They caught Dolly Parton’s attention. Did Chapel Hart make it to the finals of this ‘America’s Got Talent’ spinoff?
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Chapel Hart, a country music trio out of Mississippi, immediately became fan favorites when they auditioned for “America’s Got Talent.”
Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart, and their cousin, Trea Swindle, auditioned for the show in 2022 with their original song “You Can Have Him, Jolene” — a sequel of sorts to the 1973 Dolly Parton classic “Jolene” — and it caught the attention of the “AGT” judges, the audience and Parton herself.
The group found success with performing original music throughout their run on “AGT,” ultimately making it to the finals. But due to a combination of nerves and emotions, the Chapel Hart singers fell flat in their performance of the original song “American Pride” and came short of winning Season 17.
The group recently returned to the “AGT” franchise to compete in the spinoff “Fantasy League,” where each of the show’s four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel — draft a dream team that consists of 10 acts from “Got Talent” franchises over the years.
Chapel Hart wound up on Cowell’s team, and to the singers’ surprise, Cowell directed them to pick up where they left on “AGT,” taking the “Fantasy League” stage with a performance of “American Pride.” The moment advanced them to the semifinals, but the group was eliminated following their semifinal performance on Feb. 5.
Here’s a look back at Chapel Hart’s past performances with the “AGT” franchise.
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The trio had some doubts about performing “American Pride” on the “AGT” stage again — especially when they associated the song with their elimination from the competition in 2022.
But you wouldn’t have known that from their “Fantasy League” debut, which had all four judges and the audience on their feet.
“I could just tell how much you want this, and the energy coming off that stage — everybody got out of their seats, and that’s saying something,” Mel B said.
Klum called the group one of her personal favorite acts. And Cowell couldn’t stop smiling.
“This tonight was about redemption, and you know what?” he said. “You absolutely nailed it.”
This time around, “American Pride” pushed the group forward in the competition, sending them to the semifinals. Chapel Hart competed in the semifinal round on Feb. 5, bringing to the stage a performance of the group’s original song, “This Girl Likes Fords.”
“You, in my opinion, are the real deal,” Cowell said, praising the trio’s songwriting abilities. “I think you’ve got better and better and better. This is so important to them, and I really think they deserve this shot to get in the final. I genuinely do.”
But ultimately, the voting fell to the audience, and Chapel Hart fell short of making it to the finale.
The finale, featuring the top 10 acts, airs Feb. 12. “Fantasy League” will award the winner a $250,000 grand prize on Feb. 19.
A look back at Chapel Hart’s ‘AGT’ audition
On YouTube, Chapel Hart’s audition has 11 million views — and earned some praise from country legend Parton.
”What a fun new take on my song!” she shared on Twitter at the time, per NBC.com. “Carl’s (Parton’s husband) birthday is today, so I think I’ll hang on to him, and I’m not notifying Jolene that today is his birthday.”
Going into “AGT,” Chapel Hart had already released two independent albums and five singles, but remain unsigned, per the Deseret News. In 2021, the band was inducted into CMT’s Next Women of Country, which has helped female country artists like Kelsea Ballerini and Gabby Barrett, according to its website.
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But during their audition, the singers, who are Black, shared how they have struggled to break into the country music industry.
“It’s been kind of hard,” Danica Hart said through tears. “Country music doesn’t always look like us.”
“You’ve just got to break down that door,” Cowell responded. “And you may have just broken down the door with that performance — trust me.”
