The Kinleys Biography

Kinleys Facts

The Kinleys
The Kinleys II
B I O G R A P H Y

The wait is over. The Kinleys are back, with an album full of life, energy, and undeniable passion. Since their debut, there has been a sea of female vocal groups, but none with the unique sound of the Kinleys. As twin sisters, Jennifer and Heather possess an innate sense of harmony, and their vocals have never sounded better than on their latest release, The Kinleys II.

The sisters first attracted attention with their debut Just Between You and Me. Their first single, "Please," was an impassioned plea and remains the highest debuting single by a female duo in country music history, while the album's title track was a top ten smash. The album was certified gold and has gone on to sell nearly 750,000 copies. They were named the Best New Duo by the Academy of Country Music and garnered nominations from the Grammys, the Country Music Association and the American Music Awards. They also scored a hit with the inspirational "Somebody's Out There Watching," from the Touched By An Angel soundtrack, which to date has sold nearly double platinum. The song has been included as a bonus cut on The Kinleys II.

Rather than rush out a follow-up, Jennifer and Heather decided to take their time, and do it right. They recorded half of their project with Russ Zavitson and Tony Haselden, the team behind their successful debut. Then they turned to singer/songwriter Radney Foster to complete the project. "This record is who we are musically," says Jennifer. "There is so much variety on it, which is the cool part about having three producers as part of the project."

"The first time I heard Jennifer and Heather play with just their acoustic guitars, I was taken with what amazing singers they both are," says Foster. "My goal as a producer was to try to get that magic down on tape--and not overwhelm their voices with production." Instead, their vocals sound relaxed and alive, as Foster was able to capture their pure joy for singing.

"We love to sing separately, but there is something that is exhilarating about putting our voices together," says Jennifer. "At certain points when we're singing, the two of us really do become one sound. It's hard to explain, but it's an amazing feeling." "It's like we're connecting on another level," continues Heather. "We know each other so well that we thought that was impossible, but when we bring our voices together, it's a different bonding experience."

The twins, who grew up in Philadelphia, have been performing together since they were 8, doing songs they'd learned from their parent's Andrew Sisters records, and later discovering the Everly Brothers. "We were mesmerized by the Everlys and how they touched us," says Heather. "We spent all our time trying to emulate the sound they created." Through the Everlys, the girls started exploring Country music, and became huge fans of the family harmonies of the Judds. It changed their direction, and soon they were sitting in with Country bands. Yet they remained influenced by the rock and pop sounds around them in Philadelphia. "We didn't categorize what we were singing, we just sang what we loved. And we still do that today," says Heather.

You can hear all those influences on The Kinleys II, yet the sound they've created is all their own. They co-wrote five of the songs on the project, but every song on the collection sounds custom-made for them, from the groove and attitude of the album's opener "She Ain't The Girl For You," to the all-out yearning of "If Ever I Needed You," and "I Need You Now," the cool, ethereal "I'm In," to the heartfelt honesty of "You're Still Here."

The Kinleys II is a true representation of where Jennifer and Heather are today: a little older, wiser, and much happier. "It's been almost three years since the last record and musically, we've changed so much," says Jennifer. "We're in a totally different spot. We've gotten more confidence and more experience, and I think that shows through in our music. In your 20s, you're still learning about who you are. We were doing that, both personally and musically. Now that we're almost thirty, we feel like everything is coming together."