Colbie Caillat was famous before she even signed a record deal. Through the power of the internet she became the number one unsigned singer for four consecutive months after she put her song Bubbly on her MySpace page.The song was so popular it received ten million plays. This led to the young singer/song writer being chased by an army of record companies all desperate to sign this very popular new talent.She eventually signed with Universal Republic.With her already well established fan-base well and truly behind her she has recorded her debut album Coco and is currently on the promotional trail.Colbie took five minutes out of her busy schedule to chat to be me about her sensational rise to fame.
You were the number one unsigned singer in your genre for four months due to your MySpace page were you surprised by this and how did you react?
I was definitely surprised by it and I kept in touch with my fans on MySpace and I was very excited yeah.By putting my songs up on MySpace that got me to build a fan-base from all over the world online. It was a huge help building up a fan-base before being signed it let me know that people like my music and it also let the record label know that I had my own fan-base so not to change the music.Have you always wanted a music career?
Oh yeah for sure and my parents were always very supportive, they also wanted me to go to college and become a doctor, but they were very supportive for my music career because my dad was involved.
I took up the guitar quite late I was nineteen but before that I was young and I just liked to go and hang out with friends and not practise or work hard at anything, and then when I turned nineteen I realised that if I wanted to be a singer then I had to write my own songs.
When I was a lot younger I learnt from my dad a lot of the recording process and he was the one who told me that I should learn the guitar and write my own songs.
When I took up the guitar writing came very easily to me I wrote my first song just after my very first guitar lesson.
Why did you call the album Coco and how would you describe your music?
Coco was my nickname when I was a child which has always stuck with me.
My sound is acoustic pop its very sunny and optimistic music. You know a great song is pretty music, good melodies and lyrics that everyone can relate to.
You can listen to the album the whole way through, each song leads you to the next one and it's just one of those albums that you can put on and go all of the way.
Who are your musical influences?
I love all kinds of music but John Mayer, Lauryn Hill, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and classic rock like Fleetwood Mac are my top inspiration.
But I have been seeing lately all the albums that have been coming out recently have been very good like Amy Winehouse and James Morrison and John Mayer.
Did you have to record the album under any constraints from the record company?
No I had all my creative freedom, because we began recording before we got a record deal, and the label agreed to let me do it the way I wanted to.
You have just finished touring with the Goo Goo Dolls how was that?
It was amazing Lifehouse and the Goo Goo Dolls are who we toured with. They are such good performers with such good stage presence that me, a new comer to performing I learnt it and watched from them and they showed me how to be on stage.
Colbie Caillat's debut album Coco is released 8 October.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw