At only 23 years old, Caitlin Quisenberry has accomplished a lot; a golden ticket on American Idol, co-starring in a prime-time sitcom, and earned a degree in Philosophy – just to name a few. But it’s what’s happened in 2020 that has turned her dreams into reality. Since releasing her debut single “Blue” earlier this year, the Denver native has caught the eyes and ears of CMT, Nashville’s Off the Row and Spotify, among many others. Following the premiere of her music video for “Blue” on CMT, Caitlin released her second single “S.O.S” to more high praise, and finished the trifecta with her latest single “Let Love Die” on May 1, which CMT immediately added to their Round Up playlist.
We caught up with Caitlin to talk about her love of singing, her growing success and what’s to come – including some exciting news!
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
CQ: Sure! I’ve been singing my entire life. I come from a Christian family and my papaw (grandpa) is a Southern Baptist minister. He would breakout into song in the middle of his sermons and I always remember watching him in awe. He was so confident and could really command everyone’s attention. Growing up watching him and singing in church ended up being the perfect stepping stone to prepare me for when I began performing. My first performance was when I was only three years old. I was taking piano lessons and didn’t have much of an attention span at that age, so my piano teacher split my lesson between piano and singing. During the piano recital, I was her only student who played and sang. I remember one of my songs was “Three Blind Mice”. Another early performance I remember was in kindergarten when I sang, “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” at my elementary schools talent show. These early performance opportunities, coupled with my upbringing in church really solidified my comfort level of performing and singing. It just became who I am and what I loved to do. Along with this, I’ve always been a very creative person naturally. I got into acting, along with my singing, and had an agent and manager in LA. I was lucky enough to land my first national commercial at the age of twelve for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, playing tennis with Tony the Tiger. I then went on to be in a Super Bowl commercial for Doritos, as well as a co-star on the ABC sitcom “Black-ish”. Combined with acting, singing remained a huge part of my life growing up. I was in all the audition and top choirs throughout my school years, including all-state in high school. On top of this, I also had weekly private singing lessons with Michele Ienna. During my senior year in high school, I was crowned Miss Colorado’s Outstanding Teen and sang, “Anyway” by Martina McBride for my talent. My love for music followed me into college where I was classically trained. In 2018 I graduated with a degree in Philosophy and a vocal emphasis from Pepperdine University. My original plan was to take a gap year after graduating, then go to law school to become an entertainment attorney. In the midst of studying for the LSAT, I started to miss singing. So, one night I decided to just post a singing video on my Instagram (something I never did). I sang the song, “Millionaire” by Chris Stapleton. It ended up getting the attention of a producer out in Nashville. They loved my voice and invited me to come to Nashville. That’s really the moment that sent my life spinning in a different direction. I jumped tracks to pursue my true passion of singing as a career and I couldn’t be happier.
CN: With everything that’s going on in the world in regards to COVID-19, we hope everyone in your circle is safe and healthy. How are you holding up?
CQ: Yes, I’ve been very fortunate to have everyone in my close circle safe and healthy. While I had to cancel the filming of two of my music videos for “SOS” and “Let Love Die”, I’m thankful that I still have a roof over my head and a job. I think the hardest thing about COVID-19 is how different this is affecting everyone. I heard someone on Facebook put it perfectly. They said while we are all in the same storm, we are not going in the same boat. So I think it’s really important to remember that, and to not judge.
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
CQ: I really love Dolly Parton. I think it’s amazing how she has been able to continually reinvent herself and stay relevant throughout the years. I also love listening to a lot of the oldies as well, like from Linda Rhonstadt, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt. In regards to male artists, my all time favorites are Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers. They both have so much soul and emotion that they put into their songs; it’s something I always try to keep in mind and emulate in my own music.
CN: You have a Philosophy degree from Pepperdine University where you also studied vocal performance with a concentration on classic and sacred A Capella music, but you also studied for four months in Switzerland with renowned opera singer Karine Mkrtchyan. Was opera your first passion in music? How were you introduced to it?
CQ: No, I wouldn’t say opera was my first passion, but it is something overtime I have developed a real liking for. Studying in Lausanne, Switzerland with opera singer Karine Mkrtchyan, really gave me an appreciation and love for opera. She instilled different techniques in me that I use every time I sing. Having a classical background has given me a solid foundation to then cross over into any genre of music. It’s kind of like in dance, a lot of dancers will keep ballet as one of their classes, even if their primary genre is hip-hop. Being classically trained builds that strong foundation. As you know, the voice is a muscle, and so the more you work on your control and the technical training behind it, the stronger you will be.
CN: Which voice type are you? What is your favorite piece to sing?
CQ: In high school I sang soprano 2 and in college I sang Alto 1, so I’m in that definitely that middle range. I feel like my favorite piece to sing changes constantly, but one that seems to have stayed in the top over the years is “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. I also really like taking male songs and giving them a female twist.
CN: How did you decide to switch paths from an opera centered career to that of country music?
CQ: I have always loved country music. Growing up, many people told me I had this country yodel and twang to my sound. Then at Pepperdine, I was lucky enough to have a private instructor, Ida Nicolosi, who allowed me to experiment in my last two years with other genres besides classical. It was there that I got to hone in on country music and start refining my sound for that genre.
CN: What was the first album you ever owned?
CQ: That’s hard to remember. Probably ABBA. My mom used to throw the CD in the player and we would crank it up to full blast, singing and dancing around the house together.
CN: You just released your new single “Let Love Die.” That’s a heavy title. What was the inspiration behind the track?
CQ: It is a heavy title, and I think when people first hear the title they think it’s maybe a really dark and depressing song, but really it’s about letting go of the past and creating a space to be able to move on from it. The song begins from a place where you are left heartbroken and betrayed by the one you love. As the story progresses, there is a realization that sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to let that love die. This allows you to move on, heal, and create a space for a new love to form. It’s kind of like letting one love die, so a better love can form. So, I really don’t think of it as being dark or depressing.
CN: One of the details about your recent single releases and your upcoming EP is that the instrumentation was done only by live performances, and by some of the best in the business (Mark Prentice, Danny Parks, and Matthew Bubel). What was the reasoning behind that decision?
CQ: I love giving credit where credit is due. It’s definitely a team effort when it comes to creating a finished song, and I’m lucky to be surrounded by some pretty amazing people. When recording, I also like to grab as much of my scratch vocal as possible for the final mix. That vocal of us all playing together is what influences the musicians the most, and I love that organic sound.
CN: What is it like to have worked with Robert Cutarella (who, for those who don’t know, is a Multiple GRAMMY Award-Winning Producer/Songwriter who has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston)?
CQ: It was awesome! I was only fourteen years old at the time and really got my first taste of what it looks like to be a recording artist. He hired a full band, we put together a little EP of hand selected songs, and it was really a great experience all around. That experience gave me huge insight into how a song is put together, from the writers to the importance of what I lay down to the production. To this day we still keep in touch! When I lived in California, I did some backups in the studio for him on various projects as well. Robert actually reached out to me last week and said we should start writing songs together, so I’m pretty excited to see what we create from that!
CN: Since the release of your single “Blue” – which was only this February – you have earned a lot of attention from many media outlets. And now you have your new single out which CMT has already added to their “Round Up” playlist. How are you juggling everything? Have you been able to catch a breath?
CQ: Yes, things are definitely happening quickly, but it’s exactly how I like to roll! I like to get things done and work really hard and smart. So, while it has been pretty crazy, I wouldn’t want it any other way!
CN: One of those accolades was from Off the Row Magazine which featured you on the cover as the Artist of the Year! Congratulations! What did that recognition mean to you?
CQ: Thank you! It meant so much, and for them believing in me from the very beginning says a lot. So, I’m just incredibly appreciative and definitely want to make them proud this year and not take that title lightly.
CN: Obviously in our pre-COVID society there would be more in person interviews, performances, etc. to help promote your music. In what other ways has the current COVID-19 situation affected your craft? Perhaps even in regards to inspiration (providing some or a lack of)?
CQ: I did have to cancel the music video for “SOS” and “Let Love Die”, so that decision was a sad and pretty hard one to make. Additionally, it is hard getting your name out there as a new artist without performing live and going on tour, but I think we are all trying to be innovative right now and push forward. For example, I’ve been focusing on radio recently, and was able to partner with a radio station called My Mountain Country, where I performed for an hour on their radio station through a live stream. It actually ended up being really cool! People from all over the world were able to tune in. I even had a friend of mine watching live from Scotland! So, while performing in person for fans would be ideal, I think the live streaming has been a really fun and helpful new tool that has been more widely adopted throughout all this. I wish I could say I’ve had a lot of down time and been able to song write everyday, but the truth is I’ve actually been busier. I’m a part-time nanny and with the girls being out of school and needing to home-school them, along with everything going on with my music career, it has been pretty chaotic.
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
CQ: Definitely Chris Stapleton. I love his bluesy type of county music and I think our voices would mesh really nicely together.
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
CQ: Gwen Stafani. Man can she entertain! I remember when she sang her song “Bananas”! A full on marching band came charging down the arena isles. It was AWESOME!
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
CQ: Hard-working. I would say I’ve always been a perfectionist at heart and I give everything I do 110%. A lot of people don’t know this about me, but I was diagnosed with Dyslexia when I was sixteen. I always knew I was just as smart as everyone else, but I had to work 10X harder to get there. It was actually a blessing not knowing I had Dyslexia till sixteen because I was never able to use that as crutch or excuse for why I couldn’t do something.
CN: With tracks like “S.O.S.”, “Blue” and “Let Love Die” – the release of your EP can’t come fast enough! Could you share with us any information on what else fans will hear on it? And perhaps when they can expect it? What’s next on the horizon for you?
CQ: Yes! I haven’t announced this yet, but I have a really fun song called “Imogene” coming out within the next couple months and I’m actually working with a cartoonist right now for my first animated music video!
I’m also set to record five new songs in less than a month, starting on June 12th. I really wanted each song on my album to be able to stand on its own and have its own flavor to it- It keeps things interesting. There are some really fun up-tempos that I’m absolutely in love with, as well as a few that I wrote and co-wrote.
I couldn’t be more excited about this next round of material. My focus now is making sure all the lyrics, instrumentation, production style, etc. are set to my liking.
For more information on Caitlin Quisenberry, visit her website caitlinquisenberrymusic.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.