Sophomore Follow-Up To Record-Breaking Online/iTunes Phenom, 1. 8 Million Selling Trailblazing Debut Album COCO.
Platinum-plus, award winning Universal Republic star Colbie Caillat is readying her sophomore album, Breakthrough, for an August 25th release.
The Malibu-based singer/songwriter, whose subtle style and mesmerizing vocals captured a global following via the social networking site myspace long before her near-double platinum trailblazing debut album COCO hit in 2007 – is working with an impressive array of producers, songwriters, and artists on the new album, including John Mayer, Grammy winning songsmiths such as Rick Nowels (Madonna, Nelly Furtado, Dido and others), John Shanks (Michelle Branch, Celine Dion and others), as well as acclaimed songwriter and newly appointed American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi (Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood).
“I can’t wait to share all my new songs with everyone,” says Colbie. “I’ve taken this time to look back at where I was and realized I’ve broken through a personal barricade, which is why I’ve named the album ‘Breakthrough.’ I came home in December after two solid years of touring and promotion and knew I had to find myself again. It requires a lot of discipline to open yourself up to new influences and break the chains around you creatively. I must say this process has been the greatest learning experience for me. It’s so great to be working and writing in new ways, with old friends and new.”
The hard working artist has written or co-written more than 40 songs for the new album, and is currently refining the material that will complete the much anticipated sophomore effort. Colbie set up a hi-octane ‘writing camp’ in Hawaii last year, inviting familiar collaborators Jason Reeves and Mikal Blue (who co-produced/co-wrote and helped mold her debut smash) and Kara DioGuardi to the creative free-for-all.
DioGuardi said, “Oh, gosh, she’s so incredible. What an incredible voice and just a great songwriter. We spent a few days in Hawaii writing, it’s pretty amazing. I love what we’ve done and I love what she’s done with the other writers. I think it’s gonna be an incredible album.”
Colbie Caillat burst on to the music scene in July of 2007 with COCO, gaining unprecedented notoriety prior to the release of the acclaimed album as one of the emerging ‘do-it-yourselfers’ in the digital realm. Cited as the #1 unsigned artist on myspace at the time, her unscripted rise attracted a passionate online audience across the globe. Hailed at the beginning of 2007 by Rolling Stone magazine as the music scene’s most promising undiscovered star (Universal Republic Records welcomed her into the fold soon after), her laid-back song “Bubbly” and subsequent album COCO connected with fans via a groundswell of word-of-mouth excitement that helped vault her to the top of the online, radio and video charts: The CD debuted with a record breaking opening on iTunes’ coveted Albums chart within hours of its release, scoring a Top 5 landing on its first go-around on the Billboard Top Albums chart (the song hovered amid the top echelon of the charts for months and even returned to the Top Ten for a second run in the fall of ’07). “Bubbly” hit #1 on the Triple A and Hot AC formats, garnering more than 100 million in radio audience, with her world-famous myspace site setting record after record in online popularity, currently nearing an astounding 50 million visits by fans.
Colbie was nominated for a host of honors in 2007-2008, including an American Music Award and Teen Choice Awards, winning 6 coveted 2008 WORF Awards (handed out by a survey of online critics and bloggers), including Female Icon Of The Year. She wowed live audiences in a slew of multiple sold out U.S. tours, including a highly-praised trek with John Mayer, and international jaunts throughout Europe, Australia, Japan and South America (her single and album reached the upper-chart stratosphere in those territories, as well as Canada, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand and others). 2008 saw the star continue her reign, with her second single “Realize” also climbing to the Top 5 of multiple formats, as “Bubbly” and “Realize” ‘owned’ the charts for Top 40, Hot AC, Digital Songs, the Billboard Hot 100 and even Radio Disney. The artist also collaborated with other stars on numerous hit songs, including a duet with country sensation Taylor Swift on the song “Breath,” and an acclaimed coupling with singer/songwriter Jason Mraz on his song “Lucky.” The two friends created even more buzz about their collaborative chemistry thanks to recent knockout live duets of the hit on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and The Ellen Degeneres show.
Colbie also stretched her creative wings on closer-to-the-hearth projects, like penning a song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, “Somethin’ Special,” and releasing a deluxe edition of COCO in the latter part of 2008 that featured 8 new tracks, many of which she had enjoyed playing live on her numerous tours, such as the Bob Marley cover “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” and Lauren Hill’s “Tell Him.” Celebrated by media outlets from People Magazine to ABC’s The View as one of the artist development stories of the decade (the Washington Post calls her one of the ‘few genuine breakouts’), Colbie’s aptly titled new album is positioned as one of the most anticipated sophomore releases in recent years.
