Lzzy Hale is gearing up for what might be one of the most unexpected pairings of the year — Halestorm supporting Babymetal on a North American run kicking off September 2 in Denver and wrapping October 1 in Phoenix †. Speaking on Full Metal Jackie’s Whiplash show on 95.5 KLOS, Hale made it clear she’s pumped about the “off center” vibe of the tour, and it’s not just hype — Halestorm has been fans of the Japanese metal phenomenon for over a decade †. After grinding through a relentless schedule from May through Christmas last year, the band is keeping momentum with Download festival in the UK and their first-ever acoustic European dates with guitarist Joe Hottinger before the Babymetal trek †.
Meanwhile, Hale proved once again she’s everywhere at once, jumping onstage with Daughtry at Sonic Temple in Columbus on May 15 to tear through Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” *. The duo had already nailed a studio version of the cover back in January 2023 — exactly 40 years after the original dropped — inspired by Chris Daughtry binge-watching Stranger Things with his wife and realizing the song needed the full rock treatment *. Hale knocked out her vocal parts in Nashville in about an hour, which tracks for someone who’s been collaborating with Daughtry since they first met in 2008 when Halestorm was cutting its self-titled debut and Daughtry was working on Leave This Town *.
With Halestorm’s sixth album Everest still fresh from its August release via Atlantic — produced by Dave Cobb after three records with Nick Raskulinecz — Hale and company are riding high †. The Grammy-winning frontwoman (Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012 for “Love Bites (So Do I)”) and Gibson’s first female brand ambassador continues to prove she’s one of the hardest-working voices in rock, whether she’s duetting on Alice in Chains’ “Man In The Box” acoustically or prepping to share stages with one of metal’s most polarizing acts *†.