With the Double Decker Arts Festival right around the corner, both Oxford visitors and locals are in for an exciting showcase of artists taking the North Lamar stage. Among the impressive list of performers is country trio Chapel Hart. Members of the group include sisters Danica and Devynn Hart, as well as their cousin Trea Swindle.
Originating from Poplarville, Miss., Chapel Hart went from small town Mississippi to national television when they competed on season 17 of “America’s Got Talent.” The group received the glorified golden buzzer in their audition and went on to place within the top five. They are currently preparingto release their third album, “Glory Days,” on May 19.
“I always tell people when the artist gets excited to tell you about the project that they have going on, it is usually the project that they have put their heart and soul into,” Danica Hart said. “The ‘Glory Days’ is a snapshot into the last year of our lives– the moments that God has put here and the journey of this last year is what the ‘Glory Days’ album is.”
The “Glory Days” are being expressed on the road, as well. The band is midway through its Glory Days Tour, and Oxford’s Double Decker Arts Festival is the next stop of the tour.
However, for one member of the band, Oxford is a familiar place. Swindle attended the University of Mississippi beginning in the summer of 2008..
Recently, Chapel Hart was invited to sing the national anthem at an Ole Miss football game. This was an opportunity that the trio all expressed excitement for. Likewise, the group is thrilled to be performing at the Double Decker Arts Festival this weekend.
“Whenever the opportunity arose to do the Double Decker Festival, we were all excited, because anytime we get to come and perform in Mississippi, we know that it’s gonna be a great show,” Swindle said.
Chapel Hart revealed that they met fellow Double Decker Arts Festival performer, Ashley McBryde, at the 2023 Country Music Television Awards. The women of Chapel Hart recalled the story almost verbatim in a moment of adoration for their fellow country music superstar. Two years previous, Chapel Hart was an official member of the 2021 Class of CMT’s Next Women of Country.
Despite the hard touring, the ladies of Chapel Hart spoke in harmony while discussing how thankful they are for having each other over the course of their travels. They decided that despite the sadness of missing home, they find comfort in bringing a little piece of it with them through one another.
“For me to have these two knuckleheads with me, I don’t know that I could handle this on my own,” Devynn Hart said. “It’s easy to get homesick and miss things that are going on back home, but I have a piece of family with me. They get on my nerves most of the time, but I, at least, have my family with me.”
Chapel Hart will take the main stage on North Lamar at the Double Decker Arts Festival this Friday, April 28 at 7:45 p.m., in direct support for headliner Ashley McBryde.
