Chapel Hart is going in a new direction, revealing in a livestream on Facebook over the weekend that the trio will no longer be “competing in the industry.” The group, composed of sisters Danica Hart and Devynn Hart and cousin Trea Swindle, shared that they are stepping away from the country music game and focusing on themselves and their fans, a decision solidified after they attended the CMA Awards earlier this month.
Speak Out On Music Industry Struggles
“We’ve been trying so hard to make it in the music business, to break into the music industry. As many of you know, we’re still independent, and still doing it out here on our own,” Danica told fans. “We’re trying our very best to keep up with those who are in the music industry, and on a record label. And in a way, I feel like we’ve done pretty well because our names are in conversations.”
Chapel Hart walked the red carpet at the CMA Awards and attended the show, and Danica shared that while “every single person” in the country music industry at the show “knew who Chapel Hart was,” the trio was disheartened because despite that recognition, they are still independent artists.
“We went to the CMAs the other night, and in the room that only industry people have access to,” she said. “Every single person knew who Chapel Hart was. Exciting news for us, but also sad news, because for us that means everyone knows who we are, and we still don’t have a record deal, we still don’t have a publishing deal, we still don’t have sponsorships, and we’re still out here busting our tails. We’ve been on the road this year more than we ever have.”
Trying To Break Into The Industry For Nearly 10 Years
Chapel Hart has been a trio for nine years, traveling from Mississippi to Nashville to try to make it big in country music. The group had a breakout year in 2022, appearing on Season 17 of America’s Got Talent and debuting at the Grand Ole Opry. They received praise from Dolly Parton for their song “You Can Have Him Jolene,” collaborated with Darius Rucker on his latest album, and were requested by Loretta Lynn before her death to write the song “Welcome to Fist City.”
Despite those accolades, Chapel Hart wasn’t seeing the success they were looking for, and Danica explained that another potential roadblock was the fact that while Chapel Hart has been getting booked at 1,200-1,500 capacity venues, they only drew around 400 people to their show.
“Ultimately, it stops you from being added on to other things because they say you can’t sell tickets,” she said, though those lack of sales could be attributed to the decision to go after larger venues rather than the group’s popularity and talent.
Making Music On Their Own Terms
“We’re just so tired of trying to compete in an industry that is just making no effort,” Danica explained. “This is to serve notice that we are no longer competing in the industry … We’re so busy trying to keep up in an industry who isn’t even acknowledging us when we could be doing the things that really make our heart happy.”
She added that Chapel Heart is “not here to play fame. We’re not here to get famous. We’re here to serve the people. We’re here to write the songs that makes you feel good from the inside out.”
“We’re deciding to stand 30 toes down… We got to get back to our original commitment,” she concluded. “We were here for the people. We were here for our fans … We’re just gonna open the doors. We started to make people happy, to write music that people love, to watch people grow, to grow with our fans.”
