Who is Lucy Angel?
Published on the East Valley Tribune, January 22nd 2015
The stars have aligned for country western sensation Lucy Angel as they step into the spotlight this month. The mother-daughter trio said farewell to Mesa, Arizona over a decade ago and have not looked back. Headlined by mother Kate Anderton, and daughters Lindsay and Emily, the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue their dreams of playing country music.
Now with the simultaneous debut of their album “Crazy Too,” and their reality TV show “Discovering Lucy Angel” on January 13th, these women are ready to share the projects they have poured their hearts and souls into over the last couple of years.
I had the honor of catching up with the talented family over the phone the day before their album and TV show hit the public. Immediately their charm was evident, even on speakerphone. And despite living in the limelight, the ladies were very down to earth.
“We’re actually getting our hair and make up done right now!” They said, all three laughing.
However they multitasked like true music-star professionals, and managed to chat while having their eye shadow applied.
“It doesn’t seem real. It’s been a year and a half that we’ve been working on this record. And it’s pretty exciting that people can get it on iTunes.” Lindsay said.
While originally from the East Valley, Lucy Angel got its official start in Nashville nearly twelve years ago. They decided to make the move so they could pursue their dreams of performing country music. The band hit the ground running and has not looked back. They worked hard writing songs and performing on stages across the world. Opening for various performers such as Jake Owen and Casey James, Lucy Angel has worked tirelessly for their music.
When it comes to who influences them they said that they draw inspiration from everywhere and everyone. They said that they are big fans of all kinds of songwriters. One of their favorite things about living in Nashville is going around all the country venues to hear new performers.
Music has been a part of the family for as long as daughters Emily and Lindsay remember. They grew up listening to and singing with their mom - Kate, who had already done her fair share of stage performances, and was their true inspiration, Lindsay said.
“I grew up listening to my mom sing. And I know that I really learned a lot from her. Especially on stage, she was larger than life!”
With a laugh she told me that Kate had won the Wrangler Country Showdown; and the prize was a Wrangler van.
The daughters said that besides their mother, the band loves the music of Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, and Tammy Wynette. But the women pride themselves on creating a sound all their own.
That exceptional sound is exactly what they wanted to showcase on their album “Crazy Too.” Vocalizations and harmonies are integral to their music, and they said it was important that the album left room for their powerful voices.
Lucy Angel also wanted their album to appeal to a wide audience, and not just to country fans. They were adamant about picking songs that flowed and worked together. The album blends traditional country sounds and modern pop. The band feels that they have achieved that balance while both respecting and pushing the boundaries of the country music genre. They are particularly proud of their single “Crazy Too,” which they said is a throwback to the classic sounds of ‘90s country.
As for the name Lucy Angel, it was a nod to the family’s army roots. Kate Anderton’s father served in World War II, and the ladies were inspired by the names fighter pilots gave to their planes.
“It’s actually a conglomeration of couple names. There were a lot of planes, and we took a couple of names and made up the Lucy Angel name.” Kate said.
And just like those pilots, Lucy Angel has already been around the world. In 2009 they had the distinct honor of performing in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People in China.
“That was such an awesome experience and such an honor. We were invited by the cultural chairman.” Kate said.
The Chinese Minister of Culture was a huge country fan and he had the opportunity to see Lucy Angel at the CMA awards. After hearing their performance he invited them to perform in Beijing.
“That was in November. And then he invited us to China for their New Year’s celebration. And we were actually the first Americans to perform at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square.” Kate said.
Since then all the pieces have been falling into place, like being discovered by realty TV producer JT Taylor (producer of "The Osbornes"). They said that Taylor fell in love with the family right away and saw a story that he wanted to produce. When he heard them sing it was pretty much a done deal. It was a two-year process from the first initial idea until the show’s airdate on AXS-TV, January 13th.
When I asked them if it felt like they had finally hit the “big time,” Emily said:
“It feels like we’ve been doing what we’ve always been doing, which is making music and doing shows; the TV show is new. We couldn’t be more proud of the record and of the TV show. We’re ready for everybody to hear the record and see the show.”
You can download Lucy Angel’s album off of iTunes and on Amazon.com or catch their show “Discovering Lucy Angel” on AXS-TV on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST.
Now with the simultaneous debut of their album “Crazy Too,” and their reality TV show “Discovering Lucy Angel” on January 13th, these women are ready to share the projects they have poured their hearts and souls into over the last couple of years.
I had the honor of catching up with the talented family over the phone the day before their album and TV show hit the public. Immediately their charm was evident, even on speakerphone. And despite living in the limelight, the ladies were very down to earth.
“We’re actually getting our hair and make up done right now!” They said, all three laughing.
However they multitasked like true music-star professionals, and managed to chat while having their eye shadow applied.
“It doesn’t seem real. It’s been a year and a half that we’ve been working on this record. And it’s pretty exciting that people can get it on iTunes.” Lindsay said.
While originally from the East Valley, Lucy Angel got its official start in Nashville nearly twelve years ago. They decided to make the move so they could pursue their dreams of performing country music. The band hit the ground running and has not looked back. They worked hard writing songs and performing on stages across the world. Opening for various performers such as Jake Owen and Casey James, Lucy Angel has worked tirelessly for their music.
When it comes to who influences them they said that they draw inspiration from everywhere and everyone. They said that they are big fans of all kinds of songwriters. One of their favorite things about living in Nashville is going around all the country venues to hear new performers.
Music has been a part of the family for as long as daughters Emily and Lindsay remember. They grew up listening to and singing with their mom - Kate, who had already done her fair share of stage performances, and was their true inspiration, Lindsay said.
“I grew up listening to my mom sing. And I know that I really learned a lot from her. Especially on stage, she was larger than life!”
With a laugh she told me that Kate had won the Wrangler Country Showdown; and the prize was a Wrangler van.
The daughters said that besides their mother, the band loves the music of Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, and Tammy Wynette. But the women pride themselves on creating a sound all their own.
That exceptional sound is exactly what they wanted to showcase on their album “Crazy Too.” Vocalizations and harmonies are integral to their music, and they said it was important that the album left room for their powerful voices.
Lucy Angel also wanted their album to appeal to a wide audience, and not just to country fans. They were adamant about picking songs that flowed and worked together. The album blends traditional country sounds and modern pop. The band feels that they have achieved that balance while both respecting and pushing the boundaries of the country music genre. They are particularly proud of their single “Crazy Too,” which they said is a throwback to the classic sounds of ‘90s country.
As for the name Lucy Angel, it was a nod to the family’s army roots. Kate Anderton’s father served in World War II, and the ladies were inspired by the names fighter pilots gave to their planes.
“It’s actually a conglomeration of couple names. There were a lot of planes, and we took a couple of names and made up the Lucy Angel name.” Kate said.
And just like those pilots, Lucy Angel has already been around the world. In 2009 they had the distinct honor of performing in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People in China.
“That was such an awesome experience and such an honor. We were invited by the cultural chairman.” Kate said.
The Chinese Minister of Culture was a huge country fan and he had the opportunity to see Lucy Angel at the CMA awards. After hearing their performance he invited them to perform in Beijing.
“That was in November. And then he invited us to China for their New Year’s celebration. And we were actually the first Americans to perform at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square.” Kate said.
Since then all the pieces have been falling into place, like being discovered by realty TV producer JT Taylor (producer of "The Osbornes"). They said that Taylor fell in love with the family right away and saw a story that he wanted to produce. When he heard them sing it was pretty much a done deal. It was a two-year process from the first initial idea until the show’s airdate on AXS-TV, January 13th.
When I asked them if it felt like they had finally hit the “big time,” Emily said:
“It feels like we’ve been doing what we’ve always been doing, which is making music and doing shows; the TV show is new. We couldn’t be more proud of the record and of the TV show. We’re ready for everybody to hear the record and see the show.”
You can download Lucy Angel’s album off of iTunes and on Amazon.com or catch their show “Discovering Lucy Angel” on AXS-TV on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST.