WHO’S NEXT FOR KING AND COUNTRY

HOMETOWN: Sydney, Australia INFLUENCES: U2, OneRepublic, Tears for Fears ALBUM: Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., out now WEBSITE: forkingandcountry.com

DUO FOR KING AND COUNTRY MAY ALREADY HAVE TWO Grammys, including one for Best Contemporary Christian Album for their sophomore set Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., but brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone are still striving for mainstream success. Born in Australia, the Smallbones moved to Nashville as boys when sister Rebecca St. James landed a recording contract that led the whole family—including four other siblings—to hit the road. “We became the Australian version of the von Trapp family,” says Joel, 31, with a laugh. “We toured together on and off for a decade.” Eventually Joel and Luke, 27, splintered off to form their own band. “We write music about the human experience, plain and simple,” says Joel. “Some of the songs are spiritually inclined. Some are romantic. Others are about ISSUE #43struggle. We want to include everyone—and the beauty of music is MMUSICMAG.COM that it has the ability to bypass the head and go straight to the heart.”

WHITNEY ROSE HOMETOWN: Prince Edward Island, Canada INFLUENCES: , Patsy Cline, ALBUM: Heartbreaker of the Year, out now WEBSITE: whitneyrosemusic.com

ALTHOUGH SHE’S ONLY 29, SINGER IS AN OLD Jen Squires soul when it comes to her musical infl uences. She grew up on a diet of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and even —crediting her love of classic country to time spent as a child in her grandparents’ bar. Although she only started writing and performing fi ve years ago, Rose quickly honed her sound—what she calls “vintage pop-infused neo-traditional country”—and attracted the attention of when she opened for them. Lead singer produced her sophomore release Heartbreaker of the Year, which includes two cover songs. “The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ is one of my favorite pop songs, and Hank Williams’ ‘There’s a Tear in My Beer’ is one of my favorite country songs,” she says. “I included them to help listeners understand that Heartbreaker is the marriage of my love of those two genres.”

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ISSUE #43 M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE

MARCH/APRIL 2011 M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE