CMT'S "CAN YOU DUET" ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE SEARCH FOR COUNTRY'S NEXT GREAT DUO
CAITLIN LYNN OF MARYLAND AND WILL SNYDER OF KENTUCKY WIN THE COMPETITION AND WALK AWAY WITH A CONTRACT FROM SONY BMG NASHVILLE
NASHVILLE � June 13, 2008 � After watching thousands of hopefuls audition, taking finalists through performer boot camp and judging weekly performances in front of a live audience, the judges of the CMT music competition series CAN YOU DUET, revealed the winning duo with hopes of becoming country's next great act. Announced in last night's finale episode of CAN YOU DUET, the winning duo is Caitlin Lynn of Glen Burnie, Md. and Will Snyder, of London, Ky., who leave the competition with a recording contract from Sony BMG Nashville.
Caitlin and Will's win was something they never would have dreamed of when they started their CAN YOU DUET journey. The performers were strangers when the judges, country superstar Naomi Judd, acclaimed vocal coach Brett Manning and award-winning songwriter Aimee Mayo, put them together as a duo. With different backgrounds and vocal styles, the two needed to find their rhythm as a new unit and through each week their powerful voices and unique style became not only favorites of the judges, but popular with the live audiences.
Caitlin Lynn, 22, a native and current resident of Glen Burnie, Md., is one half of the duo Eighty1 South and initially auditioned for CMT's CAN YOU DUET with her duo partner. Caitlin was the only half to make it through the auditions and was disappointed to see her best friend and band partner have to go home. Caitlin is influenced by a wide variety of artists including Kathleen Edwards, Dave Matthews, Lori McKenna, Patty Griffin and Mindy Smith.
Will Snyder, a 22-year-old from London, Ky., boasts a strong, gritty voice that is perfect for southern rock. Will was exposed to the idea of auditioning for CAN YOU DUET by his cousin who is 20 years his senior. Singing since childhood in church and having played with his cousin for the past five years, Will and his cousin decided to make the trip to Nashville to try their luck. Much to Will's dismay, and complete shock, Will's cousin did not make the cut, but the judges fell in love with Will's talents almost immediately. Will has a variety of musical influences including Nickelback, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keith Urban.
The song from their forthcoming album, "Even Now," is available for exclusive download now on CMT.com and will be released to radio by Sony BMG later this year.
More information also available at: http://www.cmt.com/shows/series/can_you_duet/series.jhtml.
CAN YOU DUET is produced by "American Idol" producers, FremantleMedia North America. Jeff Boggs is executive producer. Bob Kusbit and Melanie Moreau serve as executive producers for CMT.
CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD. CMT has a rich history of finding and creating dynamic musical pairings with such series as CROSSROADS, which joins country music stars with artists from other genres. Recent CMT CROSSROADS combinations include Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, as well as Maroon 5 and Sara Evans.
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative television programs for network, cable and syndicated platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon "American Idol" (FOX), "American Idol Rewind" (syndicated), "American Idol Extra" (Fox Reality Channel), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Farmer Wants A Wife" (The CW), "Can You Duet" (CMT), "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" (Oxygen), "Property Ladder" (TLC), "Family Feud" (syndicated), "Temptation" (syndicated), "Million Dollar Password" (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, "The Price Is Right" (CBS). For further information, visit http://www.fremantlemedia.com.
Sony BMG Nashville includes its four country label operations � RCA, Columbia, BNA and Arista Nashville � and Provident Music Group, one of the world's leading Christian music companies. Sony BMG Nashville is a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.
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