Colbie Caillat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colbie Caillat
Caillat in December 2023
Born	Colbie Marie Caillat (1985-05-28) May 28, 1985 (age 40) Malibu, California, U.S.
Other names	Coco
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2004–present
Partner(s)	Justin Young (2009–2020)
Parent(s)	Ken Caillat (father)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop folk-pop pop rock
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Labels	Republic PlummyLou

Colbie Marie Caillat (kohl-BEE-_-KƏ-lay; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She became famous in 2005 through the social media website Myspace. At that time, she was the top unsigned artist in her music style.

Colbie signed with Universal Republic Records and released her first album, Coco, in 2007. This album included popular songs like "Bubbly" and "Realize". It reached number five on the Billboard 200 music chart. Her song "Lucky" with Jason Mraz won a Grammy Award in 2010. Her second album, Breakthrough (2009), went straight to number one on the Billboard 200. She also won a Grammy for Album of the Year for her work on Taylor Swift's album Fearless.

Colbie Caillat has sold over six million albums and more than 10 million songs worldwide. In 2009, Billboard magazine named her one of the best-selling music artists of the 2000s.

Colbie Caillat's Life and Music Journey

Early Life and First Steps in Music (1985–2006)

Colbie Caillat performing in 2007

Colbie Caillat was born in Malibu, California. She grew up in Newbury Park, California. Her father, Ken Caillat, was a music producer. He helped produce famous albums for the band Fleetwood Mac. When Colbie was a baby, her parents nicknamed her "Coco." She later named her first album after this nickname.

Colbie took piano lessons when she was young. But she truly found her passion for music at age 11. This happened after she saw Lauryn Hill perform in the movie Sister Act 2. She decided she wanted to be a singer. She started taking vocal lessons and first performed on stage in sixth grade.

Colbie later met producer Mikal Blue. He hired her to sing on techno songs for fashion shows. At 19, Colbie started playing the acoustic guitar. Mikal Blue helped her record her very first song.

She tried out for the TV show American Idol twice. Both times, she was not chosen to sing for the main judges. The second time, she sang her own song, "Bubbly". Colbie said she was glad they said no. She felt she was too shy and not ready for it back then.

Her profile on Myspace became very popular. This made her the number-one unsigned singer in her music style for four months.

First Album: Coco (2007–2008)

Colbie Caillat performing in 2007

Colbie's first album, Coco, came out in July 2007. It was a big success. The RIAA gave it a double platinum award. This means it sold over two million copies in the U.S.

The first song from the album, "Bubbly", was a huge hit. It reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also number one on other adult music charts for many weeks. "Bubbly" sold over 2.6 million downloads in the U.S. Colbie also released a Christmas song called "Mistletoe" in 2007. It was the most downloaded holiday song that year.

The second song from Coco, "Realize", came out in January 2008. It reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Colbie also sang on songs for other artists and movie soundtracks. She sang background vocals and helped write Taylor Swift's song "Breathe" for the album Fearless.

New Albums: Breakthrough and All of You (2009–2012)

Colbie Caillat performing during her Breakthrough World Tour

In January 2009, Colbie released "Lucky" with Jason Mraz. Her second album, Breakthrough, came out in August 2009. Many songs on this album were co-written with her friend Jason Reeves. Colbie and her friends went to Hawaii to write songs for the album.

Breakthrough debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It sold 106,000 copies in its first week. This was a big improvement from her first album. The album was later certified gold. The first song from Breakthrough, "Fallin' for You", was released in June 2009. It reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

Colbie's third album, All of You, was released in July 2011. It featured a guest appearance by rapper Common. This album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200. The first song from this album, "I Do", was released in February 2011. It reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second song, "Brighter Than the Sun", came out in May 2011.

Christmas Album and Gypsy Heart (2012–2015)

Colbie Caillat with her longtime friend and co-writer Jason Reeves

Colbie released a Christmas album called Christmas in the Sand in October 2012. It included songs with other artists like Brad Paisley and Gavin DeGraw. She also started working on her fourth album.

In 2013, Colbie and Gavin DeGraw wrote the song "We Both Know" for the movie Safe Haven. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award. Colbie's song "Try" was released in June 2014. The music video for "Try" showed Colbie and other women without makeup. It became very popular for its message about self-acceptance.

Her fourth album, Gypsy Heart, was released in September 2014. It was produced by Babyface. The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart. Colbie also helped write the song "Chasing the Sun" for Hilary Duff.

New Label and The Malibu Sessions (2016–2017)

In 2016, Colbie left her major record label. She started her own independent label called PlummyLou Records. She also moved to Nashville that year.

In July 2016, Colbie released "Goldmine." This was the first song from her new album, The Malibu Sessions. The album came out in October 2016. "Goldmine" was popular on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart. The Malibu Sessions reached the top 40 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It also reached number seven on the Billboard U.S. Independent Albums chart.

Colbie went on an acoustic world tour for The Malibu Sessions in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, she also recorded a cover of "We Are Family" for a campaign called "Women to Women."

Gone West and Solo Return (2018–Present)

From 2018 to 2020, Colbie was part of a country music band called Gone West. She formed the group with her fiancé Justin Young, Jason Reeves, and his wife Nelly Joy. The band performed at the Grand Ole Opry. In August 2020, Colbie announced that the band had broken up.

In 2021, Colbie re-recorded her vocals for "Breathe" with Taylor Swift. This new version was part of Fearless (Taylor's Version). In July 2021, Colbie signed with Creative Artists Agency. She also released a cover of "White Christmas" with country singer Brett Young.

In 2022, Colbie went on the Coco Live 15th Anniversary Tour. She performed her first album, Coco, live. In October 2022, she released a cover of the song "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Colbie recorded a new album in Nashville. Her new song "Worth It" came out in April 2023. She announced her new album Along the Way, which was released in October 2023. This is her first solo country album.

Colbie Caillat's Music Style

Colbie Caillat has a deep, rich singing voice. Her music is known as folk-pop. It often has a modern sound. People describe her music as "sunny" with "beachy" tunes. These songs often have bouncy guitars and upbeat drums. Her voice is sometimes compared to Sheryl Crow.

Colbie has tried different music styles. These include rock, hip-hop, country, R&B, and dance music. She explored these styles on her album Gypsy Heart. Some people think her music also has jazz influences.

Many people say Colbie Caillat was one of the first successful artists found on Myspace. Some journalists even called her the "Queen of Myspace." Colbie sees herself as a songwriter first. She says songwriting is like "amazing therapy." She enjoys writing songs in bathrooms because of the echo! She often writes songs with Jason Reeves.

Colbie used to have stage fright, which means she was very nervous performing in front of people. She even wrote a song about it called "One Fine Line." But over time, she has overcome this fear.

Colbie Caillat's Personal Life

Colbie Caillat was in a relationship with singer Justin Young from 2009 to 2020. They were engaged in 2015 but ended their engagement in 2020. Her 2023 song "Worth It" was inspired by this relationship and breakup.

Colbie supports many charities. These include Farm Sanctuary, United Service Organizations, Wish Upon A Hero, MusiCares, Earth's Call Fund, the Humane Society of the United States, and WE Charity.

Colbie Caillat's Albums

• Coco (2007)
• Breakthrough (2009)
• All of You (2011)
• Christmas in the Sand (2012)
• Gypsy Heart (2014)
• The Malibu Sessions (2016)
• Along the Way (2023)

Colbie Caillat on TV

Colbie Caillat's Tours

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Colbie Caillat para niños