Ashley and Alexia Counce are much more than sisters. They are friends, fellow pranksters and each half of the most amazing, breathtaking, country duo that you'll ever hope to hear.
Born in Oklahoma City and raised in nearby Edmond, Ashley and Alexia have been singing together since they were old enough to get up on the coffeetable. It wasn't long before they graduated to singing in church, to performing locally at car dealerships and in parades, and on to solo performances as part of their high school's Show Choir. Clearly, both Ashley and Alexia love to sing.
"We've always shared a room and I remember not being able to sleep because Ashley was singing," said Alexia who is younger by a year. "Since I couldn't get her to be quiet, I couldn't help myself from joining in." "When we were little," Ashley remembers going on family trips "Our aunts and uncles would put us in separate cars so that they wouldn't be annoyed with hours of songs like 99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall." But the singing was much more than an annoyance. The sisters' voices were good, very good, and slowly Edmond, the state of Oklahoma, and finally Nashville took notice.
And with good reason. Barely out of high school, Ashley and Alexia are seasoned performers with dynamic harmonies, incredible stage savvy, and the ability to become one with the audience. "We love performing," says Ashley. "I feel so at home on stage they have to drag me off. I don't care if there are plates clattering or people talking or wind blowing. I love every bit of it and wish I could perform all day every day."
Alexia agrees. "We get so involved in the music, so absorbed in the whole process that we feel the lyrics of the songs and draw emotion from the fans. It's a wonderful experience to draw the audience into our world and have them participate in our spontaneity. We all have such a great time." The girls' good humor, comedic timing, and raucous sense of fun with each other are incorporated naturally on stage and off.
Both say that their young age is as much a handicap as it is a benefit. "People don't understand that we've had just about every kind of crazy singing experience there is to have," said Ashley. "People don't understand how we are able to work a crowd, and that we've had numerous recording studio experiences. We know what it takes and we've given up everything to do it! We've been singing together and publicly nearing 20 years now."
Anyone would be hard pressed to find two singing partners more in tune with each other, yet as distinct in personality as Ashley and Alexia. Ashley is the girl next door, while Alexia is the rebel. On stage they work together seamlessly, off stage they are "as one," often mistaken as twins. The magic they make when they begin to sing puts it all into perspective. Simply put, Ashley and Alexia are great vocalists, destined to do great things. It shall surely be an incredible ride.