"Very grateful": Chris Daughtry & Lzzy Hale reflect on success of Journey cover

Dogtree Records

Chris Daughtry is "very grateful" for the success of his cover of Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" with Halestorm's Lzzy Hale.

"We never could have imagined it would take off the way it has," Daughtry tells Billboard.

Since its premiere in January, which coincided with the 40th anniversary of the original single's release in 1983, Daughtry and Hale's cover has hit the top 25 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and is closing in on 900,000 views on YouTube.

"Any time you touch a classic such as [this one by] Journey, there's always a chance you're going to get raked over the coals," Daughtry says. "I'm very grateful that hasn't happened."

For Hale's part, she was down for the cover for a variety of reasons, including that it's her "go-to karaoke song."

"I was really excited to finally do it, because I've been singing that song in one way or another since I was 12," Hale says. "My mother is a huge Steve Perry fan. She had a huge crush on him when I was growing up, so there was always a Journey album playing in the house."

In addition to linking up with Daughtry, Hale has a few other collaborations in the works.

"All I can say is one is a legendary rock group that has asked me to do amazing things on top of a track," Hale reveals. "I'm very grateful to be a wanted lady, but people are probably going to [get] sick of me before the year's out. 'Lzzy again? Seriously?'"

Monday, February 13, 2023 at 3:00PM by Josh Johnson Permalink