America’s Got Talent Group Golden Buzzer: Chapel Hart Are Country Stars With a Clever Spin On Jolene
Episode 7 of America’s Got Talent auditions continued as a variety of strong acts took the stage. The aerial/acrobat field is starting to become crowded as well as a super exciting and strong singing field. Tonight only added to both of those fields, and one of those standouts was a spunky country girl group.
That girl group is called Chapel Hart, hailing from Poplarville, Mississippi, but now based in New Orleans, Louisiana where they have been busking since 2014. The trio explains that their group is named after the community they grew up in, Harts Chapel. Two sisters and a first cousin make up the trio. Simon tells them that he loved 90s girls bands, which the group is excited to bring that back, along with “world domination.” Danica is the group’s lead singer. Her co-members happily admit that she’s the diva.
High energy, big vocals
They perform an original song, which is a spin on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” called “You Can Have Him Jolene.” The high energy is infectious from the start, and is big vocally for an uptempo number. Danica has a rich deep country voice. The harmonies are what stand out for the group as their blending is on point. I don’t love the song, as the melody seems a bit simplistic to me. But the group is a lot of fun, and it’s obvious they have drive and could succeed in some form in Nashville.
The audience as well as the judges give them a standing ovation. Simon Cowell exclaims, “Oh my God” as the crowd chants, “GOLDEN BUZZER!”. Simon says he “needed them today,” calling the performance “fantastic” and the choreography “brilliant.” He wonders if they group has been trying to get a record deal. Yes, they answer, they have been trying the past few years to break into Nashville. But, it’s been difficult as “country music doesn’t always look like us.” Simon believes they may have “broken down that door with that performance.” Howie Mandel loved everything, calling them “the original” in country music. Heidi Klum describes their joy as “infectious.” Sofia Vergara says “everything was perfect.” Simon tells them he would give them a golden buzzer if he hadn’t used it, and Heidi agrees. The crowd chants once again for the panel to give it to them.
The judges and Terry Cruise smash that Golden Buzzer as the crowd roars
Simon has an idea. Host Terry Crews joins the panel, and they give a collective golden buzzer to the country girl group as Dolly’s “Here I Am” plays. Chapel Hart and their infectious energy are moving on to the Live Shows.
The group is being honest when they say they haven’t truly broken down that Nashville door as it appears they still live in New Orleans and are independent. They have released two independent studio albums and five singles, but they haven’t had great streaming numbers just yet. As far as recognition is concerned, the group is one of the hottest unsigned acts. For instance, CMT selected them as one of the network’s 2021 “Next Women of Country” artists. Simon is right when he said AGT may be enough for them to break down that door as they are on the verge, and exposure from the show will only get them more recognition.
The overall standouts of Episode 7 including Chapel Hart were acrobats Amoukanama, singer-songwriter Amanda Mammana, and aerialist Svitlana Rohozhyna. An honorable mention goes to the intriguing acapella soundtrack-inspired singing group, Maytree.
