House Resolution 2

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING CHAPEL HART UPON THEIR SUCCESS ON AMERICA'S GOT TALENT AND THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER, AND EXTENDING BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS IN ALL THEIR FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

WHEREAS, Chapel Hart, an American country music vocal group from Poplarville, Mississippi, is an unstoppable family trio comprised of sisters, Danica and Devynn Hart, and their cousin, Trea Swindle, inspired by some of the greatest female country vocalists to ever perform, including Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, and since receiving the Golden Buzzer during the 17th season of America's Got Talent, they have been taking the country music world by storm with their unforgettable harmonies and one-of-a-kind songs; and

WHEREAS, the group is immensely talented and has independently released two studio albums and seven singles, but before they became Chapel Hart, sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle began gracing pedestrians with their beautiful voices in 2014 when the three started performing cover songs on the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, and eventually writing their own original numbers; and

WHEREAS, Danica and Trea began recording in 2016 under the name Hyperphlyy, and released the EP Made for Me and then released the album Out the Mud in 2019, which featured Devynn, and was credited as Hyperphlyy; and

WHEREAS, after releasing their albums, the trio were promoted from busking and began to perform at music festivals around Louisiana, and in Innsbruck, Austria, and they renamed themselves Chapel Hart after the small community they grew up in called Hart's Chapel, which was named after the Hart family; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, Chapel Hart, whose music and original songs are truly unparalleled, was discovered by their current record producer and manager, Jeff Glixman, and in that same year, they recorded a standalone single titled "Jesus & Alcohol", which featured ZZ Top member Billy Gibbons on guitar, and sang background vocals on LeRoux's album One of Those Days; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, the group also shot a music video for "Jesus & Alcohol", in which Gibbons played the role of a pastor and T. Graham Brown and Deborah Allen also made cameos in the video, which aired on CMT after its release; and

WHEREAS, 2021 was even more successful for the unbelievably gifted group, as 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, and the group also recorded its second single, "I Will Follow"; and

WHEREAS, "I Will Follow" was written by Jennifer Hanson with Savannah Keyes and Nick Brophy, the latter of whom co-produced it with Jeff Glixman, and Chapel Hart created a music video for the song, in which Jackyl frontman, Jesse James Dupree, made a cameo appearance, and much to their fans delight, the video officially began airing on CMT on February 5, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Chapel Hart's second single received high praise from everyone in the country music world, including Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe, who rated the song "A" while praising the group members' singing voices and favorably comparing the arrangement to the works of SHeDAISY and The Chicks; and

WHEREAS, in March 2021, Chapel Hart, who has been hugely inspired by their favorite singer, Dolly Parton, released their third single and video, "You Can Have Him Jolene", a strong and creative answer song to Dolly Parton's "Jolene"; and

WHEREAS, Chapel Hart announced their second studio album, titled The Girls Are Back in Town in July 2021, and another single and video, "Made for Me", followed in 2022, and they had planned to tour with the Indigo Girls in mid-2022, but unfortunately had to cancel this tour when that duo's member, Emily Saliers, was diagnosed with COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, during this time, agents for the NBC's America's Got Talent contacted members of the group to come on the show and showcase their talent for the whole world to see, and while they initially rejected the offer, they ultimately agreed to appear on the show after being contacted by the same agent a number of times; and

WHEREAS, during their audition episode on the show's 17th season, which aired July 19, Chapel Hart brilliantly performed one of their original numbers, "You Can Have Him Jolene", which brought the crowd to their feet as they danced and clapped along with the beat of the song, and after they wowed the audience with a show-stopping performance, the judges rewarded them with a standing ovation and nothing but high praise, and for the second time in the show's history, a group Golden Buzzer was bestowed upon them by the four judges and host, a truly momentous honor; and

WHEREAS, the Golden Buzzer 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", and once they reached the finals, they performed a cover of Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" with Darius Rucker, and finished the competition in fifth place; and

WHEREAS, on their journey to world domination, Chapel Hart received an invitation to make their debut on the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2022, where they sang their own "You Can Have Him Jolene", and they are also featured on Darius Rucker's late-2022 single "Ol' Church Hymn"; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and commend excellence when demonstrated through the remarkable talent of Mississippi's native sons and daughters, especially those such as Danica and Devynn Hart and Trea Swindle of Chapel Hart, whose masterful, passionate voices and joyful demeanors have brought renowned national acclaim upon themselves as well as the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Chapel Hart upon their success on America's Got Talent and throughout their career, and extend best wishes for continued success in all their future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Danica and Devynn Hart and Trea Swindle of Chapel Hart and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.