The Shires’ My Universe sets new record for British country

It was only last year that Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, better known as The Shires, made UK chart history as the first British country music act to have an album enter the top ten.
Their friends, Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas, fared significantly better with their sophomore album, Cartwheels. Released last month, it became the first album by a British country act to top the UK chart.
The Shires are back now with their second album, My Universe. Although a debut placing at number three has not matched the chart-topping triumph of Ward Thomas, more first week sales were registered for My Universe than Cartwheels giving Ben and Crissie the honour of having the fastest-selling album by a British country act.
“It’s not about Ward Thomas or ourselves selling more records than the other,” remarked Ben, 29. “It’s about bringing British country music to the attention of mainstream fans. The success of Taylor Swift and some other American stars made country music cool in Britain. But it was important to spread the word about British country artists and having people listen to their songs.”
Ben and Crissie have only been together since 2013. Earlier that year, Crissie had appeared on X Factor but was eliminated before the live shows. Ben had suffered a similar fate in 2012. They joined forces after Ben posted a message on his Facebook page asking for a country singer to partner with him.
“I wanted to form a country music duo,” he explained. “I’d only really discovered country music about a year earlier when I heard an album by the American trio Lady Antebellum. Before that, I’d been a solo performer and a struggling songwriter trying to get artists to use my work. But I fell so much in love with country music that I didn’t just want to write country songs, I also wanted to perform them.”
“I was always a country music fan,” said Crissie, 28. “I performed songs by female artists such as Dolly Parton and Martina McBride in pubs, clubs, at weddings or anywhere that I could get a gig. I was just another of the many singers who perform around their local area always hoping to somehow break into the music industry. Answering Ben’s Facebook message changed my life.”
The musical chemistry between them was immediately obvious. They had played barely half a dozen shows before signing with Decca Records in Britain. The Shires also became the first British country act to sign with a major American label when they secured a deal with Universal Music Group Nashville.
The songs on their debut album, Brave, were recorded in Nashville. Ben wrote or co-wrote each track.
“I really enjoyed the collaborations, particularly the songs I wrote with Crissie. But it was also great to work with people like Twinnie-Lee Moore, Dan McDougall, Chris Young and the Play Productions songwriting and producing team of Tobias Lundgren, Tim Larsson and Johan Fransson.”
The Shires also benefitted from having Nashville’s A-list session musicians perform on Brave. The same was true for My Universe. This time though, Ben and Crissie felt more confident about asking for the exact sound they wanted.
“We were in awe of these amazing musicians,” Crissie admitted. “We didn’t know if we would sell any records and these guys were so experienced that we happily took whatever they gave us. After the success of Brave, we felt like we could ask the musicians to play as we wanted but the requests were made very politely.”
The new album also features high profile songwriting collaborations. But there are two tracks which are particularly personal to Ben and Crissie. Both concern their fathers.
“My dad was never there,” Ben reflected. “Our song, Everything You Never Gave, is about my absent father and how different things will be for my son.
“River was born just hours before we played the Glastonbury Festival. We were on stage and I found myself crying with the emotion of becoming a dad. I looked over at Crissie and she was crying too. She knew how much it meant and was so happy for me.”
“I co-wrote Daddy’s Little Girl with Jeff Cohen, Victoria Banks and Livy Jeanne Richardson,” Crissie explained. “They all had their dads in their lives. I didn’t tell them my dad had died when I was eight.
“It’s such a personal song, a tribute to my dad and a memory of how special he made me feel. There are tears in the audience when we perform it so I guess dads and daughters can really relate to the song.”
Their fans definitely relate to Ben and Crissie’s music. The Shires began playing to a handful of people in a pub. They now perform to thousands and have graced the stage of Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry.
“That was an amazing experience,” Ben remarked. “But the really exciting thing is being part of the rise in British country music. When Crissie and I met, it almost felt like we were the only country fans in Britain. It’s a very different story now.”

in brief
Drake
Canadian superstar Drake has broken a record previously held by the late Michael Jackson.
The man born Aubrey Drake Graham has received 13 nominations in the 2016 American Music Awards. This beats the record of 11 nominations in a single year achieved by Michael Jackson in 1984 thanks largely to the enormous popularity of his Thriller album.
Drake has not yet won even one AMA despite multiple nominations throughout his career. But with so many nominations this year, he must surely add some American Music Awards to his trophy collection.
The winners in each category will be determined by the votes of music fans. Despite being the American Music Awards, fans outside the US are eligible to vote but can only do so via Twitter. The full list of nominees is at www.theamas.com/nominees/2016-nominees/
Click on ‘How to vote’ if you wish to take part.
In other Drake news, it will surprise few people to learn his on-off romance with Rihanna appears to be off again. The couple have dated and then gone their separate ways since 2009. But when Drake publicly voiced his love for Ri-Ri at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, it seemed like a permanent relationship might be on the cards.
This possibility has apparently ended, or at least been put on hold again. Drake was spotted at a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game with model India Love. Ironically, India’s ex-boyfriend, Cliff Dixon, was rumoured to have cheated on her with Rihanna.

Alicia Keys
It is four years since R&B star Alicia Keys released her last album, Girl on Fire. A new song, In Common, was issued back in May. It did not make the Hot 100 but topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The video is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HazJhPnrB8
That song did not receive much promotion but the publicity machine is at full blast now. Alicia has announced November 4 as the release date for her sixth studio album, Here. It has been preceded by the single, Blended Family (What You Do For Love). Also featuring rapper ASAP Rocky, the track can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWACsH1f2So
Her forthcoming album was promoted with an open-air concert in New York’s Times Square. In addition to performing a mix of new and some old songs, Alicia took the opportunity to denounce Republican US Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Her political views are hardly surprising. She performed at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia after a speech by disgraced ex-president Bill Clinton and before a video appearance by Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Alicia’s Times Square concert, along with her political comments, will be aired by America’s Black Entertainment Television on November 3, five days before the presidential election.

Grimes/Hana
Art-pop star Grimes has created seven new song videos. Four are for her own tracks, Butterfly, World Princess Part II, Scream and Belly of the Beat, while the other three are for songs by her best friend Hana Pestle, who now records as HANA.
The videos can be viewed individually or as a 38-minute feature, “The AC!D Reign Chronicles.” The latter also includes a fair amount of bonus material.
The complete package, plus Grimes’ own videos, can be found at www.youtube.com/user/Grimezsz/videos
HANA’s videos for Avalanche, Chimera and Underwater can be seen individually at www.youtube.com/user/hanapestle/videos