Shaylen & Austin John Winkler Release "Lips Of An Angel"
SHAYLEN & AUSTIN JOHN WINKLER
— FORMER FRONTMAN OF HINDER —
RELEASE COUNTRY-INFUSED VERSION OF
“LIPS OF AN ANGEL”
WITH HARD-HITTING OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Above: “Lips Of An Angel” Single Artwork
Credit: Casey Howard and Taylor Ballantyne
NASHVILLE, TN (August 30, 2023) — Today, breakout country artist Shaylen and Austin John Winkler — former frontman of Hinder — release the country-infused rendition of “Lips Of An Angel” along with its explosive music video via Two Hats Music Group. The re-recording of the iconic No. 1 song retains its original edgy rock elements and dynamic vocal prowess, while giving it a new country flare.
Stream/Download “Lips Of An Angel” here.
PEOPLE Magazine exclusively premiered the track along with the accompanying hard-hitting official music video, directed by Sean Hagwell, yesterday. The video showcases Shaylen and Austin John Winkler giving a powerful performance of the song as well as portraying the scenes of longing and heartbreak described within the lyrics. “The chemistry that day was unmatched,” Shaylen explains with Austin echoing, “Shooting the video with Shaylen was a blast. We both brought our own experiences with the song. We just got together and rocked it out and had a lot of fun in the process and it was extremely hot!” Watch the official “Lips Of An Angel” music video below:
“The 2005 Hinder hit ‘still rocks, but it's got a little country twist to it now…’” Winkler tells PEOPLE Magazine journalist, Tricia Despres. “So too does the music video have a little twist of its own,” Depres adds. “He [Brian Howes] was the one who connected us,” Austin continues. “That's how I first heard Shaylen's voice. I was blown away.” ‘Blown away’ certainly describes the similar feeling of Shaylen, a pop turned country darling whose rock side shines on the new version of “Lips of an Angel.” “When they told me that they would love for me to do it, I literally was dumbfounded,” Shaylen states. “And then to go meet Austin at RCA Studios…it just worked. He’s a f---ing rockstar of a human being.”
The original release of “Lips Of An Angel” has made a lasting impact on the ears of listeners transcending multiple generations. 17 years later, the viral “female perspective” TikTok trend has caused a resurgence in the song’s popularity and now Shaylen and Austin are ready to give the official response. The re-release of this acclaimed track is notable for several reasons. Not only is it re-recorded by Austin himself, but he was back in the studio with the original co-writer and producer of the track, Brian Howes (Hinder, Nickelback, Daughtry, David Cook).
“I got to re-create the song with Brian producing it and I’ve been wanting to work with him again for a while now,” says Austin. “The production of the song has a hint of country and still rocks pretty good. The song is such a classic we didn’t want to change it up too much, but any changes are going to add a whole new flavor to the song.”
“The surge of ‘Lips Of An Angel’ on TikTok definitely had something to do with wanting to re-record it,” shares Winkler. “But also, the popularity of so many women taking it upon themselves to write their own versions of the song. It’s a timeless subject matter because people are human and they have moments of weakness sometimes when it comes to missing someone they loved.”
Leading up to the release, Shaylen and Austin gave listeners a look into the behind the scenes of the re-recording and the story behind the song with an artist-on-artist style conversation video (released August 16), as well as a teaser of the official music video set to accompany the single. The teaser — shared to Shaylen’s TikTok — quickly garnered over 900k views, a testament to the excitement building over the reimagined iconic song. Watch the artist-on-artist conversation on “Lips Of An Angel” below:
The duo performed the song for the very first time at Nashville’s revered Whiskey Jam on August 24 where Austin joined Shaylen on stage to close out the night, giving the crowd an exclusive listen to their reimagined version surprising the Whiskey Jam audience.
“I can’t believe I got to play Whiskey Jam with such a legend,” Shaylen exclaims. “What a dope moment to go from singing that song in the car as a kid to taking it to the stage and crushing it with Austin himself! A BIG thank you to Ward for having us… definitely an honor and a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
“Playing Whiskey Jam was such a cool experience,” Austin echos about the performance. “I loved the energy, loved the people and I’ll remember it forever. Thanks for allowing me to crash the party!”
Above: Shaylen and Austin John Winkler performing “Lips Of An Angel” at Nashville’s Whiskey Jam
Credit: Aly Marotte
Powerhouse vocalist Shaylen hopped on the song without hesitation. “It truly shaped so many musical moments for me when I was younger and getting to have the honor of telling the other side of the story so many years later was a no brainer for me,” she shares. “I can literally remember exactly where I was, what I was doing and even the smell of when I first heard this song on the radio… to hear Austin’s voice followed by mine literally had me in tears.”
Throughout the whole process together, the two artists found they have a lot of similarities. “Shaylen’s a firecracker with a very cool and unique voice,” Austin praises. “I was very excited to see what she was going to bring to the song and she knocked it out of the park. She’s a great songwriter and artist who also writes about her experiences and struggles with love. We relate a lot in that way I think.”
Above: Austin John Winkler and Shaylen; Credit: Taylor Ballantyne