LANCO Frontman Brandon Lancaster Is Enjoying 'Time at Home Learning How to Be a Parent' to Baby Elora

Brandon Lancaster is still learning the ropes of fatherhood.

The LANCO frontman and wife Tiffany welcomed their first child, daughter Elora Ivelle, in September, and the musician admits to PEOPLE exclusively that they're still adjusting to the new addition in their life.

"Man, it's such a wild ride. It's been good just having this time at home and learning how to be parents together," he says. "A big thing couples talk about is the sleepless nights, but we've been able to do different shifts where I can help throughout the night and she can do early mornings."

Lancaster reveals that despite the constant stress, being parents of a newborn has made their marriage stronger.

"Marriage ultimately is a team game and you really need both people," he explains. "There's nothing that makes your team stronger than when you have to both be teammates and communicate. Once there's a kid it's like, okay, we have to communicate, we have to be open, we have to talk, we have to help each other through this."

"That's ultimately the heart of marriage, and I don't know how you can raise a kid without that," he adds.

Now he's sharing these tips with his bandmates. LANCO bassist Chandler Baldwin and drummer Tripp Howell revealed in November that they are both expecting their first children.

"Our due dates are only a couple weeks apart, so it's been nice to have close friends to navigate all of this with," Baldwin told PEOPLE at the time.

Lancaster can't help but laugh discussing the LANCO baby boom, saying it isn't something the group planned.

"It's funny because we definitely didn't have a conversation about it," he says. "But I don't think anyone would deny where we're at in life right now is probably a good time. What's going on right now lined right up with that stage of life that we're in, you know, everyone's been married for a few years and already talked about that next step."

"And then there's been a lot of time at home follow through on that," he jokes. "I don't think it's been a conscious decision, but it's just worked out that way."

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Getting the jump start on fatherhood has given the singer-songwriter an opportunity to impart a bit of wisdom on what the others can expect when they bring their newborns home.

"I have said to the guys, be willing to help your wife. Be very present and just communicate," Lancaster says. "One thing I've definitely learned is don't just sit around and expect she's going to be like, 'Hey, will you get the bottle? And will you pick up that thing?' Always be asking, 'What can I do?' Because she'll always need help."

"Being that support system is really what your wife needs, what your child needs," he adds.

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Lancaster has already begun incorporating these lessons into the band's new music. Their latest single, "Near Mrs.," looks back at the steps it takes to find 'the one' and being as grateful for the journey as the destination, no matter how challenging it may have been.

"We recorded the song over a year ago, but it still seems very relevant considering the past year everyone's had," he admits. "Having a lot of time at home and time with my wife and welcoming a baby girl into the world — you look back and realize that you're happy where you are now and that even those mishaps when things didn't go the way you planned ended up leading you to where you are, and being thankful for that."

Despite the song running through numerous past relationships, Lancaster said his wife didn't have worries about the subject matter.

"When you're married to a songwriter, you hear all kinds of songs and some of it is steeped in fantasy and some of it is steeped in reality," he says about his process. "My wife is very good at looking at the heart of the song and knowing that as a songwriter, there's different ways you paint that landscape. We've been together so long, she also knows my specific writing style and she appreciated the heart of the song and the journey that I was taking the listener on."

The "Greatest Love Story" singer says he's never recorded a song without playing it for Tiffany first, using her as the perfect sounding board.

"She's honest with songs and so I learned years ago to not take anything personally," he says. "I can tell right away if she's feeling it or not. One thing I do with her is I will play it once and then I won't play it again. I'll wait until I have my guitar out and see if she starts requesting a song, like she remembers a song and requests one that stood out to her."

Being cooped up at home has helped Lancaster enjoy playing music for fun instead of just when he's on the road or in the studio. "I'm giving little concerts in our house and I have a sold-out audience every time," he jokes.

And while he doesn't want to force music on baby Elora, he can't help but play songs for his latest fan.

"I'll be watching her and I'll bring her into my studio and just play the piano and write and play guitar," he says. "And she'll just sit there and kind of listen and watch."

"It's funny. I'll sit her there and I'll sing to her and she really does smile and engage and look at you, and she enjoys it," he says. "We found even playing music in the house what she prefers. A pop song or a country song will come on and she'll just be in a good mood. But then a real heavy, intense song comes on and she'll start freaking out and getting hyper and it'll turn into fussiness. You can already see music impacting her little brain as she's digesting it and figuring it out."

"I'll be playing notes, a certain chord or a song and if she likes one, she'll just smile and laugh," he adds. "Other times I'll play stuff and she'll just stare at me, and it's like, 'Oh, okay, you don't like that chord.' Now I have two people in my audience."


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