R&B flavored pop artist Cali is in a unique place to not only relate to her peers (along with those a little younger and slightly older) but she also has her fair share of life experiences and artistic leanings that are all well beyond her years. In the latter sense, she refuses to be a part of the pre-fabricated, manufactured, pretty as a picture pack, instead turning towards pure and powerful vocals, making songwriting with substance a priority and relying on natural beauty in place of highly tampered airbrushed imaging. Add in a desire to connect with tweens, teens and beyond with genuineness and relevance and this youngster makes for an extraordinarily compelling listen.
Cali Bio
At nineteen-years-old, R&B flavored pop artist Cali is in a unique place to not only relate to her peers (along with those a little younger and slightly older) but she also has her fair share of life experiences and artistic leanings that are all well beyond her years. In the latter sense, she refuses to be a part of the pre-fabricated, manufactured, pretty as a picture pack, instead turning towards pure and powerful vocals, making songwriting with substance a priority and relying on natural beauty in place of highly tampered airbrushed imaging. Add in a desire to connect with tweens, teens and beyond with genuineness and relevance and this youngster makes for an extraordinarily compelling listen.
“I’ve grown up dancing and singing since I was three years old and was performing in shows at Dollywood by the time I was nine,” says Cali, her sweet southern voice streaked in sincerity and enthusiasm. “It’s always been my way of expressing myself as I grew up and I recorded a demo and went on tour for the first time when I was sixteen. I sang about eight songs on each date, we had dancers, costume changes throughout the show, our own sound system and the music that fell somewhere between Britney Spears and Destiny’s Child.”
After generating buzz from those dates and those within Nashville (where she currently resides), Cali signed on with Waypoint Entertainment and crafted a brand new self-titled CD under producers Darrell Vanzant (former Director of A&R for Vivaton! Records, Mark Chesnutt, Chely Wright, Tonic Sol-fa), Sam Mizell (Jump 5, American Idol’s RJ Helton), and Ric Robbins (Multi-Grammy Award Winner, GRITS, TobyMac), plus mixing engineer extraordinaire Steve Hodge (Multi-Grammy Award Winner and the master engineer behind such acts as Janet Jackson, Sounds of Blackness, TLC, Toni Braxton, Usher, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, New Edition).
“As far as the pop side of what I do, I wanted to get a really fun feel,” she relates, citing Britney Spears, Stacie Orrico and Jessica Simpson as frequenting her CD player. “But I also wanted to put a message behind it with real substance that people can dig into.”
Several examples can be traced throughout the disc, which are loaded with a mixture of remarkable honestly and unbelievably fun expositions. “Sound So Good” offers empowerment to anyone struggling through a rocky relationship, the lead single “Get Up” talks about making the most of life, while “Can It Be” addresses the general struggles teenagers go through.
“Mainly with this CD, I wanted to bring my story to it,” explains Cali. “I want people to relate no matter where they are in life and so far audiences love it.”
Fans will have the chance to check out the show for themselves this coming fall as Cali hits the road in support of her national debut project. Already she is earning a name for herself on tour, opening dates for the incredible Tonic Sol-fa and a headlining spot on this past summer’s Camplified Tour with fellow teen acts Kristy Frank, Scarlett's Web and 3D. The tour was sponsored by Fender, Sonic Bids and PopStar! Magazine, previously hosting the likes of Fefe Dobson (Island Records), Skye Sweetnam (Capitol Records), Nikki Flores (Epic Records), Katelyn Tarver (American Idol Juniors) and Rose Falcon (Columbia Records). Cali was also invited out for this year’s ShoutFest 06, sharing the stage with Krystal Meyers, Building 429, SuperChick, Jump 5, Jessie Daniels, Day Of Fire, and By The Tree.
As for the future, Cali of course hopes to see her self-titled project get into the hands of as many people as possible. While fame, recognition and the chance to continue following her dreams are all factors in the process she stays grounded instead of succumbing to the spotlight.
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