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Home Free interview

Country a cappella group Home Free rose to fame in 2013 when they won NBC’s music show The Sing-Off.

The group consists of Austin Brown, Rob Lundquist, Chris Rupp, Tim Foust and Adam Rupp, and they will release their new album Country Evolution this Friday. The album arrives ahead of the group’s tour of the UK later this month.

We caught up with Home Free just before Christmas to find out all about their new album Country Evolution, talk about how the group got together, and to discuss when UK fans can see them performing live in 2016.

Hi guys. How are you today? Where does this Q&A find you?

Weā€™ve just wrapped up our Home Free for the Holidays Tour, and weā€™re heading home for some much-needed time with our families.

What can fans expect from the album ā€˜Country Evolutionā€™?

True to the title, weā€™re showcasing the evolution of country music as well as our evolution as a band with a mixture of our signature take on iconic songs as well as current covers and originals.

The album features 4 original compositions. Give us a little insight into how you work in the studio when putting a song together.

Typically, weā€™ll head into the studio with a basic shell of an arrangement charted out, and then weā€™ll all chime in with ideas for taking it to the next level. There is a lot of experimentation in the studio, and we really trust and rely on our brilliant producer, Darren Rust, to breathe contemporary life into everything we do.

Youā€™ve got a few collaborations on the album. How did those come about?

Mostly just networking. The Oak Ridge Boys actually reached out to us. We take a lot of musical risks when reinventing iconic country songs, and we knew that having the original artists join us would lend a lot of credibility.

For those in the UK that may not know much about you, tell us how Home Free came to be.

Home Free began as a hobby 15 years ago in Mankato, Minnesota. Honestly, at the time, we were just trying to be Rockapella. Luckily, it slowly snowballed into a career, and over time we solidified our lineup and found our original voice as a band. In 2013, we won NBCā€™s The Sing-Off which catapulted us into international acclaim.

Singing a cappella is really difficult and not something that a lot of singers can do convincingly. How did you manage to hone your craft so perfectly?

Weā€™ve all been at this a long time, so we pretty much have it down to a science. But there has been a decade and a half of trial and error. And the Sing-Off and Deke Sharon in particular really revitalized our process.

Country music is only really starting to find a proper platform here in the UK. Which country artists, other than yourselves, do you recommend that our readers listen to?

Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band, Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves.

When can we se you performing live in the UK?

Birmingham on January 27th, St. Andrews, Scotland on January 28th, Dublin, Ireland on January 29th and the London A Cappella Festival on January 30th.

Have you had much interaction with your UK fans yet? What kind of feedback do they give you?

Weā€™ve been overwhelmed by the love weā€™ve gotten from the UK. We canā€™t wait to finally bring our live show to you!

What else do you have coming up in 2016?

More recording, music videos, touring and hopefully more collaborations. But really, your guess is as good as ours

Home Free release their new album Country on Friday 15th January 2016. Watch the group’s music video for their cover of Dolly Parton’s classic 9 to 5 below:

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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