Branch to put Wreckers country project on hold

08/01/2007 2:51 AM, Reuters


Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, a.k.a. the Wreckers, will put their work as a country duo on hold later this year to pursue solo projects.

In 2004, Branch took a break from her successful solo career to team with friend and touring backup singer Harp to form the Wreckers. Prior to the Branch collaboration, Harp had been working as a singer/songwriter in Nashville. The duo debuted in autumn 2004, performing "Good Kind" on the WB teen drama "One Tree Hill."

Their album, "Stand Still, Look Pretty," (Warner Bros.) has sold more than 780,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The duo released three singles, the first of which, "Leave The Pieces," spent two weeks at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs. They are touring with Keith Urban for the rest of the year.

Branch and Harp's solo records will be released via Warner Bros., according to a spokesperson.

Harp told the Adrian, Mich., Daily Telegram it was too early to say whether more Wreckers albums were in store. Their next step would be to work on the individual projects, she said, but after that, they would fly by the seat of their pants.

"This whole project just sort of happened on a whim," Harp told the paper, adding that she had already written some songs for her next album. "As soon as I possibly can, I'll be getting into the studio," she told the paper.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter