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 (/koʊlbi kæˈleɪ/ kohl-BEE-_-KAL-ay; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She became famous online in 2005 through the social networking website Myspace.

Colbie signed with Universal Republic Records to release her first album, Coco (2007). This album included popular songs like "Bubbly" and "Realize". Coco reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over two million copies.

At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Colbie won a Grammy for "Lucky", a duet with Jason Mraz. Her second album, Breakthrough (2009), was nominated for a Grammy. She also won "Album of the Year" for her work on Taylor Swift's album Fearless (2009). Breakthrough was a number-one album and featured the hit song "Fallin' for You".

Her third album, All of You (2011), included the song "Brighter Than the Sun". She also released a Christmas album called Christmas in the Sand (2012). Her fifth album, Gypsy Heart (2014), featured the inspiring song "Try". From 2018 to 2020, Colbie was part of a country music group called Gone West.

Colbie Caillat has sold more than six million albums and over 10 million singles around the world. In 2009, Billboard magazine recognized her as one of the top-selling music artists of the 2000s.

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, and grew up in Newbury Park, California. Her father, Ken Caillat, was a music producer who worked on famous albums for the band Fleetwood Mac. When Colbie was a baby, her parents gave her the nickname "Coco," which she later used as the title for her first album.

Colbie took piano lessons when she was young. However, she didn't feel truly inspired until she was 11 years old. This was when she saw Lauryn Hill perform in the movie Sister Act 2. After that, Colbie knew she wanted to be a singer. She started taking vocal lessons and performed on stage for the first time in sixth grade.

Later, Colbie met a music producer named Mikal Blue. He hired her to sing on techno songs used in fashion shows. When Colbie was 19, she started playing the acoustic guitar, and Mikal Blue helped her record her very first song.

Colbie tried out for American Idol twice, but she was not chosen to sing for the judges. She even sang her own song, "Bubbly", during her second audition. Colbie later said she was glad they said no, because she was shy and not ready for such a big stage yet. Her popularity on MySpace helped her become the top unsigned singer in her music style for four months in a row.

Rising to Fame with Coco (2007–2008)

Colbie Caillat performing in 2007

Colbie Caillat's first album, Coco, came out in July 2007. It quickly became very popular, selling 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 and was certified platinum.

In November 2007, she released the Christmas song "Mistletoe", which became the most downloaded holiday song that year. The second song from Coco, "Realize", was released in January 2008 and also became a Top 20 hit.

Colbie also sang on "You" by Schiller and covered the Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun" for the movie Imagine That. She also provided background vocals and helped write Taylor Swift's song "Breathe" for the album Fearless.

Breakthrough and All of You (2009–2012)

Colbie Caillat performing during her Breakthrough World Tour

In January 2009, Colbie Caillat released "Lucky", a duet with Jason Mraz. This song became very popular and won a Grammy Award.

Colbie's second album, Breakthrough, was released in August 2009. She wrote most of the songs with her friend Jason Reeves. Colbie had some trouble writing songs at first, so she went to Hawaii with her friends Kara DioGuardi and Jason Reeves. They rented a beach house and wrote many songs there.

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

Colbie's third album, All of You, was released in July 2011. It featured a guest appearance by rapper Common on the song "Favorite Song". The album's first single, "I Do", was released in February 2011 and was a success. The second single, "Brighter Than the Sun", was released in May 2011.

Christmas and Gypsy Heart (2012–2015)

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

Colbie Caillat released a Christmas album called Christmas in the Sand in October 2012. It included songs with other artists like Brad Paisley and Gavin DeGraw.

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 also sang the national anthem at a 2013 World Series baseball game.

Her song "Try" was released in June 2014 as the main song from her album Gypsy Heart. Colbie wrote "Try" with Babyface and Jason Reeves. She said the song is about feeling insecure and learning to be confident. The music video for "Try" showed Colbie and other women removing their makeup, which sent a powerful message about natural beauty. The song became very popular and sold over a million copies in the USA.

Gypsy Heart was released in September 2014. It included songs written with Max Martin and Johan Carlsson. Colbie also helped write "Chasing the Sun" for Hilary Duff.

New Label and The Malibu Sessions (2016–2017)

In 2016, Colbie Caillat decided to leave her major record label and start her own independent label called PlummyLou Records. She also moved to Nashville, a city famous for music.

In July 2016, Colbie released "Goldmine," the first song from her new album, The Malibu Sessions. The album came out in October 2016. "Goldmine" was a hit on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, and The Malibu Sessions reached the top 40 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It also did well on the 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" by Sister Sledge for a campaign called "Women to Women."

Gone West and Recent Music (2018–Present)

In 2018, Colbie Caillat formed a band called Gone West. She was in the band with her fiancé Justin Young, her friend Jason Reeves, and his wife Nelly Joy. The group performed for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry in October 2018. However, in August 2020, Colbie announced that the band had broken up.

In September 2020, Colbie was featured in the Disney+ series Becoming. In 2021, Colbie re-recorded her vocals for "Breathe", her song with Taylor Swift, for Fearless (Taylor's Version). This new version was released in April 2021.

In July 2021, Colbie signed with Creative Artists Agency. In September 2021, she released a cover of "White Christmas" with country singer Brett Young.

In early 2022, Colbie went on the Coco Live 15th Anniversary Tour. On this tour, she performed her first album Coco live from beginning to end. In October 2022, Colbie released "Iris", a cover of the famous song by the Goo Goo Dolls.

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

Colbie's eighth studio album, This Time Around, was announced in July 2025 and is set to be released in August 2025. This album will feature duet versions of her past hits, three new songs, and a cover of Post Malone's "Circles".

Music Style

Colbie Caillat is known for her deep, rich singing voice. She is famous for bringing a modern sound to folk-pop music. Her songs are often described as "sunny" and "beachy," with happy guitar sounds and upbeat drums. Her voice has been compared to singers from the 1970s, like Karla Bonoff and Nicolette Larson, and also to Sheryl Crow. Colbie has tried different music styles, including rock, hip-hop, country, and R&B, especially on her album Gypsy Heart.

Many people say Colbie Caillat was one of the first successful music artists to be discovered on Myspace. Some journalists even called her the "Queen of Myspace" because she was so popular there. Colbie sees herself as a songwriter first. She believes songwriting is like "amazing therapy" where she can express herself, and others can relate to her songs. She enjoys writing in bathrooms because of the echo, which helps her sing softly. She often writes songs with Jason Reeves, Kara DioGuardi, Toby Gad, and Jason Mraz. Colbie's song lyrics often talk about being strong and confident.

Colbie has shared that she used to suffer from stage fright (being nervous about performing in front of people) earlier in her career. She even wrote about this experience in her song "One Fine Line." By 2017, critics noticed that she had overcome her stage fright.

Personal Life

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

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

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)
• This Time Around (2025)

Film and TV Appearances

Concert Tours

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Colbie Caillat para niños