StarNight 2014, a gala supporting the programs and services of Siskin Children’s Institute, is set for Aug. 16 with headliner Colbie Caillat performing. Just over two months before the event, Ms. Caillat has released her new EP, Gypsy Heart – Side A, on iTunes with an accompanying lyric video for the EP’s first single, “Try.” The new album immediately charted on iTunes Top 40 and the lyric video for “Try” has cameos from Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and more.
“Colbie is such an amazing singer/songwriter and performer,” said John Farrimond, president of Siskin Children’s Institute. “To have the opportunity to bring her to Chattanooga when she has fabulous new songs to share is a great feeling. I expect that we will be seeing and hearing a lot from her over the next two months and beyond.”
For Gypsy Heart’s first single, “Try”, she joined forces with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Gently plucking an acoustic guitar along to a lush piano melody, the singer makes a statement about female body image. The lyric, “Put your makeup on, get your nails done, curl your hair, run the extra mile, keep it slim so they like you,” resonates at a time when there is pushback against the standards of unattainable beauty, said officials. For the song’s lyric video, she enlisted both fans and celebrities to appear without makeup, freeing themselves and embracing natural beauty. The chorus hit home that point – “You don’t have to change a single thing. You don’t have to try.”
To date, Ms. Caillat has been honored with two Grammy Awards and sold over six million albums and 10 million singles worldwide. Her breakthrough hit “Bubbly” remains "one of the best-selling digital tracks in history" and her multi-platinum debut Coco hit #5 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart upon release, while her sophomore set Breakthrough landed at #1. From 2011’s All of You, “Brighter Than The Sun” went platinum and enjoyed over 20 film and television placements, while seeing acclaim from People and NY Post. She’s also played sold out venues everywhere alongside everybody from John Mayer to Sheryl Crow. Beyond music, she’s an spokesperson and supporter for the the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, Farm Sanctuary, Surfrider Foundation, and Save The Music.
“I just want to write songs that stay with people,” said Ms. Caillat. “If fans can listen to my music on repeat, that’s amazing. And play my songs during memorable moments in their life, I know I want that more than anything.”