Born in Malibu but raised in Newbury Park, California, Caillat had a music producing father growing up but wasn’t inspired to be musical until hearing Lauryn Hill’s performance in the film “Sister Act 2”. Caillat began taking singing lessons and teaching herself how to play the guitar before meeting Mikal Blue who asked Caillat to sing on Techno songs for use a fashion shows through which the pair developed a professional relationship.
Caillat and Blue began collaborating and before long Jason Reeves joined the mix adding his artistic expertise. Caillat posted a number of her recorded songs onto the social media site MySpace but had a very limited response until posting the song “Bubbly”. The song became a hit, pulling in thousands of listens a day and the singer accumulated thousands of followers in no time at all. With over 14 million plays in total with a highly accessible and marketable sound, records labels began courting the singer and she signed to Universal Republic in 2006.
The singer’s debut album “Coco” was released in 2007 and was led by the singles “Bubbly”, “Realize” and “The Little Things”. Caillat supported the release with a tour alongside The Goo Goo Dolls and Lighthouse, before becoming the support act for John Mayer’s 2008 Summer Tour. In addition to these high-profile support slots, Caillat recorded a duet with Jason Mraz entitled “Lucky” and provided back-up vocals and co-wrote on Taylor Swift’s album “Fearless”, which swelled the singer’s fan base in a short space of time.
In 2009 Caillat released her sophomore album entitled “Breakthrough” featured the production and songwriting skills of Jason Reeves and Kara DioGuardi along with guitarist David Becker. The album produced the two singles “Fallin’ for You” and “I Never Told You” and the singer followed the release with a couple of Christmas songs “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and the Beach Boys song “Merry Christmas, Baby”.
Caillat has subsequently released her third album “All of You” in 2011 and a Christmas album “Christmas in the Sand” featuring collaboration with Brad Paisley, Gavin DeGraw and Justin Young in October 2012. In 2013 the singer announced a new album and released the single “Hold On” and an EP entitled “Gypsy Heart (Side A) appeared in 2014 with the new single “Try”.
The singer has won two Grammy Awards the first as a featured artist on Taylor Swift’s 2010 album “Fearless” and another for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for the song with Jason Mraz “Lucky”.
Since stepping onto the scene in 2007 with her debut album, ‘Coco,’ Colbie Caillat is the quintessential California girl next door. From her casual style to her laidback vibe, her performances quickly put you at ease and make you forget about any of the stresses you had during the week.
Seeing her for the first time during a special performance at the W Hotel in Hoboken, N.J. was a treat as I already fell in love with her first album. With her all-male backup band, she sang to a small crowd of about 50 in one of the hotel’s event rooms. And although this was not the traditional stage that she would be used to performing on, Colbie, the daughter of Ken Caillat, co-produer of ‘Rumours,’ commanded the floor as if it were a stage in a packed club. Singing hits like ‘Bubbly’ and ‘Fallin’ for You,’ she immediately drew the attention of all the teen and tween girls in the crowd who looked on with sheer admiration. As for the older attendees, her music about first loves, innocent crushes and even curing a heartbreak with nothing else but a bottle of our favorite whisky or wine revived the times when we, especially I, felt freer. While I was still in my mid 20s at the time, songs like ‘Midnight Bottle’ and ‘Realize’ brought me back to a moment in my life when I felt like I didn’t have as many responsibilities.
However like me, Colbie as well as her music has grown and has put out four studio LPs and a Christmas record. Performing on a number of headlining tours and even more sporting events, I’ve always favored her smaller gigs. Because of the lightness and calm in her voice, large crowds seem to take away from the intimacy of the show.
Whether it’s a heartbreaking ballad like ‘I Never Told You’ or a toe-tapping ukulele-strummed song like ‘I Do,’ a Colbie Caillat performance will also be a happy time and will probably make you crave a frozen margarita on the beach right after.