? Actually, I think there was a lot of comfort in the fact that we’re all in this together. The family is so close, and we work together and spend so much time together. It just gave us the comfort of being in it together. You really did just get lost in the moment. It seems weird, but you forgot that the cameras were there and they were really able to capture the Anderton family in what a day in our life looks like. They were as discreet as you can be with a camera around. The only time I felt it was a little awkward is if there were just two people in the scene — which most of the time, there was so much chaos and so much going on. But if there was just two, you could feel that camera closing in as if it was a more intimate conversation.
In what ways did the creative process of the show differ from what you might have expected?
Lindsay Anderton: The very first day we started filming, I thought it was interesting — never having been involved in a reality show before — we knew the producer and had met with him several times. I thought we would show up on the set, and meet everyone. It wasn’t like that at all. We walked out there, and literally someone you’ve never met before was putting a mic down your shirt and then you’re walking into a room with two cameras. I don’t know why I thought there would be more of an introduction, but that was interesting to me.
After screening the show, did it showcase the family like you hoped?
Emily Anderton: With four days of footage, who knows how many stories they could have told. We felt like after seeing a couple of episodes, that they told the story that we would have. It’s a good representation of our family and what Lucy Angel is and what we’re trying to do from launching the single and recording the album. It could have all gone south in the editing, but they were really brilliant to piece everything together. I hope that people appreciate the honesty of the show.
How did the Anderton family come to your attention?
J.T. Taylor: One of my VPs came to me and said, “There’s a family in Nashville that you might want to check out.” He showed me some tape on them and I thought it was worth going to meet them. Sometimes it’s challenging to make a show about an unknown quantity, but the thing I thought was so great about them was the musical talent they have, and how they’ve been going down this road for the last ten years. I think a few people had tried to do something with them before, but it never got to the point that we did. When I heard their harmonies, that was when we thought it was worth taking a gamble on.
You follow the family through a lot of events and emotions. How does Discovering Lucy Angel transcend music?
Taylor: It’s the story of a family. Regardless of what they do for a living, the family dynamics are something I love. The fact that they are all working together toward this one goal is endearing, and there’s also a lot of comedy that can be had from that. Everyone is playing their part, and there are squabbles over some of the decisions, and to me, that’s where the entertainment comes from.
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