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Ward Thomas are the hottest country music band on the scene at the moment. The English twin sisters; Catherine and Lizzy have taken over the genre with their unique British take on the American dominated genre.

The girls have scored a country number 1 hit with their new single ‘Carry You Home’ which is the the first track to be lifted from their upcoming second album ‘Cartwheels’. The album is expected to be  a huge crossover chart success when it’s released on September 2nd.

Their newest release ‘Guilty Flowers’ shows another side to the versatile singers and is proving to be another huge hit.

Here Ward Thomas talk exclusively to Celeb Mix about what fans can expect from their new record and upcoming tour, and the girls also reveal who inspired them to get into country music. Plus much, much more.
Growing up who inspired you to get into music?

We were very inspired by The Dixie Chicks and Johnny Cash. Our parents
were also in a covers band, so watching them perform on stage meant we saw
first-hand how much fun music was.

Being British how did you get into country music?

Our Canadian cousin Libby came to live with us and introduced us to lots of
country music, mainly The Dixie Chicks!

How old were you when you sang live for the first time?

We were probably 11 when we sang live first at a family party!

You record in Nashville a lot, what is like making records on Music Row?
We recorded our first album [From Where We Stand] in Nashville in a few different studios around
town. Music Row is pretty cool! We were recording and next door there was an
engineer mixing Miranda Lambert’s new album so we got a sneak preview!

Do Americans get surprised when you speak in an English accent after
sounding so authentically country?

Very! They always get a shock when we open our mouths and hear British
accents!

Your new album ‘Cartwheels’ is expected to do well on both the country and
pop charts, how does that make you feel?

It’s MAD! We wanted to record ‘Cartwheels’ here in the UK in London because
we wanted to explore developing our sound a bit beyond country. So it
would be amazing if it does well in both charts but we have to wait and see!
We are so excited for everyone to hear it!
Since releasing you debut album ‘From Where We Stand’ you have become one of Britain’s most loved country acts, how excited by the response are you?

We are overwhelmed by the response! We released “From Where We Stand” with
low expectations and the whole experience completely exceeded those
expectations!

How do you think the UK are reacting to country music right now?

The UK are reacting so well! Country music is a much more varied genre 
so it is easy to love some kind of country and not others. We have been much
more exposed to it over here than ever before.

Do you think people like Shania Twain have changed peoples opinions on
the genre?

For sure! The Dixie Chicks also had a great following over here and they
both seemed to pave the way for other acts. When Taylor Swift came over here
she appealed to a younger audience which opened up a whole new attitude to
the genre!

Do you think country will ever be as popular as pop here in the UK?

There is an amazing pop music culture over here and of course it is huge!
But Country Music has produced a lot of cross over acts that appeal to both
audiences so… possibly? But probably country music won’t ever be as big
here as it is in the US.

Your new singles ‘Carry You Home’ and ‘Guilty Flowers’ are both brilliant but very
different to each other, what other flavours can fans expect from the new
LP?

We like to think that the album is quite versatile musically with a few
different influences. We have some songs that are very country and some
that go beyond country, but we always try to be honest in our lyrics and
true to our sound. We feel it’s a transition album and we could say it
includes “Cartwheels of emotions” !

How excited are you about going on tour with the new album later this year?

We cannot wait to tour this new album! When we last toured we played the
song ‘Cartwheels’ in the middle of the set and it was that moment in the set
that we knew where we were going with our sound! We have talked about how
excited we are to tour this new material for months and months!

What can fans expect from you on tour?

The tour will be a set full of ‘Cartwheels’ songs and a few oldies! We will
be doing a few acoustic / stripped back versions of some of the songs as
well!

What is your favourite thing about performing live?

I think the best part is when we are singing a song and we can see people in
the audience singing the words back. That is always a special moment.

When will the video for ‘Guilty Flowers’ be getting released?

Very very soon!! We had a 15 hour day filming in and around London so we are
very excited to release it!

What or who inspired you to write ‘Carry You Home’?

‘Carry You Home’ is a song we wrote with two great friends of ours, Jessica
Sharman and Rebekah Powell, and it’s inspired by being there for a loved
one. We wrote it about each other and all of our friends.

If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?

There are so many and it’s always fun! We recently shared a headline slot
with the Striking Matches and did a song on stage together which was great!
But although we have mentioned them a few times already, the most obvious
answer would be The Dixie Chicks… But we would also LOVE to collaborate
with the stunning Allison Kraus and perhaps some pop acts too!!
Apart from music what other things do you enjoy doing?

We are both great lovers of the outdoors and countryside. In our spare
time we love to go walking or cycling. Catherine is really into her knitting
and baking and Lizzy is great at eating the cakes and wearing the knitted
garments!

What would you like to achieve career wise in the next ten years?

In the next 10 years we want to grow as songwriters and artists. It would
be amazing to record more albums and to have grown musically through those
records. But you never know what the future holds – we can’t assume anything
and of course we hope more people enjoy our music!

Ward Thomas’ new singles ‘Carry You Home‘ and ‘Guilty Flowers‘ are both out now and their upcoming album ‘Cartwheels‘ is available for pre-order.

Tickets for Ward Thomas’ upcoming tour are on sale now.

Make sure you keep up to date with everything Ward Thomas are up to by following them on Twitter @wardthomasmusic and visiting their official website.

What did you think about our exclusive interview with Ward Thomas? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix. 

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