Ha*Ash


Ha*Ash is an American Latin pop duo from Lake Charles, Louisiana. The band was formed in 2002 by sisters Hanna Nicole and Ashley Grace. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names. Combining a mixture of pop, ballad, country and singer-songwriter style, the duo is known for the singles "Lo Aprendí de Ti", "Perdón, Perdón" and "Te Dejo en Libertad", among others.
Because their father worked outside the United States, Hanna and Ashley were raised half the year in Mexico City and half in Lake Charles. They began performing in church at the ages of 4 and 5 years respectively. Around 2001, they sang in the music festivals "Railroad Festival" and "The Louisiana Music Cavalcade". They signed to Sony Music Latin in April 2002, and they recorded their self-titled debut album Ha*Ash in 2003. This was followed by their second album Mundos Opuestos in 2005.
In early 2008, Ha*Ash released the third album, Habitación Doble, featuring a track with the singer Brandi Carlile on the song "Already Home", their first song officially recorded in English. A Tiempo is the fourth studio album released under the Sony Music Latin label on May 16, 2011.
Ha*Ash released their first live album in 2014, as the youngest group to record an album from Sony's Primera Fila edition. The CD/DVD has images from their hometown in Louisiana and a live concert filmed in Estudios Churubusco, Mexico City. The duo's fifth studio album, 30 de Febrero, was released on December 1, 2017. On December 6, 2019, the duo was release a video album, entitled En vivo, based on footage from the Mexico concert at the National Auditorium on November 11, 2018.

Members and personal life

Ashley Grace and Hanna Nicole Pérez were born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States, to American parents, Antonio and Mathilda Pérez. They have two siblings and two half-siblings. Their grandfather is of Mexican descent, originally from San Luis Potosí, and their grandmothers were of German and Spanish ancestry, while her parents and most of her family were born in the US. The family had been living in Lake Charles for generations.
Because their father worked outside the United States, they were raised half the year in Mexico and half in Louisiana. Although reticent concerning their private lives, they mentioned the divorce of their parents, who separated in early 2005, while the sisters were recording their second album Mundos Opuestos. The songs "Todo No Fue Suficiente" and "Sé Que Te Vas", addressed this topic.
Ashley and Hanna speak both English and Spanish. They currently reside in Houston, Texas.
In 2012, Hanna began dating Mexican-American Juan Carlos Herrera. The couple got engaged in November 2015. The couple married at the Cuernavaca, Morelos, in Mexico, on January 9, 2016, after four years of being together. On December 19, 2019, Hanna announced that she is pregnant with her first child. Their daughter, Mathilda Herrera, was born on June 2, 2020 in Houston.
In November 2017, Ashley opened up on his diagnosis of mild OCD.

Career

2002–2004: Formation and self-titled album

In April 2002, they signed to Sony Music Latin when they were 15 and 16. They recorded their self-titled debut album Ha*Ash with the Mexican producer Áureo Baqueiro in 2003. On April 13, 2003 they released their first single, "Odio Amarte", which was a hit on Mexican radio stations, TV channels and festivals. The album was officially released on May 11, 2003, under the Sony Music Latin label. It peaked at No. 3 in the Mexican album charts and No. 19 in the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums. The second single "Estés Donde Estés" was released on July 21, 2003. The song was used as the main theme of the Televisa telenovela Clap, el lugar de tus sueños, which provided wider dissemination of their music. It peaked at No. 9 on Billboard Latin Pop chart and No. 14 on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. On February 1, 2004, a third single was released: the ballad "Te Quedaste". It peaked at #17 on Billboard Latin Pop chart and #28 on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks.
In February 2004, they received their first gold record for more than 75,000 copies of their debut album sold in Mexico. In March 2004, Ha*Ash received a platinum record for sales of 140,000 copies. The album was eventually certified platinum and gold in Mexico. On April 15, 2005 the fourth single from their album, "Soy Mujer", was used in the third version of Big Brother VIP Mexico. On November 2, 2005, a fifth single, "Si Pruebas una Vez", was released. After the success of their first album, a special edition of the album was released. It features videos of their first three singles: "Odio Amarte", "Estés Donde Estés" and "Te Quedaste"; behind the scenes footage of the videos, karaoke and an interview with Hanna and Ashley about the promotion of their album.
The band spent 2003 and 2004 on a 150-Concert Tour around Mexico promoting the album. After this, they performed in the Teatro Metropolitan in Mexico City and prepared the release of Mundos opuestos, their second album in Puerto Rico and USA.

2005–2007: ''Mundos Opuestos''

Their second album, Mundos Opuestos was also produced by Áureo Baqueiro. It was published under the Sony BMG label on September 27, 2005. The album features a cover of the 1935 song "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart". The album peaked at No. 8 in the Mexican album charts. In 2005, the album was certified as gold in Mexico. On August 24, 2006 the album was certified as platinum in Mexico. The album eventually was certified platinum and gold in Mexico. "Amor a Medias" was the first single and reached number four on the Mexican Chart in April 2006.
"Me Entrego a Ti", the album's second single was released on November 27, 2005, and was written by Colombian artist Soraya. The track peaked at number 15 in the Latin Pop Songs charts in the United States. The third single, "¿Qué Hago Yo?", was also written by Soraya and was released on March 6, 2006. The track peaked at number 50 in the Latin Pop Songs charts in the United States and at number 1 in Mexico in the Monitor Latino and 36 in the Mexico Espanol Airplay. In 2007, the single was certified Platinum in the ringtone format. "Tu Mirada en Mi" was released as the album's fourth single on April 22, 2006 and peaked at No. 50 on Billboard Latin Pop chart.
A special edition of the album was released including one new tracks "Código Postal". The song was used as the main theme of the Televisa telenovela Código Postal. After this, they performed in the Teatro Metropolitan in Mexico City with three dates in the middle of July 2007.

2008–2010: ''Habitación Doble''

Early 2008, they recorded their third album, Habitación Doble, in Nashville, Tennessee. This album features the singer Brandi Carlile on the song "Already Home", the first English song officially recorded by them. "Already Home" was featured as a free "Single of the Week" on the Apple iTunes music store in the United States, beginning the week of September. The song was included on the soundtrack for the Mexican film "Rock Marí". Ha*Ash received the collaboration of Kany García, Gian Marco and Leonel García. Ha*Ash described the album as more "pop-rock and soft ballads". The album was released on August 1, 2008 and peaked at No. 6 in the Mexican album charts and No. 14 in the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums. The album was eventually certified gold in Mexico.
The first single from the album was "No Te Quiero Nada", released on July 8, 2008. It peaked at No. 6 on Billboard Latin Pop chart and at number 1 in Mexico on the Monitor Latino, and 31 in the Mexico Espanol Airplay. It won an award from Cadena Dial. The second single, "Lo Que Yo Sé de Ti", was released on November 24, 2008 and peaked at number 1 in the Mexico Airplay, Mexico Espanol Airplay and Monitor Latino charts in Mexico. "Tú y Yo Volvemos al Amor" was released on February 6, 2009 as the third single. The song peaked at number 20 in the Mexico Español Airplay and 31 in the Mexico Airplay.
During 2009, they continued their album promotion throughout America at concerts and worked on film projects such as the Spanish versions of Disney's Tinker Bell and MGM's Igor. They performed for the first time in Spain on July 5 in Barbera del Valles, a small town near Sabadell, on "Dial Day", promoted by the municipality of Barbera del Valles and Cadena Dial. The same week they visited the Operation Triunfo Academy. On May 24, 2009, they received the opportunity to play for the first time in the Auditorio Nacional of Mexico City. They also appeared in the Reventour, a series of concerts in several places in Mexico.
On August 19, 2010, they participated in the album tribute for Mecano entitled, Tributo a Ana, José y Nacho, recording a new version of "Mujer Contra Mujer".

2011–2013: ''A Tiempo''

A Tiempo is primarily a synth-pop sound and electric album, consisting mainly of stripped down instruments such as synthesizers, piano and acoustic guitar. Ha*Ash worked with producer Áureo Baqueiro and invited Michele Canova. The album peaked at No. 4 in the Mexican album charts and was certified Double Platinum and Gold in Mexico. "Impermeable" was released on March 21, 2011 and peaked at number 1 in the Mexico Español Airplay and 6 in the Mexico Airplay. The song was certified gold in Mexico. "Te Dejo en Libertad" was chosen as the album's second single, released on July 11, 2011. It peaked at No. 29 on Billboard Latin Pop chart and No. 1 on Mexico Español Airplay, Mexico Airplay and Monitor Latino. The song was certified Platinum and Gold.
To promote the album, Ha*Ash embarked on a world concert tour during 2011 and 2013, visiting Mexico, United States, Spain, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador. In early 2011, they toured shortly in Mexico, most notably as part of Shakira's The Sun Comes Out World Tour for three of his shows in Mexico, including in Mexico City and Gualajara. The tour began on September 24, 2011 in Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City and ended two-year later. On November 20, 2011, they participated in the album tribute for Hombres G entitled, En La Playa, recording a new version of "Temblando" with David Summers.
The third single "Todo No Fue Suficiente" was released as the third single from the album on January 2, 2012. The track peaked at number No. 2 in the Mexico Español Airplay and No. 11 in the Mexico Airplay charts in Mexico. "¿De Dónde Sacas Eso?" was released as the fourth single from the album on July 11, 2012. The song was certified gold in Mexico. On March 20, 2012, a special edition of the album was released including three new tracks, one DVD and a documentary about the tour.
In 2012 they participated in the Talent program La voz... México as co-coaches of the Beto Cuevas team. They also participated in Phineas & Ferb, a children's television show. Ha*Ash featured on Leonel García's 2013 single "Te Voy a Perder" from his Todas Mías album. Dan Masciarelli and Ashley collaborated on the track "Unéme", from his debut studio album, Dile which was released in 2013.

2014–2017: Live album ''Primera Fila: Hecho Realidad''

At the end of the A Tiempo tour in 2013, Ha*Ash began the production of their first live album, , released in 2014. The album includes material from their past four studio albums as well as 8 newly recorded songs. The album features collaborations by several performers, including Julio Ramírez, Maluma, Joy Huerta, Matisse, and Axel. The album was recorded in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Mexico City on July 7, 2014. The album peaked at No. 1 in the Mexican album charts and No. 14 in the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums. Ha*Ash worked with producers George Noriega, Pablo De La Loza, and Tim Mitchell. The album has been certified Quadruple Platinum and gold in Mexico for sales exceeding 270,000 copies.
"Perdón, Perdón", was released as the lead single on September 22, 2014. The track peaked at number 17 in the Latin Pop Songs, number 36 in the Hot Latin songs and at number 35 in the Latin Airplay charts in the United States. In Mexico, the song peaked at number one on the Mexican Singles Chart, and Monitor Latino. The song was certified quadruple platinum and gold in Mexico. The second single, "Lo Aprendí de Ti" was released on March 6, 2015. The track peaked at number one on the Mexican Singles Chart and Monitor Latino. In the United States the song peaked at number 19 in the Latin Pop Songs, number 32 in the Hot Latin songs and at number 59 in the Latin Airplay. The song was certified triple platinum in Mexico. The other songs released were "Ex de Verdad", "" and "Dos Copas de Más".
On September 17, 2015, Ha*Ash were the opening acts on Ricky Martin's One World Tour for some of his shows in the U.S., including in California, Arizona and Texas. They started their own Primera Fila Tour in 2015, visiting Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, USA and Venezuela.
On November 13, 2015, after the success of their first live album, a special edition of the album was released including three new tracks and a documentary about the tour. It features videos of their songs "Si Pruebas una Vez" and "Quédate Lejos" and new versions of their songs "Ex de Verdad" and "Perdón, Perdón" accompanied by the Big Band Jazz of Mexico. In 2015, they participed in the TV program Ven y Baila Quinceañera. Additionally, they worked on film projects such as the Spanish version of the film Sing: Ven y Canta!. Ashley recorded the song "Al Fin", which was featured in the soundtrack for the film.
"Sé Que Te Vas", was released as the sixth single from the album on April 26, 2016. The track peaked at number 28 in the Mexico Espanol Airplay and at number 16 in the Monitor Latino in Mexico. A music video for "Sé Que Te Vas" featuring Matisse was released on May 6, 2015 and a second, solo version, was released on June 10, 2016. The song was certified Gold in Mexico. Ha*Ash featured on Los Ángeles Azules's single "Mi Niña Mujer" from the group's De Plaza en Plaza album. Ha*Ash also featured on Melendi's single "Destino o Casualidad" from his Quitate las Gafas album.
On November 26, 2016, they received the opportunity to play for the first time in the Palacio de los Deportes of Mexico City. The tour Primera Fila ended on September 30, 2017 at Guadalajara, Mexico.

2017–2019: ''30 de Febrero'' and world tour

In 2017, they issued 30 de Febrero, which features collaborations with Prince Royce and Abraham Mateo on the title track It was released on December 1, 2017 by Sony Music Latin. Ha*Ash assumed an integral role in the album's production and collaborated with several producers including George Noriega, Matt Rad, Joe London and Edgar Barrera. The majority of the album was recorded in Miami, Florida. Ha*Ash wrote 13 songs for the album and chose 12 for the final track listing. The album peaked at No. 3 in the Mexican album charts, No. 11 in the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums and No. 11 in the US Billboard Latin pop sales. The album was eventually certified Platinum and Gold in Mexico.
The first single from the album was "100 Años" with Prince Royce; released on October 13, 2017. The track peaked at number 50 in the Latin Pop Songs, and number 24 in the Latin Airplay charts in the United States. In Mexico, the song peaked at number one on the Mexico Espanol Airplay, and Monitor Latino. The video for this single was released on October 20, 2017. "100 Años" was certified double platinum and gold in Mexico and double platinum in Peru. In November Ha*Ash released a "Ojalá" lyric video and released the song "30 de Febrero" which featured Abraham Mateo and a 3rd lyric video "Eso No Va a Suceder". The 4th, 5th and 6th lyric videos came out on December 1, which were "Paleta", "No Pasa Nada", and "Llueve Sobre Mojado", which were all released on the same day as the album.
To promote the album, Ha*Ash embarked on a world concert tour called "Gira 100 años contigo" in 2018 and 2019. The tour was announced by Ha*Ash on their social media accounts in November 2017. On January 13, 2018 the concert tour was confirmed and it began on February 24, 2018 in Viña del Mar International Song Festival. Ha*Ash won the Silver and Golden Seagull after their presentation. The tour included South America, North America and Europe.
The second single "No Pasa Nada" was released on March 8, 2018, peaked at number 13 in the Mexico Airplay, number 4 in the Mexico Espanol Airplay and number two on the Monitor Latino charts in Mexico. On August 8, 2018, they released the third single from the album, "Eso No Va a Suceder". The song peaked at number 34 in the Latin Pop Songs charts in the United States and number one of the Mexican Espanol Airplay and Monitor Latino in Mexico.
On October 3, 2018, Ha*Ash became the first Latin singers to be featured in the Spotify Singles concept, publishing a new version of "No Pasa Nada", and a cover of "Adiós Amor". On November 4, 2018, Ha*Ash won the Best Latin America North Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards. "¿Qué Me Faltó?" was released as the fourth single on January 4, 2019. The track peaked at number two on the Monitor Latino in Mexico.

2019–present: Second live album and upcoming sixth studio album

Ha*Ash performed the American national anthem at Monday Night Football, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on November 18, 2019. Ha*Ash featured on María José's digital single "Rosas en Mi Almohada" from her Conexión album.
On November 26, 2019, the duo announced that a new release, entitled En Vivo, reportedly based on footage from a concert in Mexico, would be made available on CD/DVD on December 6, 2019. The album includes a set of 22 songs performed live at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on November 11, 2018. The album in its opening week, debuted at number one on the AMPROFON chart in Mexico. "Si Tú No Vuelves" with Miguel Bosé was released as the lead single in December and peaked at number 1 on the Monitor Latino in Mexico. On March 5, 2020, Ha*Ash won the "Most Popular Pop Artist" at the 2020 Spotify Awards.
In May 2020, the duo also teased via his Instagram Live that they started to working their sixth studio album.

Other ventures

Philanthropy

In August and September 2005, they opened their home in Louisiana, United States to some of those affected by Hurricane Katrina. They also participated in an event for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the United States for the support of victims.
In 2010, Hanna and Ashley were named ambassadors of the Save the Children Foundation. They also recorded the song "Latente" about their experiences in the visit they made to Haiti in August of that year, after the earthquake that hit that country, and whose profits were donated to the children of Haiti through said foundation. They have actively participated since 2010, collaborating with the #NiñezMigrante project in Chiapas and Puebla, as well as supporting the humanitarian response of Save the Children after the September 2017 earthquakes in Mexico.
On December 7, 2018, Ha*Ash appeared at the Coliseo Centenario of Torreón as part of their tour, to promote a charitable cause. The proceeds from the show were donated to the association "Sonríe… Solo tienes cáncer", which supports cancer prevention and treatment. They visit children suffering from illnesses, responding to requests made through social networks and by followers. During the visits, they perform songs and give gifts.
On April 3, 2020, during to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the duo took part at the Together at Home movement fueled by Global Citizen in support of the World Health Organization, where artists make online live performances to encourage people to stay home and prevent more infection cases. On April 16, 2020, they participated in a charity single for the people of Mexico, titled "Resistiré México". All the proceeds from the single would go towards the Temporary Unit COVID-19, installed in the Citibanamex Center, Mexico.

Fondo Ha*Ash

In December 2007, they joined charities in launching the Fondo Ha*Ash, which supports children suffering from HIV/AIDS and immigrants. This was publicized by a charity concert at the Teatro Metropólitan in Mexico City. They performed "Hoy Rezaremos Por Ti", a previously unpublished song, accompanied by a chorus of some of the children benefited by the foundation. Ha*Ash received the 2012 Pro Social Award and the 2016 Agentes de Cambio Award of the Kids Choice Awards Mexico, announced by Nickelodeon Latin America.
In 2016, they carried out the project "Barriga llena, corazón contento", where they brought food to people living in the streets and launched a call to their peers in the program "Me Pongo de Pie" and their followers to help in this cause. They were recognized as "Agents of Change" in the KCA Mexico, for this social work.

Musical style and influences

Ha*Ash's music style has generally been regarded as country, country pop, pop, funk and ballad. Ha*Ash 's first album Ha*Ash had an arguably more "country and pop" sound that was "delivered particularly well" and the combination of the two had created a "pop/country album". The band's later albums, such as A Tiempo and 30 de Febrero, included more of a new wave and synth-pop sound, urban and electric. Instrumentally, Ha*Ash bring a mix of piano, synthesizers, drums, vocals, organs, bass, and guitar. Ha*Ash has expressed appreciation for Shania Twain, Loretta Lynn, Dixie Chicks and Patsy Cline.

Discography

Headlining
Opening acts