'Songland': Lady Antebellum Find 'Champagne Night'

Lady Antebellum's new song "Champagne Night" comes courtesy of rising singer-songwriter Madeline Merlo. The Canadian artist was a contestant on Monday night's (April 14) episode of Songland, one of four writers to pitch songs to the country trio and advisors Shane McAnally, Ester Dean and Ryan Tedder.

After one contestant's song, Steven Battey's "Feels Good to Me," was eliminated, Merlo and fellow songwriters Tim Halperin and Ryan Innes worked with McAnally, Tedder and Dean, respectively, to hone their pitched tracks. Merlo's "I'll Drink to That" was retitled "Champagne Night" before being selected by Lady A.

"Raisin' plastic cups to a life of luxury / C'est la vie on a Friday / We get dressed up in a blue-jean tux and we go where we don't hear the highway," Lady Antebellum sing in the chorus of "Champagne Night." "Don't need doubles and bubbles to get in all kinds of trouble out in the country / Don't need need a crystal chandelier to have a real good time / We're drinkin' beer on a champagne night."

In conjunction with the debut of "Champagne Night," Lady Antebellum released a music video for the song that shows the band, Merlo and others goofing off during this time of social distancing.

A native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Merlo was named the Canadian Country Music Association's Rising Star in 2015, and she's notched four Top 15 singles on Canadian country radio. She's signed with Open Road Recordings, a division of Universal Music Group Canada, and co-starred in the 2016 movie Country Crush with Jana Kramer.

"Songland was one of the most incredible and inspiring experiences. The knowledge I obtained throughout is invaluable, and the opportunity to work with such seasoned and decorated songwriters is something I won't ever forget," Merlo says in a press release. "As a young songwriter in this business, I felt so validated and honored by this experience. Lady Antebellum was so kind and gracious to me, and it was incredibly cool to be able to pitch a song to a band that I admire so much.

"I made lifelong friends, grew as a writer," she adds, "all while getting to share my vocals and songwriting abilities on network television."

Songland airs Mondays at 10AM ET. Lady Antebellum's episode marked the premiere of the show's second season.

Check Out Country Music's Best Duets: