” A great song is one that you can listen to at any point in your life and relate to. If you can do that, then you’re a good artist.”
Prophetic words coming from anyone, but for 24-year-old music sensation Colbie Caillat, this is her code.
Combining an ability to write meaningful and thought-provoking music with a voice that blends pop, rock, soul and folk elements candidly, coherently and compassionately into a charming coffee-house concoction, Caillat is easily one of the best young musicians in the industry today.
Add in girl-next-door looks and warm smile and it’s quite possible the industry has just begun to hear what she is capable of.
Things didn’t start out quite as you’d expect for Caillat however. She managed to sneak on to the music scene- the same way her cinnamon-spiced lyrics catch up to you after multiple listens, before she officially broke on to it.
Originally shy and scared to take the stage, Caillat has worked hard to become casual and carefree with her audience.
“In high school, I was so confused,” she said. “I remember being so insecure and shy and so nervous about things. Looking back, I think I wasted so much time being so self-conscious and not feeling free. Now I’m like a daredevil.
“At one time, I was contemplating quitting my job because I was so scared to be on stage. I couldn’t handle the pressure. I had to really challenge myself and after a few months, I talked myself into loving this experience. I also realized I had to support this album and my upcoming tour with Howie Day this fall and slowly I began to relax more on stage and learn to really enjoy it.
Perhaps the reason for that is the way she started recording her music in the first place. After her friends posted her work on her Myspace page a few years back, she was the top unsigned artist on the site for over four months- all without ever appearing on a stage. Soon after, she was signed by Universal Republic Records and her first album “Coco” was a mega hit. The video of the album’s lead single, “Bubbly,” garnered over 30 million views on Youtube and the album grossed over six million single-track digital downloads since its release.
It’s still something that surprises her.
“My friends put up my songs on Myspace and I ended up getting a record deal,” she said. “That just doesn’t happen. I’ve always said I wanted to be a singer when I grew up and it happened, but it’s still unbelievable.”
One reason why that dream was always so clear to Caillat was the presence of her dad, Ken, a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol, Frank Sinatra, Pat Benatar, Wilson Phillips, the Beach Boys and many more acts over the course of his lengthy career.
Nevertheless, Papa Caillat, far from a proponent of nepotism, had some words of wisdom for his daughter when he found out she wanted to get into the business.
“My father didn’t want me to get involved in the business when I wasn’t ready for it,”Caillat said. “I was this really shy singer who didn’t write songs or play an instrument yet and I wasn’t going to make it. He knew it. He gave me the advice of becoming a songwriter and learning to play an instrument so I could get there on my own and it worked. I don’t think it would have if I didn’t do it this way.”
That process is still a developing one. Although Caillat doesn’t play any instruments on her new album, “Breakthrough,”she is competent enough musically to express herself and along with Jason Reeves, her main collaborator, she has a cardinal say in how her music is developed.
Add that to the “hot girl with a guitar” formula- one which men worldwide will never be able to get enough of, and Caillat may just be on to something.
Something that is continually being polished and redefined as she continues to tour and earn her stripes in the business.
“My voice has changed a lot [since her first album],” she said. “It’s gotten a lot stronger from performing an hour and a half every day and traveling the world. My songwriting has evolved a lot as well. I’ve learned new techniques and have begun to write from other perspectives and with other songwriters. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of different styles and different producers. As a result, the new album is very diverse and complex. It’s still my old style from Coco [her first album], but just a more grown-up version.”
Being able to sandwich all of these genres into something more than satisfying and make it absolutely succulent is something the savvy Caillat was seemingly destined to do. While many are quick to call her tunes simplistic, anyone listening can feel traces of musical legends James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and Fleetwood Mac in her work, making it instantly recognizable and enjoyable to the most novice of ear canals.
The fact that it’s done so easily may catch some by surprise, but in the end, it’s what her sound is all about.
“I love all styles of music and it was hard for me to just stick to one,” Caillat, who lists Bob Marley and Coldplay as some of her favorite performers, said. “I wanted to try to change it up in all of my songs. My first single, “Fallin’ for you,” is a summer pop love song and there are other songs that are more islandy with tints of reggae in there. “Breakin’ at the cracks” is another different song. It’s just me on the guitar and it’s very emotional- you can cry to it. I wanted that kind of variety.”
But when it comes to her friends and family, Caillat isn’t about to play with reggae beats and sing duets with Jason Mraz. Instead, she prefers to be a ‘voice’ of reason and a calming influence. She has even looked to her music to help them through tough periods of their lives, which she hopes makes up for all the birthdays, parties and weddings she’s missed over the past two years while traveling the world.
Quite a departure from the shy cutie that was scared to get on stage.
For the rest of the music-loving populace, her happy-go-lucky attitude alone may be enough to turn many more into fans, but her ability to write lyrics they feel were written personally for them may turn them into dedicated and life-long ones.
“I don’t like being sad or depressed or down,” Caillat said. “I feel like it’s a waste of time. I’d rather just get over it and do what I have to do to feel better and get out of it. I think it’s affected me and the way I write music. With ‘Breakin’ at the Cracks,’ one of my friends was going through a really hard time, where everything in her life was going bad, her worst low. I just wanted her to know that yes, bad things happen, but you can get through it. Everything eventually gets better and life will change and you’ll be happy again. I love being able to help people turn things around.
“I want my songs to help people fall in and out of love and get them through good and bad situations. I want them to learn from it in some way.”
I like Colbie Caillat and I love Coldplay..Glad to see she likes them also.
Good article