Sunny Sweeney
Sunny Sweeney | |
|---|---|
 Headshot of Sunny Sweeney at 2010 photoshoot | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sunny Michaela Sweeney |
| Born | December 7, 1976 [1] |
| Origin | Longview, TX, |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, rhythm guitar |
| Years active | 2004-Present |
| Labels | Big Machine, Republic Nashville, Thirty Tigers |
Sunny Michaela Sweeney (born December 7, 1976) is an American country music artist. She is signed to the Thirty Tigers label. She was formerly with the Republic Nashville label and Big Machine Records. Her debut album, Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame, was independently issued in 2006 and then regionally released in 2007. It produced three regional (Texas, Oklahoma) singles in "If I Could", "Ten Years Pass" and "East Texas Pines", and these songs charted on the Texas Music Chart. In June 2010, the lead-off to her second studio album, "From a Table Away," became her first single to chart. Her latest album "Provoked" was released in June, 2014.
Biography
Sunny Sweeney was born in Houston, Texas. Initially, Sweeney lived in Austin, TX and went to Southwest Texas State University. She moved to New York City to take a break from school. Once ready to face school again, she returned to Texas and got a degree in Public Relations from SWT. [2][3]
After college, she started a band and played local bars in Austin and began to branch out and play around Texas. She put out her first album with the production help of Tommy Detamore in March 2006. After gaining a following on the club circuit in her native Texas, Sweeney signed to the independent Big Machine Records label.[4] She also toured throughout Europe in 2007.[2] Her debut album, Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame, was initially self-released in March 2006, and was reissued in March 2007 on Big Machine.[5] The album was pushed to the Texas Music Chart and produced three regional singles in the songs, "If I Could," "Ten Years Pass" and "East Texas Pines".
In 2009, Sweeney was signed as the first artist to Republic Nashville, a newly founded joint venture between Big Machine and Universal Republic Records.[6] Her first single for the label is "From a Table Away," which was released on June 28, 2010. It became her first chart single when it debuted at No. 58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of June 26, 2010. In March 2011, the song entered the Top 10 of the chart.
Republic Nashville released Sweeney's second studio album, Concrete on August 23, 2011.[7] The album was produced by Brett Beavers consists of ten tracks, including one co-written with Radney Foster and Jay Clementi.[8] "Staying's Worse Than Leaving" and "Drink Myself Single" were released as the album's second and third singles, respectively, and both were minor Top 40 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart. Sweeney and Big Machine parted ways in 2012.
In 2013, Sweeney signed a recording contract with the Thirty Tigers record label. Her debut label single entitled "Bad Girl Phase" was released in June 2013. Through the fan-sponsored Kickstarter program, Sweeney issued her third studio record, Provoked, on August 5, 2014.[9]
Personal Life
Sunny wed her longtime boyfriend, Jeff Hellmer, on November 11th, 2011, in an intimate Las Vegas wedding ceremony that included family and close friends. Although Sunny and Jeff, who live in Austin, TX, currently have no children together, she enjoys being a stepmother to Jeff’s two children, Kati and Michael. She and Jeff are looking forward to the possibility of having a child together someday. Sunny also values the fact that her personal life remains “personal” and separate from her professional life and is appreciative that others, including family, friends and the media, have been respectful of her privacy. Although he’s not involved in the music industry, Sunny’s husband is a strong supporter of her career and the pursuit of her dreams. They both firmly believe that patience and perseverance are the cornerstones of all good things to come
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Indie | ||
| Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame |
|
— | — | — |
| Concrete |
|
7 | 21 | — |
| Provoked |
|
20 | 165 | 25 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat | ||
| Sunny Sweeney — EP |
|
41 | 12 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 2007 | "If I Could" | — | — | Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame |
| 2008 | "Ten Years Pass" | — | — | |
| "East Texas Pines" | — | — | ||
| 2010 | "From a Table Away" | 10 | 71 | Concrete |
| 2011 | "Staying's Worse Than Leaving" | 38 | — | |
| "Drink Myself Single" | 36 | — | ||
| 2014 | "Bad Girl Phase" | — | — | Provoked |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "If I Could" | Todd Cassetty |
| 2010 | "From a Table Away" | David McClister |
| 2011 | "Staying's Worse Than Leaving" | Roman White |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | ACM Awards | Top New Female Artist | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Sunny Sweeney Biography". Full Issue. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Sunny Sweeney biography". Country Music Television. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "New Artist Spotlight: Sunny Sweeney". Great American Country. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ Reges, Margaret. "Sunny Sweeney biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Sunny Sweeney signs with Big Machine". Country Standard Time. 2006-11-16. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
- ^ "New Nashville label starts with Sunny Sweeney aboard". Country Standard Time. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Shelburne, Craig. "Summer Preview: 12 New Country Albums". CMT. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Stark, Phyllis. "Sunny Sweeney: One To Watch In 2011". MSN. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Sunny Sweeney "Bad Girl Phase" - Single Review". For the Country Record.
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External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
