New Zealand IDOL finalist Ashley Cooper met veteran singer/songwriter Michael Tipping in October 2007. Just one month later, they were named the winners of the Rising Star Award at the Variety Artist Club Annual Awards Show. Avid and skilled songwriters, these two also got the nod as NZCM Song Writers of the Year.

In June 2009, Ashley and Michael were the very first Kiwis to appear on the Country Music Association's Global Artist Party in Nashville Tennessee! Viewed by over 40 million people, Ashley and Michael were backed by legendary singer/songwriter Pam Tillis's band during the trip to the United States.

Ashley and Michael met producer Jeff Huskins who was immediately convinced of the star quality of these two young people. “Rarely does the entire package walk in your door. They simply have it … whatever it is. And when I heard Ashley’s voice, I actually cried.

That very same night, Huskins picked up the phone and called his longtime friend and bandmate, Dallas-based entertainment attorney Clarke Wilcox, and they got to work. Funding was put together, sessions were scheduled using the finest engineers and musicians in Nashville, and the results are phenomenal!

Ashley and Michael will be a major force in the music industry. There’s no limit to their potential, and the record companies that have heard the project are completely “knocked out.” Perhaps most telling is the fact that Clear Channel NZ have already given Ashley and Michael’s project their stamp of approval and are playing the tracks all over the country.

Upon arriving home from their United States trip, they were booked to open for Glen Campbell’s New Zealand tour and will be featured at this year’s Bay Of Island Country Rock Festival.

In April 2011 Michael & Ashley were support act for Grammy Winning USA group Lady Antebellum and are currently working in a six month contract on board Carnival Cruise Lines based in Florida entertaining guest cruisers around the Caribbean.

Ashley and Michael are available to work in various configurations from duo to full-blown band. Be sure to make them a part of your next event.