Chapel Hart | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chapel Hart performing at theWildhorse Saloon on June 7, 2023. (L-R: Trea Swindle, Danica Hart, Devynn Hart) | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Hyperphlyy |
| Origin | Poplarville, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | JT3D, Origins |
| Members | Danica Hart Devynn Hart Trea Swindle |
| Website | chapelhart |
Chapel Hart, originally known asHyperphlyy, is an Americancountry music vocal group fromPoplarville, Mississippi. The group consists of sisters Danica Hart and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle, all three of whom are vocalists. Chapel Hart has independently released four studio albums and eleven singles. In July 2022, they competed in theseventeenth season ofAmerica's Got Talent, where they finished fifth. Their performance of "You Can Have Him Jolene", ananswer song toDolly Parton's "Jolene", was the second time in the series' history that all four judges awarded a competitor the Golden Buzzer. The group's music is defined by their vocal harmony and influence from other female country acts.
Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart grew up inPoplarville, Mississippi. They began singing together in 2014 with their cousin Trea Swindle,busking by performingcover songs on the streets ofNew Orleans.[1][2] Eventually, they began writing original songs as well.[3] Danica Hart and Swindle recorded anextended play titledMade for Me in 2016 under the name Hyperphlyy.[1] Then in 2019, they and Devynn released an album titledOut the Mud also under the name Hyperphlyy.[1] The trio also performed at music festivals inInnsbruck,Austria, as well as Louisiana.[4] They renamed themselves Chapel Hart, taking the name from a church in their hometown.[5]
Chapel Hart performed tribute shows to female country acts at Scoreboard Bar & Grill inNashville, Tennessee, but were initially unsuccessful in securing a recording contract.[5] In 2020, they were discovered by record producerJeff Glixman, who began serving as their manager and producer.[1][6] The same year, they released a single titled "Jesus & Alcohol", which featuredZZ Top memberBilly Gibbons on guitar; he also appeared in the song'smusic video, playing the role of a pastor.[7]T. Graham Brown andDeborah Allen also make cameos in the video, which aired onCMT after its release.[8] Additionally, Chapel Hart sangbackground vocals onLeRoux's albumOne of Those Days in 2020.[9]
CMT selected Chapel Hart as one of several artists for the 2021 installment of their "Next Women of Country" campaign,[10] an annual promotion of new and upcoming female country music artists.[11] The same year, Chapel Hart released their next single, "I Will Follow". A music video was produced for the song, which aired on CMT, withJackyl lead singerJesse James Dupree making acameo appearance in it.[12]Jennifer Hanson wrote the song with Savannah Keyes andNick Brophy, the latter of whom co-produced it with Glixman. The corresponding music video began airing on CMT on February 5, 2021.[13] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the song "A", praising the group members' singing voices while comparing the arrangement favorably to the works ofSHeDAISY andthe Chicks.[14] A third single and video, "You Can Have Him Jolene", followed in March 2021. The song was inspired byDolly Parton's "Jolene".[15][16]
In July 2021, the group announced a second studio album, titledThe Girls Are Back in Town. "I Will Follow" and "You Can Have Him Jolene" both appeared on the album.[17] Glixman also produced this album. Lorie Hollabaugh ofMusicRow stated of the album, "Every song on the 12-track project centers around the universal theme of celebrating and empowering women in country music while reminding listeners that love, harmony, diversity, and unity can co-exist in our present world."[16] Another single and video, "Made for Me", followed in 2022.[18]
Chapel Hart had planned to tour with theIndigo Girls in mid-2022, but canceled this tour when one of the members of the duo was diagnosed withCOVID-19.[19] During this time, an agent for theNBC talent showAmerica's Got Talent contacted members of the group. According toTaste of Country, the group initially turned down the agent's offer, but changed their mind after the same agent contacted them several more times.[19] On the audition episode airing July 19 (during the show's17th season), they performed "You Can Have Him Jolene".[20] All four judges awarded the group the Golden Buzzer, the second time in the show's history that this was done. Doing so allowed Chapel Hart to advance immediately to the next round of competition,[21][22][23] eventually earning a spot in the finals after performing their original song "The Girls Are Back in Town".[24] Chapel Hart advanced to the finals, where they performed a cover ofBonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" withDarius Rucker. They were eliminated from the fifth-place position after performing another original song, "American Pride".[25]
Chapel Hart received an invitation to make their debut on theGrand Ole Opry on September 17, 2022.[26] They were also featured on Darius Rucker's late-2022 single "Ol' Church Hymn".[27] In late October 2022, Danica Hart underwent vocal cord surgery, requiring a period of vocal rest.[28] Once Danica recovered, the trio released a new single titled "Glory Days" in January 2023, which they co-wrote withJim Beavers. In a multi-person review from Country Universe, Jonathan Keefe and Zackary Kephart both spoke favorably of the song's story about struggling musicians and praised the vocal harmony, comparing the song's sound favorably to country music of the 1990s, while Coyne was less favorable towards the lyrics and lead vocal.[29]
Another single for the group in 2023 was "Welcome to Fist City", an answer song toLoretta Lynn's 1968 single "Fist City". Prior to her death in 2022, Lynn had asked the trio to write the song.[30] Chapel Hart also announced a series of tour dates for 2023.[30] "Welcome to Fist City" and "Glory Days" were included on the group's third studio album also titledGlory Days, released in May 2023.[31] The trio promoted the album through a concert tour, including a performance at theCMA Music Festival.[32] Holly Smith of the website Holler Country praised the album's vocal harmonies and called the album "jubilant".[33]
Chapel Hart returned to theAmerica's Got Talent spin-offAmerica's Got Talent: Fantasy League in January 2024, where they performed "American Pride". This performance coincided the release of a new single titled "2033".[34] In 2024, the group signed to Origins Records to release their first Christmas album,Hartfelt Family Christmas. The album includes collaborations with Darius Rucker,the Isaacs,Vince Gill, and T. Graham Brown.[35] The trio made their debut in California during the2025 Rose Parade,[36] and will also make their first appearance at Jazz Fest in New Orleans on April 25.[37] The trio also released a new single in 2025 titled "Perfect for Me".[38]
In 2020, Danica told theHouston Chronicle that she was influenced by albums fromGeorge Strait andKenny Rogers. She and Devynn have also citedGretchen Wilson as a primary musical influence.[7] Joey Guerra of theHouston 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 ofEtta James, while also finding influences of a "classicgirl group" sound on other songs.[7] Later in 2020, Swindle toldAmerican Songwriter 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 [country music]. It was how we grew up and who we are."[6] Jessica Nicholson ofBillboard wrote of the group's style that it "blends tightly-woven, family harmonies with straight-from-the-heart lyrics".[32] Devynn also said that the positive reception from theirAmerica's Got Talent performance of "You Can Have Him Jolene", which all three members of the trio wrote, inspired the trio to write more songs onGlory Days.[32]AllMusic writerStephen Thomas Erlewine describes Chapel Hart as "a spirited country music harmony group" and "steeped in tradition but ha[ving] a smart, knowing modern sensibility".[1]
| Chapel Hart discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 4 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Singles | 11 |
| Music videos | 6 |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Out the Mud[a] |
|
| The Girls Are Back in Town |
|
| Glory Days |
|
| Hartfelt Family Christmas |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Made for Me[b] |
|
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Digital | |||
| "Just Say I Love You" | 2019 | — | The Girls Are Back in Town |
| "Jesus & Alcohol" | 2020 | — | |
| "I Will Follow" | 2021 | — | |
| "You Can Have Him Jolene" | 4 | ||
| "Grown Ass Woman" (Mickie James with Chapel Hart)[40] | — | ||
| "The Girls Are Back in Town" | 21[41] | ||
| "Made for Me"[42] | 2022 | — | — |
| "Ol' Church Hymn" (Darius Rucker with Chapel Hart) | — | Carolyn's Boy | |
| "Glory Days" | 2023 | — | Glory Days |
| "Welcome to Fist City" | — | ||
| "2033" | 2024 | — | TBA |
| "Perfect for Me" | 2025 | — |
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Whenever Forever" | 2020 | — |
| "Country Paradise" | ||
| "Jesus & Alcohol" | David Abbott[43] | |
| "I Will Follow" | 2021 | Nick Barrett Media[44] |
| "You Can Have Him Jolene" | David Abbott[15] | |
| "Made for Me" | 2022 | Edward Miller[18] |