Teen Callista Clark is a rising Country Radio Star

“Blue still feels blue when you’re green on the vine, real tears in your eyes / And water is still water, even if you haven’t felt it a thousand times,” says country artist Callista Clark , on the title track for her upcoming EP, True to me. Her debut album was released on Big Machine Records this year. But even though she is “green on the vine,” the 17-year-old country star has mature songwriting skills and emotional maturity.

According to Clark, she could sing before she could speak. It is native to Zebulon, Georgia, a city just about 1,000 hours south of Atlanta. There aren’t many venues – the city’s website lists “the oldest commercial building between Atlanta and Macon” as an attraction – so Clark learned to sing in his grandson’s church. He is a minister, and Clark conducts worship every Sunday with his brothers.

As children, Clark and her sisters started a family band, and played classic rock tours around town to appeal to the elderly. Although she was shy – she could sing before she could speak, because she did not speak in school until second grade – she fell in love with singing, and began to write her songs. themselves at the age of 11. But those songs were shared by a zero wreck audience. Clark was an inexperienced child, and questioned whether anyone would be interested in an 11-year-old child’s feelings.

“Everything I write comes from something I feel,” Clark says. “It was so hard to be open about how I was feeling, and listen to my own stories. It’s still sad. I remember thinking: what do I have to say that they would like to hear? ”

She soon realized that people could connect with her songs, which gave her comfort. Discovering that she was not alone in her feelings helped her to be more honest than writing songs.

“I always just try to be true to myself and be honest, and that takes me further than I ever thought possible,” Clark says. “The more open you can be, the better the song will be. I know that’s cheesy, or as something everyone says, but it’s so true. ”

While her songwriting skills put a dent in her contract, Clark was discovered by Big Machine after posting a cover on Facebook. She received 27 million views from Creedence Clearwater, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”. She completed her 15th year with a higher contract and Nashville celebrities such as Chris DeStefano, Jonathon Singleton, Liz Rose and Laura Veltz.

Her tendency towards introspection and timelessness is evident throughout True to me EP. The songs connect the old age and church music of the South Clark grew up with, as well as 90s and contemporary country radio tours. Her mature voice time and the quality of her words make it impossible to recognize her. Her youth is only visible in the subject, which often deals with feeling disrespectful.

“Sometimes, when I start saying something, like I think I love someone or I’m heartbroken, old people seem to try to get you to feel like you don’t feel as important or as real, ”says Clark. “But I’m sitting here, crying about it, so if I feel it, it has to be true. I wanted to say if you feel unheard of, it’s okay, I feel that way too. ”

The first single on the EP, “It’s Cause I Am,” releases on February 12. The song embodies the album’s theme in an unfamiliar affirmation of confidence. “If you want a one-size-fits-all, that’s fine, I understand,” she sings. “If I look too complicated for ya, that’s why I am. ”The song goes smoothly in the language of empowering country beats, like“ Man! I feel like a woman ”and“ GIRL ”of Maren Morris.

These days, Clark is getting her first record from her home in Georgia, and getting her GED online. When she’s not playing music, she designs clothes in one of her many magazines, shopping at her friends, or country four-wheelers. Although she opposes interpretation in many areas of her life, and admits that teenagers are allowed to change their minds, she is confident that she is a country girl who wants to write music for the rest of her life. life.