Colbie Caillat talks country, covers, collabs ahead of Columbus Commons show
Most pop radio listeners first encountered singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat's cool-as-a-California-beach-breeze voice on her 2007 breakthrough hit, "Bubbly."
If you were a MySpace junkie, you might remember the song blowing up on the social media network, where Caillat (rhymes with "ballet") went from not knowing how to post music to becoming one of the site's most popular unsigned artists.
Years later, Caillat has headlined tours, scored several more hits, won two Grammys, written songs for other artists and worked with industry titans from Babyface to Taylor Swift. And that's just the condensed version of what the 39-year-old musician has done since her auspicious beginning online.
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Next, she and fellow singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw — with whom she sang the Grammy-nominated duet "We Both Know” — are coming to Columbus Commons for a free concert at 7 p.m. Sunday.
All tickets for the show have been claimed, so if you missed out, shoot for the Sugar Ray concert Aug. 25. Free tickets are to be released at 10 a.m. on July 31 at columbuscommons.org/events/common-ground.
The Dispatch recently caught up with Caillat, a native Californian now living in Nashville, to discuss her latest album, "Along the Way," her dream collaborations, her friendship with DeGraw and more.
Question: You've been busy these past few years. You were in a band, you toured, you released a country album. What else have you been up to?
Colbie Caillat: All of those things! (Laughs) I've also been trying to find a good balance with work and home life. I love living in Nashville. I have so many great friends here. I can work in this town, travel and work and come home to a really fun town. So, I've just been living life.
Question: "Along the Way" is a departure for you, but your voice sounds comfortable with country. What inspired you to switch gears?
Caillat: It's been a natural progression. Since the beginning of my career, I've been coming to Nashville; it really felt like home away from home. Even though I was categorized as pop, I never felt like I did pop.
I wasn't like, "Oh, I'm going to do a country album." I love steel guitar and dobro… it just feels kind of natural.
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Question: So country wasn't as big a leap for you as, say, Beyoncé or Post Malone?
Caillat: The interesting thing about being a songwriter, it's how the song is produced and what you do with it. All of those artists have been produced more pop and urban. I love Beyoncé on piano and guitar. It's amazing when artists can explore other genres.
Question: You've done some great covers including Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly," Lauryn Hill's "Tell Him" and Sister Sledge's "We Are Family." What other songs do you enjoy covering?
Caillat: Lately, I've been covering Post Malone's "Circles" and Brooks & Dunn's "Neon Moon." I grew up with all different genres of music; I was raised on harmonies and heartbreaking lyrics, which I absolutely love. Now I think I might need to start finding a new batch of songs to make my own.
Question: The aforementioned cover songs lean heavily toward R&B. How did you come by your love for the genre?
Caillat: I was raised on classic rock, reggae and R&B. The first time I knew I wanted to sing was when I heard Lauryn Hill sing "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" in "Sister Act 2." That someone's voice could sound that beautiful and effortless is amazing. Even her work with the Fugees, I love that record and "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."
Question: Who would you love to collaborate with?
Caillat: Post Malone, Coldplay — working with Chris Martin would be a dream, Morgan Wallen. I am making a collaboration album with a lot of artists; it's in the works. I've been talking about doing it for four or five years, then the pandemic happened. Now, it just feels right.
Question: Speaking of collaborating, you and Gavin DeGraw performed here last year at a benefit. Have you worked together since or will this be a reunion?
Caillat: We're best friends; we see each other all the time! He's in Nashville a lot of the time. We went onstage with (country-pop singer) Brett Young (recently). There's always something we're doing.
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Question: Are you singing together at the upcoming show or doing separate sets?
Caillat: Both! We each do our own set, then do roughly 30 minutes together. Gavin has one of my favorite voices I've ever heard. We'll be sharing a band and doing all of our songs throughout our careers, plus some cover songs together. It'll be a mix-up of him and me with audience interaction. It's going to be really fun with good energy.
Question: What's coming down the road for you?
Caillat: We just have a week of shows this August, playing some festivals in California and Florida and the U.K. I took a lot of the summer off to travel for fun. I have a lot of trips booked with friends and family that I'm really looking forward to.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Singers Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw to perform at Columbus Commons
