Thompson Square Find Teamwork Is Key to Their Success

Thompson Square's Keifer and Shawna Thompson are more than ready for the challenges of becoming country music's latest duo sensation, since teamwork has pretty much been their middle name since first meeting and falling in love back in 1996. The husband and wife have been working and writing songs together non-stop ever since -- in fact, they only quit their last job, working together as bartenders at Nashville watering hole, The Wheel, just a year ago, when stardom finally came knocking.

"We bussed tables, hosted at the Nashville Palace," Shawna tells USA Today. "I did photography for a little while and Keifer did graphic design, so we worked together doing that. We bartended together. It just goes on and on."

The two started performing together after they married back in 1999, and they found inspiration and actually wrote their first song together in the same place Irving Berlin wrote 'White Christmas' -- beside the pool at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. "We were like, we ought to write a song today since we're here," said Shawna. "It inspired us." The song, 'Not Far Enough,' was included on an indie album the two released several years ago.

Their self-titled debut was produced by members of Jason Aldean's band, and includes the smash first single, 'Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,' which has already sold more than 500,000 downloads. The tune has struck a chord with listeners with its candid spunk and catchiness, and is a perfect introduction for the couple, who recall their own first kiss 15 years ago now.

"She was laying in my lap on a love seat in my apartment," recalls Kiefer. "We were watching TV. We had that proverbial look into each other's eyes. And she started doing the turtle neck -- you know, started sticking her neck up, lips out, ready to rock." Shawna agrees with Kiefer's assessment of the romantic moment, except for the animal magnetism was a different animal entirely, according to her.

"I had the giraffe neck, giraffe neck's better," adds Shawna.

The two are big hockey fans, so it's pretty apropos that their kissing hit is used at every Nashville Predators game during the kiss-cam segment where couples are encouraged to pucker up publicly. Other hockey franchises are reportedly adopting the song as well. "That's why we got into this business, to take over the kiss-cam franchise" Kiefer tells NHL.com, laughing.

Shawna co-wrote nine of the songs on the duo's self-titled album, which has already sold 50,000 copies in its first few weeks of release, and they'll no doubt be working together again constantly this year as they take their music to country fans around the country, which is just the way they like it. They performed their hit single on the 'Tonight Show With Jay Leno' last week.