SHeDAISY (), originally the Osborn Sisters, was an American country music vocal group from Magna, Utah. The group consisted of sisters Kassidy, Kelsi, and Kristyn Osborn. Kassidy was the lead vocalist, and Kristyn the lead songwriter. Their name was derived from a Navajo term meaning 'my little sister'.
The sisters were involved in music since their childhood, and recorded an unreleased album for RCA Records Nashville in the early 1990s. At the end of the decade they began using the name SHeDAISY, and signed with Lyric Street Records who released their debut album The Whole SHeBANG in 1999. A year later they recorded a Christmas project Brand New Year, followed by studio albums Knock on the Sky (2002), Sweet Right Here (2004), and Fortuneteller's Melody (2006). The Whole SHeBANG is certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Sweet Right Here certified gold.
SHeDAISY has fifteen entries on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Their top-ten hits on this chart are "Little Good-Byes," "This Woman Needs", "I Will... But" (their highest, with a peak of number two), and "Don't Worry 'bout a Thing". Their sound is defined by Kristyn's songwriting, country pop influences, and vocal harmony, with mixed reception for the production style of their albums and the nature of their lyrics. Many critics compared the group's sound to the Dixie Chicks (now the Chicks).
History
SHeDAISY was founded by three sisters with the last name Osborn: Kristyn (born August 24, 1970), Kelsi (born November 21, 1974), and Kassidy (born October 30, 1976), all born and raised in Magna, Utah. They are all the children of David and Robyn Osborn. All three sisters were involved in music since childhood. In July 1987, Kelsi was booked to play the title role in a production of Annie at the Sundance Resort summer theater. All three Osborn sisters also performed at a number of talent shows and other events, including the National Finals Rodeo, Kelsi attended a competition at the former Cottonwood Mall in Holladay, Utah, held by the television network Showtime in October 1988, to select youth hosts for a special programming block. The network declared her one of four top winners in March 1989. This competition required David to travel with Kelsi to New York City; he chose to take Kristyn and Kassidy along, as he thought doing so would familiarize all of them with show business. According to him, the trip inspired Kristyn to begin performing full-time. Specifically, she wanted to perform country music as she had just bought an album by Restless Heart. The three sisters began recording songs under the production of Rob Galbraith, best known for his work with Ronnie Milsap, and also performed a concert at their local high school with him in attendance. This name was inspired by their brother-in-law, who worked as a missionary among the Navajo and referred to the sisters by the Navajo language term , which means 'my little sister'.
19992001: The Whole SHeBANG and Brand New Year
Lyric Street released SHeDAISY's debut album The Whole SHeBANG on May 11, 1999. Kristyn co-wrote all eleven of its songs. Dann Huff produced the album and also alternated with Shelby's brother Gordon on electric guitar. Other musicians on the project included bassist Mike Brignardello (with whom Huff previously recorded in the band Giant), drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Paul Leim, steel guitar players Dan Dugmore and Paul Franklin, and mandolin player Jonathan Yudkin. "Little Good-Byes", co-written with Deere and Kenny Greenberg, was the lead single. The last single off the album, "Still Holding Out for You", was co-written by Richard Marx and was a minor Hot Country Songs chart hit in 2001. Before being issued as a single, it was the B-side of "Little Good-Byes". Paul Verna opined similarly in a review for Billboard. On March 28, 2000, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded The Whole SHeBANG a platinum certification for shipments of one million copies in the United States. In 2000, SHeDAISY was nominated for the Horizon Award (now Best New Artist) by the Country Music Association. SHeDAISY were also nominated for Top New Vocal Duet or Group at the 1999 Academy of Country Music awards. At the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000, "Little Good-Byes" was nominated in the category of Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
At the end of 2000, the trio released an album of Christmas music titled Brand New Year. The album's rendition of "Deck the Halls" had previously appeared in the 1999 direct-to-video animated film Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas and was issued as a promotional Christmas single at the end of that year. This promotion helped the song enter both the country music and Hot 100 charts at the end of 1999 due to seasonal sales and airplay. Upon the release of Brand New Year in 2000, the "Deck the Halls" rendition entered the country charts a second time, with the album's version of "Jingle Bells" also appearing on the charts.
20022003: Knock on the Sky
thumb|upright=1.1|SHeDAISY singing "[[The Star-Spangled Banner" during opening ceremonies for the official homeporting of the on July 23, 2004|alt=Country music group SHeDAISY performing]]
In mid-2002, SHeDAISY released their second studio album Knock on the Sky. As a result, it fell from a peak of number 27 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks, and SHeDAISY's rendition was also on the soundtrack of the Reese Witherspoon movie Sweet Home Alabama. Despite the change in singles, "Mine All Mine" was unsuccessful on the country charts as well. Jack Leaver of The Grand Rapids Press rated the project three-and-a-half stars out of four, praising the song lyrics and "gorgeous sonic landscape" of the production. Tucson Citizen writer A.J. Flick thought the album was well-produced but did not think its sound was country. Writing for Billboard, Ray Waddell called most of the songs "well-written" but found much of the production distracting and lacking in influence from country music. Kristyn later called the album a "science experiment" due to its heavily layered production, an aspect which she thought led to the album's mixed reception. Last single "Don't Worry 'bout a Thing" peaked at number seven. Allmusic writer Johnny Loftus thought that the tracks co-written with Deere, such as "Don't Worry 'bout a Thing", were the strongest due to their lyrical details. His review praised the sisters' harmonies, although he also considered "Come Home Soon" to be "blah" and other tracks to be "filler". Waddell noted that the production was more country in nature than the previous two albums, particularly in its use of fiddle and banjo; he also thought "Passenger Seat" had influences of Celtic music due to its rhythms. Sweet Right Here was certified gold in the United States in October 2005, for shipments of 500,000 copies.
At the end of 2005, SHeDAISY recorded the original song "God Bless the American Housewife" for the compilation album Music from and Inspired by Desperate Housewives, a soundtrack to the television series Desperate Housewives. Canadian singer Jann Arden co-wrote the song. A version with the title altered to "God Bless the Canadian Housewife" was also released in Canada, and reached top 20 on the Canadian country music charts then published by Radio & Records.
20062008: Fortuneteller's Melody
After "God Bless the Canadian Housewife", the trio released "I'm Taking the Wheel", the lead single to their fourth studio album Fortuneteller's Melody. The single peaked at 21 on the Billboard country charts in 2006. The project accounted for only one other single with "In Terms of Love". Additionally, Kristyn described the album as "honest" and thought that all of its songs had a common theme of the "drama" experienced by a musician attempting to balance their career and personal life. "God Bless the American Housewife" was also included on United States pressings of Fortuneteller's Melody, and "God Bless the Canadian Housewife" on Canadian releases.
Kelsi announced in February 2006 that she had become pregnant, requiring her to take maternity leave from the group's concert tours by mid-year. As a result, their youngest sister Karli filled in for her on a number of shows that year. At the time, Karli was attending Lipscomb University, and recalled that she had only one month to memorize the harmony vocals of 25 songs. Karli also filled in for Kelsi in the music video for "In Terms of Love".
20082010: The Best of SHeDAISY and breakup
Lyric Street released a compilation album, The Best of SHeDAISY, in 2008. This release was followed in March 2009 by a single titled "Bucket Full of Beautiful". In April 2010, Disney announced that it would be closing the Lyric Street label as a means of consolidating operations. At the time of closure, SHeDAISY was still one of several acts signed. Longview News-Journal reporter Jo Lee Ferguson stated in November 2010 that the group had not had any concerts listed on their website since June of that year, and that that an e-mail to their manager had not been answered. Additionally, Ferguson stated that the trio had recorded another album for Lyric Street titled A Story to Tell, which she determined not to have been released.
Courtney Campbell of Wide Open Country observed in 2020 that SHeDAISY quietly retired from performing after the closure of Lyric Street and largely returned to their personal lives. Despite the breakup, Kristyn Osborn and Arden composed a jingle in 2013 for the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta. This jingle was used to advertise a charity concert held at the zoo after it suffered damage in the 2013 Alberta floods.
Musical styles
SHeDAISY's music is defined by the three sisters' vocal harmonies, as well as unconventional production and Kristyn's lyrics. Stephen L. Betts of Country Standard Time said that the group's sound had "rich, intricate harmony, coupled with passionate, empowering lyrical content" which he compared to a mix of Wilson Phillips and Martina McBride. Jim Patterson of the Associated Press described "girl-power lyrics, complex and busy arrangements with lots of studio sound effects, and non-stop vocal harmonies". Kristyn stated that the three sisters learned to sing harmony on summertime road trips as children, where they would often sing along to albums by the Beach Boys and the Beatles with their parents. Among the sisters, Kassidy was the lead vocalist. In a review of Sweet Right Here, Loftus made note of unconventional lyrics, such as a name-drop of Appalachian folk dancer Jesco White in the track "Good Together (Bucket and Chicken)", or singing "blah blah blah" in the pre-chorus of "Don't Worry 'bout a Thing".
SHeDAISY was frequently compared to the Dixie Chicks (now known as the Chicks), since both female trios' mainstream success began around the same time. The group was also compared to a number of contemporary solo female acts in country music. A.J. Flick of the Tucson Citizen compared SHeDAISY's image to that of Shania Twain, noting that both acts had names of Native American origin and both recorded "quasi-woman-empowering lyrics in poppy tunes that sometimes feature a misplaced fiddle". During SHeDAISY's recording career, the Osborn family were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. and married Derek Williamson on May 28, 2009. Kristyn was married to Joel Stevenett for four years until their divorce in 2002. According to her, this led to a fan theory that "angrier" songs on Knock on the Sky were written about the divorce; she stated that while the divorce did influence the album's writing, she and Stevenett divorced amicably. Kristyn had a relationship with actor Aaron Eckhart during 2006 and 2007, and he appeared in the music video for "I'm Taking the Wheel".
Discography
;Studio albums
- 1999: The Whole SHeBANG
- 2000: Brand New Year
- 2002: Knock on the Sky
- 2004: Sweet Right Here
- 2006: Fortuneteller's Melody