Their win for Breakthrough Artist elicited the biggest press room gasps at last night’s American Music Awards (well, besides J.Lo falling) (oh, and Adam Lambert’s fellatio follies), because who on earth thought Gloriana would beat out Lady Gaga, Keri Hilson, and Kid Cudi to take the Stabby Trophy of Death™ home? And, more importantly, who on earth are Gloriana?

To country fans, they’re a familiar up-and-coming group that’s put in the miles opening for Taylor Swift’s 2009 Fearless tour, as well as Alan Jackson, the Zac Brown Band, Brooks & Dunn, and several others over the past couple years. Their first single, “Wild At Heart,” is the year’s highest-selling country debut. Back in July, the Music Mix streamed an exclusive live track (“The Way It Goes”) from the band, I confessed “Wild At Heart” makes me want to stab Care Bears, they very kindly sent me a signed Care Bear, and then I more or less panned their debut album when it dropped a week later. Happily, this Nashville foursome — brothers Tom and Mike Gossin, Rachel Reinert, and America’s Most Talented Kid winner Cheyenne Kimball — was able to speak to me yesterday without punching me in the face.

Fun fact: When I caught up with them, they’d just come from being mobbed by the photographers in the press room, and were still carrying the prop AMA they were given to hold. In all the excitement, they would go on to inadvertently steal the fake trophy and take it back to their hotel. No word on whether or not it has since been returned to Dick Clark Productions.

After the jump, Gloriana introduce themselves… (Read full post)