The last time Celeb Mix caught up with British country duo Ward Thomas was just before the release of their second album ‘Cartwheels‘. And since then Catherine and Lizzy have gone from strength to strength.
Shortly after our interview, Ward Thomas’ LP shot to number 1 in the official album chart making them the first ever UK country music act to ever score a number 1 album, and they also embarked on a sold out tour of the UK and Ireland. The 22-year-old twins also performed at the Children in Need Rocks for Terry concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Here, Ward Thomas chat exclusively to us about ‘Cartwheels’ going number 1, what they have in store for their 2017 Spring Tour, their third studio album, and their Christmas plans! Plus much, much more.
So, a lot has happened since we last chatted. First off congratulations on ‘Cartwheels’ topping the charts.
Thank you :)
What was the first thing you did when you found out the album had gone number 1?
We got a whole load of our friends and family over at home and celebrated with lots of champagne!
How do you feel knowing you are now officially the most successful UK country act in British music history?
It’s all very surreal! Never in a million years did we actually think we’d get to number 1! We were hoping for top 40! It kind of feels [like] we’re not living in the real world sometimes! It’s amazing how people are now opening up to this genre of music!
This past year also saw you performing at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time in honour of the late, great Sir Terry Wogan. What was it like walking out onto that famous stage?
I think that was one of the scariest shows we’ve ever done! It was the most amazing tribute and a great line up to be part of! Probably one of our favourite shows this year!
You also received a standing ovation for your stunning performance of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 To 5’, what was it like to receive such a great reaction?
It was brilliant! To see all those people standing up, dancing and singing along with us was madness! It was a night we’ll never forget!
You’ve also recently wrapped up your 2016 tour, how much did you enjoy seeing the fans’ reaction in each city?
We always love touring as you see a different audience everywhere you go! What was also really great was seeing people singing along to a lot of the album tracks, not just the singles from the album! It’s extremely rewarding seeing everyone enjoying themselves at our shows.
And you’ve now announced a brand new tour for 2017, how excited are you to be hitting the road again?
We can’t wait! We are constantly learning and loving developing working on our craft! And we can’t wait to get on the road again to perform!
What songs can fans expect to hear at your new shows?
We haven’t yet done the set list for our next tour! But most probably all the songs from our current album ‘Cartwheels’ and a few surprises…
Will you be performing any new materiel next year?
We hope too, yes!
And do you plan to perform any covers?
Maybe…
As well as the Spring tour next year, you’re also performing at the CMC Rocks Festival in Australia. How excited are you to be performing in Australia?
We can’t wait! We are looking forward to being on the same line up as our idol’s the most! The Dixie Chicks! We can’t wait to come to Australia!
And of course like you’ve said your musical inspirations the Dixie Chicks will also be on the bill, have you planned what you’re going to say to them if you meet them?
I think if we planned anything to say to them… it’ll go out the window if we meet them! A lot of fan girling will be going on!
Will 2017 also see you release a new album?
No not yet. We will still be working on our current album.
How much fun was the Facebook live stream for your live Snug Session?
It was great fun! We loved being able to squeeze in a show before the Christmas holidays begin! And [we] had a lot of fun preparing gifts and cupcakes for the show! It was great that people got to watch it from all over!
You recently released your new music video for the title track ‘Cartwheels‘, how much fun did you have shooting the clip?
It was good fun like all the other videos! We filmed it while on tour so was fun to do something a little different from our tour routine too.
During your time in Manchester earlier this year you met up with US country stars Maddie and Tae, are you hoping to record a collaboration with them soon?
We loved collaborating with them this year! [we] Love their songs and they were really great people! We hope to see them when we next return to the US. You never know what happens in the future.
How did you feel when the legendary Carole King shared your sublime cover of her hit ‘You’ve Got A Friend’?
That’s was a complete shock! We didn’t actually believe it! We thought it was a Carole King fan page to start with as I think we didn’t believe it! We felt very excited!
Lovely version of the @Carole_King classic by UK artists & twin sisters Catherine & Lizzie @WardThomasMusic. pic.twitter.com/f9nyk6bsYj
— Carole King (@Carole_King) November 7, 2016
After a super busy 2016 what are your plans for Christmas?
We have Irish family coming over! So [it] will be a very loud, fun Christmas full of lots of games!
How will you be ringing in 2017?
Oh we’ll see. We are always working on new stuff and can’t wait to get to the next step of our careers next year.
Tickets for Ward Thomas’ 2017 Spring UK tour are on sale now. Ward Thomas have also announced that the next single to be lifted from ‘Cartwheels’ will be the song ‘Boomerang’.
Did you enjoy our exclusive interview with the country music stars Ward Thomas? Will you be going to see them live next year? Let us know over on Twitter @CelebMix.
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