The big Colbie Caillat 'breakthrough'

I met Colbie Caillat last year at the lobby of a hotel in Tokyo when I was there to interview Mariah Carey. I was with MCA Music’s Grace Foronda and MYX’s Andre Alvarez. It was a “hi/goodbye” chance encounter. She was there to promote an album, I guess. I hardly remembered her name.

I should have known that Colbie was a sensation more than two years ago on Myspace which named her “the No. 1 Unsigned Artist” after her song became a hit in barely six months. She was one of the emerging “do-it-yourselfers” in the digital realm who attracted a passionate on-line audience across the globe. She was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as the music scene’s most promising “undiscovered star.”

Colbie released Coco, her debut album, in 2007. She earned a few honors that same year and the next from, among other award-giving bodies, the American Music Awards and Teen Choice Awards, winning six coveted 2008 WORF trophies handed out by a survey of on-line critics and bloggers, including Female Icon of the Year.

Any day now, Colbie is releasing her sophomore album called Breakthrough (distributed locally by MCA Music).

I did an exclusive one-on-one phone interview with her a few days ago.

Excerpts:

Why did you call your second album Breakthrough?

“Because I wanna break through. I have broken through my fear, my stage fright, and all my personal insecurities since I was younger.”

In Breakthrough, you are doing songs with the likes of John Mayer. How was it working with him?

“Actually, John and I didn’t do a song together but we did work together in another project. He’s one of the most talented artists that I’ve ever known. I learned so much from him. I watched him perform and I learned from how he did it.”

Is it true that you wrote and co-wrote more than 40 songs from which you chose those to be included in your album?

“I went through all the songs that I wrote and I chose my 25 favorites. After I recorded them, I let my family and friends and 20 of my fans listen to them. I asked them to help me draw the final list for my album.”

How different is Breakthrough from Coco, your first album?

“I guess my voice has matured a lot. It’s a lot stronger. I’ve been working with different songwriters and performing with several artists, and I have learned different techniques from them. I should say that Breakthrough is more well-rounded and more mature than Coco.”

Where do you draw inspiration from?

“I write songs from my personal experience whether happy or sad such as when I went through a break-up. It happened two years ago. I write songs about my family and my friends and the situations they are in. I care for them a lot.”

You were cited as the No. 1 “Unsigned Artist” on Myspace. You were a sensation on Myspace. How did you do it?

“I don’t know.” (Laughs) “I just told my friends to listen to my song on Myspace. Barely six months later, Myspace named me ‘The No. 1 Unsigned Artist.’ Soon after that, I got a record deal (from Universal Republic Records).”

You wrote a song called Somethin’ Special for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. What inspired you to write it?

“Yeah. Actually, I love sports. When I was younger, I was into a lot of sports and I dreamed of competing in the Olympics. But I ended up in music.”

Did you take formal lessons in music?

“I took some piano lessons. But aside from that, I didn’t have any formal education in music. I learned a lot by self study.”

Who are the musical influences in your life, your role models?

“Well, I really love the songwriting style of Bob Marley and John Mayer. My role model is Beyoncé, both as a singer and as a person. I can identify with what she’s singing about.”

Is there anybody in the family who is into music?

“No, there’s none. The person who really inspired me to become a singer is Lauren Hill. She has a way of touching your heart when she sings. That’s why I did a cover of her song Tell Him for my Coco album which also includes my cover of the Bob Marley song Turn Your Lights Down Low.”

The Washington Post described you as “one of the few genuine breakouts.” How do you feel about that?

“Oh, that’s wonderful; that means a lot to me. I’m honored that they feel that way about me.”

No laughing matter at Laffline

Here are excerpts of a letter from reader Manchu Fernandez:

Dear Ricky,

I’m writing to you because I want to air my sentiments regarding what I witnessed last Aug. 14 at Laffline Comedy Bar.

After having a despedida dinner for my balikbayan sister and her family, I decided to take her two daughters to Laffline Comedy Bar. I wanted to treat them to a night of laughter and fun before they go back to the States.

There was a lot of singing and we were enjoying. Some of the performers were good, really talented, and some were hilarious. I could see my two nieces giggling non-stop.

I have no problems with the vulgarity and profanity of the language, what do you expect from a comedy bar?

It was this number from Ace and Viray that made me fume. The two performed this “Miss Universe Beauty Pageant” thing. There was a parade of nations, so Misses So-and-So were called. When Miss Mongolia was called, one of them started mimicking the actions of a retarded child, so I needed not guess that they were obviously referring to a Mongoloid.

I am a parent of a special child myself. So it pained me to know how Ace and Viray could be so insensitive to the feelings of others, just because they wanted to make people laugh. They went beyond the borders of decency when they ridiculed and scorned the “supposedly” behavior of a special child. That was very unacceptable.

In the US, special children and persons with disabilities are given special treatment. They have special parking space, they have cards that entitle them not to fall in line when they go to theme parks. And ridiculing them in public or shows is very much prohibited.

These special children need the utmost understanding, care and support from normal people like us. They are actually “angels” because only their bodies are incomplete, but their souls are genuinely whole.

I hope your column can be a medium by which my concerns can be elevated to the appropriate parties. Thank you very much.

Yours in Christ,

— Menchu Fernandez

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