Callista Clark

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Callista Clark
A young Callista Clark performs the national anthem, holding a microphone in her hand. The American flag is visible in the background.
Callista Clark singing the national anthem at age 13
Background information
Birth nameCallista Renee Clark
Born (2003-09-29) September 29, 2003 (age 20)
OriginZebulon, Georgia
Occupation(s)Country singer
Years active2021–present
LabelsBig Machine
Websitehttps://callistaclark.com/

Callista Renee Clark (born September 29, 2003)[1][2] is an American country music singer from Zebulon, Georgia. She released her debut EP, Real to Me, on February 12, 2021, with the EP's lead single "It's 'Cause I Am" peaking at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Early life[edit]

Callista Clark was born on September 29, 2003.[3][4] Raised in Zebulon, Georgia, Clark claims she was "singing since I could talk", and that the first place she ever sang was at a church where her grandfather was a pastor. Clark told Songwriter Universe that she learned ukulele at the age of 10, and began playing the guitar at the age of 11, later learning more instruments such as the piano.[5] In an interview with iHeartRadio, Clark said that she wrote her first song at the age of 11, initially as a poem in a school poetry contest, which was called "Wildfire".[6] At the age of 12, Clark performed with Jennifer Nettles at a 4-H event.[7][8][9] She gained fame with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain? posted on Facebook, which received 29 million views. She signed with Big Machine Records at the age of 15.[10]

Career[edit]

Callista Clark released her first EP on February 12, 2021 with Big Machine Records, entitled Real to Me. Clark co-wrote all 5 songs on the EP, which was produced by Nathan Chapman.[11] "It's 'Cause I Am" impacted country radio as the EP's lead single on March 29, 2021. "It's 'Cause I Am" was described by Billboard critic Tom Roland as "mining the clash between others' perception of her outward teen appearance and her inner reality", calling her voice's timbre "older than her chronological age".[12] The song reached as high as 22 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.[13] In an interview with Country Now on May 19, 2021, Clark said that she had "tons of songs from [the beginning of her career] to where I am now that I'm just dying to put out", hinting towards the possible release of new music.[7] On July 30, 2021, Clark debuted at the Grand Ole Opry. She shared the news on her Instagram page on July 16, writing that "this is an absolute dream come true".[14] Clark will be opening on the majority of dates of Chris Young's Famous Friends tour.[15] On October 14, 2022, Clark released her debut album Real to Me: The Way I Feel.[16]

Musical influences[edit]

Callista Clark has said that, while growing up, she listened to country music from the 1980s and the 1990s, citing artists such as Travis Tritt, Randy Travis and The Judds as inspirations, also mentioning that she was a fan of Ingrid Andress' songwriting and confidence. Clark has named Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett as musicians that she admires, saying that "it would mean the world to me to be successful as a writer of my own songs and even for other artists, just like [Combs and Rhett] do".[6] Clark stated in an interview that she had "grew up singing LeAnn Rimes and Taylor Swift songs and admired them in their careers".[5]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

Title Details
Real to Me: The Way I Feel

EPs[edit]

Title Details
Real to Me

Singles[edit]

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Country
Songs
[17] 		US
Country
Airplay
[13] 		CAN
Country
[18]
"It's 'Cause I Am" 2021 30 20 43 Real to Me: The Way I Feel
"Gave It Back Broken"[19] 2022 — — —

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Who is Callista Clark? Get To Know the Young Fearless Songstress". Country Thang Daily. 14 December 2021. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ^ "DON'T NEED IT ANYMORE". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  3. ^ @callistaclark (30 September 2018). "It's my birthday y'all so I'm #winning 💜 (shout out to my adorable little cousin and sister) . . . #birthday #birthdaypost #imwinning #socute #lovethisvid #cousin #sister #15 #september #not14 #cute #funny" – via Instagram.
  4. ^ Black, Lauren (31 March 2021). "Country Next: Callista Clark". Country Now. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021. Callista Clark may be only 17 years old...
  5. ^ a b Kawashima, Dale (21 July 2021). "Talented Young Country Artist Callista Clark Breaks Through With Her Debut Hit Single, "It's 'Cause I Am"". Songwriter Universe. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b Fields, Taylor (20 May 2021). "Callista Clark Reveals How 'It's Cause I Am' Introduces Her In A 'Bold' Way". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b O'Connell, Madeleine (19 May 2021). "Callista Clark On Her Breakout Success: 'It's All Very Surreal'". Country Now. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  8. ^ Crone, Madeline (8 June 2021). "17-Year-Old Callista Clark Catches the Attention of Those Who Doubted Her with Single "It's 'Cause I Am" from Debut EP". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021. One of Clark's earliest performances was joining Nettles onstage as part of a 4-H event.
  9. ^ "CALLISTA CLARK TAKES "IT'S 'CAUSE I AM" TO LIVE WITH KELLY & RYAN (4/30)". Big Machine Label Group. Big Machine Records. 23 April 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021. From when she first stepped on stage to perform with Jennifer Nettles at 12 years old...
  10. ^ Turner, Rianna (12 February 2021). "Teen Callista Clark Is A Rising Country Radio Star". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  11. ^ Papadatos, Markos (12 February 2021). "Meet Callista Clark: Rising teen country singer-songwriter". Digital Journal. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  12. ^ Roland, Tom (14 April 2021). "Makin' Tracks: Old-Soul Callista Clark Raitts Highly On Debut Single, 'It's 'Cause I Am' By Tom Roland". Billboard. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Country Airplay: November 6, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "Callista Clark To Make Opry Debut: "This Is An Absolute Dream Come True"". Music Mayhem. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  15. ^ Hudak, Joseph (2 August 2021). "Chris Young Announces Famous Friends Headlining Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  16. ^ Annie Reuter (October 14, 2022). "Callista Clark Shares What's 'Real To Me' on Debut Album". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Hot Country Songs Chart: Week of November 6, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Canada Country: November 13, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  19. ^ "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". AllAccess. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022.
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