Chapel Hart is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

vocal group from

Poplarville, Mississippi Poplarville is a city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,894. It is the county seat of Pearl River County. It hosts an annual Blueberry Jubilee, which includes rides, craft vendors ...

. Its members are sisters Danica Hart and Devynn Hart, and their cousin Trea Swindle, all three of whom are vocalists. The group has independently released two studio albums and seven singles. In July 2022, they competed in the seventeenth season of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribu ...

'', where they finished fifth.

Music career

Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart began singing together in 2014 with their cousin Trea Swindle. The three started

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pra ...

by performing

cover songs In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

on the streets of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and eventually writing original songs as well. Danica Hart and Swindle began recording in 2016 under the name Hyperphlyy, and released the EP ''Made for Me'' (2016). They released the album ''Out the Mud'' in 2019, which featured Devynn, and was credited as Hyperphlyy. The trio also performed at music festivals around Louisiana, and in Innsbruck,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. They renamed themselves Chapel Hart, taking the name from a church in their hometown. In 2020, they were discovered by record producer

Jeff Glixman Jeff Glixman is an American record producer. He has produced, audio mixing (recorded music), mixed or remastered artists such as Kansas (band), Kansas, Magnum (band), Magnum, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen, The Georgia Satellites and Black Sabbath. C ...

, who is their manager and producer. This was followed by a standalone single titled "Jesus & Alcohol" in 2020, which featured

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature so ...

member

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, '' Flas ...

on guitar. They also shot a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for the song, in which Gibbons plays the role of a pastor.

T. Graham Brown Anthony Graham Brown (born October 30, 1954), known professionally as T. Graham Brown, is an American country music singer. Active since 1973, Brown has recorded a total of thirteen studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ...

and

Deborah Allen Deborah Allen (born Deborah Lynn Thurmond on September 30, 1953) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Since 1976, Allen has issued 12 albums and charted 14 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart. She recorded the 1 ...

also make cameos in the video, which aired on CMT after its release. Additionally, they sang

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

on LeRoux's album ''One of Those Days'' in 2020. CMT selected Chapel Hart as one of several artists for their 2021 "Next Women of Country" campaign, which promotes new and upcoming female country music artists. This was followed in 2021 by the group's second single, "I Will Follow". A music video was produced for the song, which aired on CMT, with

Jackyl Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me ...

frontman

Jesse James Dupree Jesse James Dupree (born Jesse Dupree; September 22, 1962) is an American musician, television personality, and businessman. He is the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter in the rock band Jackyl, founded in 1991. As a solo performer ...

making a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in it.

Jennifer Hanson Jennifer Kathleen Hanson (born August 10, 1973) is an American country music artist, songwriter and record producer. She made her artist debut in 2002 with the release of her single “ Beautiful Goodbye”. The song went on to become a top 20 hi ...

wrote the song with Savannah Keyes and

Nick Brophy Nick Brophy is an American mixer, sound engineer, record producer and songwriter. The artists he has collaborated with and written for include Jason Aldean, the Rolling Stones, Avril Lavigne, Hootie & the Blowfish, Kenny Chesney, Carly Simon, Tay ...

, the latter of whom co-produced it with Glixman. The corresponding music video began airing on CMT on February 5, 2021. Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the song "A", praising the group members' singing voices while comparing the arrangement favorably to the works of

SHeDAISY SHeDAISY () was an American country music vocal group from Magna, Utah. The group consisted of sisters Kristyn Robyn Osborn (born August 24, 1970), Kelsi Marie Osborn (born November 21, 1974), and Kassidy Lorraine Osborn (born October 30, 1976). ...

and

The Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and ...

. A third single and video, " You Can Have Him Jolene", followed in March 2021. The song is an

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer so ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

's " Jolene". In July 2021, the group announced a second studio album, titled ''The Girls Are Back in Town''. Glixman also produced this album. Another single and video, "Made for Me", followed in 2022. Chapel Hart had planned to tour with the

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

in mid-2022, but canceled this tour when that duo's member

Emily Saliers Emily Ann Saliers (born July 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the musical duo Indigo Girls. Saliers sings soprano and plays lead guitar as well as banjo, piano, mandolin, ukulele, bouzouki and many other instruments. Ea ...

was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. During this time, agents for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

talent show ''

'' contacted members of the group. Danica told the blog

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

that Chapel Hart initially turned down the offer, but ultimately agreed to appear on the show after being contacted by the same agent a number of times. On the audition episode airing July 19 (during the show's 17th season), they performed "You Can Have Him Jolene". For the second time in the show's history, a group Golden Buzzer was granted to them by the four judges and host. This allowed Chapel Hart to advance to the next round of competition, eventually earning a spot in the finals after performing their original song "The Girls Are Back in Town". Chapel Hart advanced to the finals, where they performed a cover of

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporate ...

's " Something to Talk About" with

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

. They were eliminated from the fifth-place position. Chapel Hart received an invitation to make their debut on the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...

on September 17, 2022. They are also featured on Darius Rucker's late-2022 single "Ol' Church Hymn". In late October 2022, Danica Hart underwent vocal cord surgery, requiring a period of vocal rest.

Musical influences and style

In 2020, Danica told the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' that she was influenced by albums from

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited fo ...

and

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

. She and Devynn have also cited

Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' country charts. The son ...

as a primary musical influence. Joey Guerra of the ''Houston Chronicle'' noted that Chapel Hart's sound is heavily reliant on their use of vocal harmony. He also found Danica's voice comparable to that of

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, ...

, while also finding influences of a "classic

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

" sound on other songs. Later in 2020, Swindle told ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwr ...

'' that she was aware of the unusual choice for an African American act to record country music, telling the publication: "You don’t really choose ountry music It was how we grew up and who we are."

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

Notes

References

{{America's Got Talent African-American country musicians African-American musical groups America's Got Talent contestants Country music groups from Mississippi Family musical groups Vocal trios 2014 establishments in Mississippi Musical groups established in 2014