Over the past few years, country music fans have seen Cam transform from an up-and-coming act to a full-blown star. Those years of hard work all culminated at the 2016 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. During the annual country music extravaganza, Cam was nominated for three CMT Music Awards including Video of the Year for ‘Burning House.’ She also performed her current single, ‘Mayday,’ during the awards with pop stars Fifth Harmony as well as her first stadium performance (at Nissan Stadium) which included a guest appearance from Lady Antebellum. Mix that in with some performances in the HGTV Lodge and on the River Stage, it was a lot! And in between all of that, Cam made the trek up to New England for a show at Hartford’s Xfinity Theatre and Mansfield’s Xfinity Center on Dierks Bentley’ Sounds of Summer tour. While in Mansfield, the California native took some time before the show to sit down with New England Country Music to chat about touring, being a female in country music, and more!
While she may currently be on tour with one of country biggest stars, it was just last summer when Cam played a free show on the Boston Common as a supporting act for Kacey Musgraves during the Outside the Box music festival. Cam reflected on that show by saying, “It feels like the other day. That feels really recently. I remember meeting Kacey really briefly. ‘Burning House’ hadn’t really taken off fully yet, it had kinda just started. I’ve gotten to meet Kacey since then a few times since then and she’s always so excited about what it means to have another girl doing well. Going from the time I was starstruck watching her to now texting each other and sending each other Instagram messages… Crazy. That was a really fun show. Being up here has a cool vibe because people are into country music but it’s not necessarily in the South.”
Cam performs at the 2015 Outside the Box music festival in Boston, MA.
With Cam and Kacey as well as rising stars like Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Maddie & Tae, Lindsay Ell, fans are also getting to see a stronger presence of women on country radio than we have in years past. And that is something that Cam is excited to see but also wants to see more of. “It feels really great that there are more women coming back- I remember when I first started there was literally one or none when at certain times Carrie and Miranda weren’t putting anything out, in between their singles, there would be nothing in the Top 30. So the fact that there are two or three, it’s nice. I definitely don’t think it’s a full renaissance of women. Coming is what I am hoping for. I’m not asking to be the majority, maybe 4 or 5, maybe 6, maybe half- given the statistics of the people in the world. There’s half women, half men. So maybe half? It’s an interesting spot because you end up getting more attention just because you are a woman. It’s great and weird at the same time. What you really want to do is just make music that’s interesting and is entertaining and means something. But there’s an extra soapbox or something or like being a role model- the soapbox I’m not so sure about; I’m not really trying to say one thing or another because I’m a girl. But the role model part, I really, really love because when I grew up I had Dixie Chicks, and Shania and Faith Hill and Martina- a ton of women. That was so nice to have so many stories and people you can connect with- it’s not one size fits all. So I hope adding my story to the mix, there are little girls out there who will say, ‘I can do that.’”
Speaking on CMA Fest, Cam described the experience as “tiring.” She went on to say, “It was a runaround. It’s so crazy. A lot of times as a musician you spend a lot of time waiting and hoping that things are going to happen for you. And then they all happen in a week. The coolest thing about CMA Fest is that you have all the fans in one spot and get to connect with everybody. We did the HGTV Lodge too and with all of the things they (the fans) could be doing, they are there just to see you. Those are the real people.”
With the nominations at this year’s CMT Music Awards as well as the numerous accolades and recognition, Cam has received over the past few years, what she is most proud of is her ACM Awards performance of her Platinum-certified hit, ‘Burning House.’ Cam described, “I was really proud of the ACMs when I got to sing ‘Burning House’ and everyone stood up and clapped. To get a standing ovation from your peers and people you’ve looked up to, that was a pretty heavy moment.”
That recognition by Cam’s peers have also translated to touring as country superstars like Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, and now, Dierks Bentley, have invited her out on the road with them as a supporting act. And being on the road with these big names has given Cam invaluable experience and have allowed her to learn things that she now brings into her own performances. For one, she has learned that, “sometimes there are grates with lights under them for stages- you cannot wear high heels.” Fashion sense aside, Cam has also learned a sense of ‘fullness’ that each of these artists has developed into their live performances. “I love looking at people in their eyeballs and you see them drunk singing along- I love that. But then also if you’re too focused on the people that you can only see, then the people in the back are left out. So I am trying to learn how to do that well which I think takes a long time, which is why they are at where they are. I’m following in their footsteps, learning to give everyone the full experience,” says Cam. She goes on to say that her experience with Dierks’ Sounds of Summer tour is ‘great’ and that it is ‘literally the best night of the summer, every night.’
Cam performs at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on June 11, 2016.
At each tour stop, fans are coming into the venue early to see Cam perform her songs like ‘Burning House’ and her most recent single, ‘Mayday.’ The single is one that truly resonates with fans as it is relatable- a failing relationship that seems to be sinking to the point where it’s time to abandon ship and signal the ‘Mayday’ distress call. Cam describes the song as ‘love yourself enough to be alone.’ And despite all the stories that have come to Cam from fans who relate to the song, the radio airplay and everything else, her favorite part of this song’s journey has actually been the music video! “I love this music video. I loved doing it with Fifth Harmony too and hearing them sing it. But the music video, I didn’t realize I would care so much about the visuals of it. But it’s like another way to tell a story and I love telling stories. We spent so much time, me and my manager/creative partner (Lindsay Marias) and the director, we spent all this extra effort to make it such a cool, cinematic moment. I love Kendrick Lamar’s videos and Lindsay actually called Kendrick’s manager and he went into how to make music videos epic and magical. Now I am super addicted.”
But what’s next for Cam? “Well, we get to have the summer of just touring. And it looks like in the fall, we’re going to be able to do something special that might just be me, which would be really cool. And we’ve been working on the next album for awhile now. So that’s always cooking. I am so excited to put on another single from this record and let people enjoy it for a little bit longer. People are all about ‘Half Broke Heart’ so that’s a good contender. Also anyone who has sees me live is all about ‘Runaway Train.’” Sounds like Cam fans can expect another single off ‘Untamed,’ a new album in the near future, and potentially a headlining tour of her own… It’s a good time to be in Cam Country.
The thing about Cam is that she is a real, down-to-earth woman who is living her dream. Her dressing room isn’t full of high-end cuisine and alcohol or anything crazy. She enjoys LaCroix water (“I love that stuff, just like everybody. Dan + Shay pretty much put it straight in an IV to their arms”). Her humility and maturity is as strong and present as her vocal talent. She’s not just a country artist but instead a role model for young women everywhere. We have no doubt that Cam will be a staple in the country music community for years to come.
Oh, and yes, she wears yellow even off stage!