Trae: “We grew up in Harts Chapel, outside of Poplarville, MS. We played in the woods and fished until dark. We raced down hills in homemade go-karts, broken buggies, or anything with wheels. Our granddad was a mechanic. There were always a couple of abandoned cars or buses around—we converted those into clubhouses. Danica and Devynn are my cousins. We are a big family. Our grandma had 17 children; we have 108 cousins.” 

Danica: “Trae was an adventurous child. Always pushing the limits and crossing the line. I caught many whoopings from hanging out with her. I talked a lot but always knew when to pull it back.” 

Trae: “How do you know where the line is if you don’t cross it now and then?”

Devynn: “I was shy and played it safe. I am a rule follower and would have been devastated by getting into trouble.”

Danica: “Our first jobs were in fast food. Trae worked at Hardee’s. Devynn and I worked at Ward’s. I would be covered in grease and sliding all over the floor, but I greeted everyone with a smile and treated them with respect. I get excited by good service. If a waitress is kind, I will give her my whole wallet.” 

Trae: “We grew up singing in church. Danica and I moved to New Orleans at 23 and 24 and started busking against brick walls. We sang everything from Elton John to Johnny Cash. Roberta Flack to Metallica and Elvis. It sounds like a hot mess, but it all came together. Singing on the street in New Orleans is the most honest crowd we could have. There were people from all over the world heading somewhere else. Some would stop for a song or two and stay for hours. We knew something was happening, we just didn’t know what it was.

Devynn joined us, and we named the band Chapel Hart. Just as we started taking our music into the world, the world shut down because of the pandemic. We went on Facebook asking people to Venmo us for a song, just trying to stay afloat.”

Danica: “We were on America’s Got Talent in 2022. We knew things would pick up after AGT. But we didn’t realize the magnitude or what we would accomplish in a short amount of time. It has been life-changing. We forget that we have become famous: we are meeting some of our idols, and they know who we are. 

God has the most poetic way of guiding us through this journey. We also fuss and fight like cats and dogs with the filters out. You ain’t on pitch. Girl, you sucked. We are figuring out talking through problems and forgiving each other. Everyone wants to heal and wants community; we learned that from growing up in Mississippi. Poplarville has some strikes against: it’s history and the negative image South Mississippi has carried through the years. But it’s hard to heal when you only hold someone to the past. At some point we have to shake hands, acknowledge what happened, and keep going. We focus on moving forward with positive music about loving and healing.” 

Trae: “Mississippi is usually thought of as the lowest and the worst. But some of the best music has always come from Mississippi artists; it’s because of the hard times and struggles. The three of us are upbeat most of the time. But we go through the same highs and lows as everyone else—our music taps into this. The songs may not be bright and pretty, but they are real; our fans appreciate that. We couldn’t have imagined that so many people love us as much as they do.”

Dannica: “It’s interesting to see our fans at the shows. There are always husbands who don’t want to be there and look miserable. But they often tell us after the show they were glad they came and that the world needs our message. Young people say they want to live in a world that’s the Chapel Hart show. These are our reminders that we are on the right path.”

Trae: “We started We Win Wednesday: the three of us and our fans share what we are grateful for on our Facebook page. Friendships are created in the comments between fans. Music is the common ground that builds this community.”

Devynn: “We love our unhealthy relationship with our fans. The boundaries are non-existent.” 

Trae: “We take the time to get to know our fans, production crews, security, and people working our events. That’s the Mississippi in us, but it surprises people. The more of these encounters we have, the more we see how important the work is.”

Dannica: “Our music career is our ministry. As we were building our team, I ran into a little disagreement with our booking agent. I told him we aren’t here for the music industry. We write music for the people who buy tickets to our shows. There are real people out here who need healing. Many things we do and places we play may not make the most financial sense, but this isn’t about us. This is everything about where God sends us. We’re on a mission to spread kindness like wildfire. That’s how we’re running our career.”