Maddie & Tae, the country duo that took Music Row by storm in 2014, is officially breaking up after 15 years together. But before you say anything, they don't want you to call it that.
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Maddie & Tae are known for their sister-like harmonies and vocal styles, even though the two aren't actually related at all. Maddie, who's originally from Texas, met Tae from Oklahoma in 2010 at a showcase in Dallas. Since then, the duo has been actively performing together and releasing music.
Recently, the girls decided to split because Tae wants to focus on being a mom to two, and Maddie is opting to pursue a solo career. In a vulnerable interview with People magazine, Tae revealed that the fact that they had achieved so much together was what made this decision so difficult.
"It's been such a hard, hard — honestly, heartbreaking — decision. This was the only dream I've ever had since I exited the womb. I had a particular vision of creating music and singing. When we met at 15, that's what we set out to do, and we're both just so grateful that we've had the journey that we've had. This career has been everything we've ever wanted."
This Isn't a Breakup, It Isn't Even Goodbye
While Maddie Marlow Font and Tae Dye Kerr were 19 when they first broke into the music business, they've grown up a lot since then, and each has children of their own. Maddie, who's married to Jonah Font, is currently a stay-at-home mom to her 2-year-old, Forrest. Tae, who's married to producer Josh Kerr, is a mom to Leighton, a 4-year-old girl, and to Chapel, a 13-month-old.
On biting the bullet and choosing to step away from the "&" in their name, Tae talked about what it was like when the duo had that conversation. "Maddie was just like, 'Tell me where your heart is. And I was like, 'My heart is at home.' And she said, 'Okay. Then that's what we need to do.'" After tears over the phone, the girls brought their idea to management. "We both knew this conversation was coming eventually," Kerr explained. "I never imagined it would be on the phone."
But, as Maddie explains, there's no bad blood between the two singers. In fact, the situation couldn't be further from that. "Even though we're not gonna go on this journey as Maddie & Tae together, we're still walking and doing life together outside of it," she shared. "And I think I'm really excited to just be best friends and nurture our friendship and not have to worry as much about the work and still get to raise our babies together. None of that changes."
Photo By: Getty Images
