Learn more about Callie Twisselman in our exclusive Q&A below.

What have you learned growing up on a ranch that you take with you into your career in country music?

"Growing up on a ranch I learned to have a strong work ethic and most importantly patience. Much like ranching, the music business takes a lot of patience and hard work, so those are two attributes I've definitely taken with me into my career."

A big influence of yours is Shania Twain. What is it about her that grabbed you as a kid watching her “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” music video that made you want to pursue country music?

"Shania Twain was such a huge influence of mine. I'd say what drew me to her the most after watching that music video, was not only did she have an amazing voice and songs, but her artistry that she brought to her music was mesmerizing. She had this fashion sense like no other! And as a little country girl who grew up in the middle of nowhere, singing was my first love, but I was always intrigued with fashion as well. I would get so excited to get to dress up if we got to go somewhere because that didn’t happen often living on a ranch 40 minutes from town. So, the fact that Shania, as an artist, was able to combine her music with a sense of fashion was a dream to me!"

Do you have an all-time favorite Shania Twain song?

"There are so many great Shania songs, so it's hard to choose just one favorite, but If I had to I would say 'Any Man of Mine.'"

You sang the National Anthem at a local fair opening for Bonnie Raitt. What was that experience like?

"Singing the national anthem opening for Bonnie Raitt at 10 years old was pretty dang cool. It was my first real experience singing in front of an audience, so I remember the nerves were for sure on overdrive that day."

Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?

"The first song I wrote was when I was 15 and it was a song called 'Any Dream Can Come True.' I remember I didn’t know how to play the guitar yet, so I started humming this melody and then the first line that came to my head was 'I picked up a paper and wrote out a song.' And that was my opening line. I finished the song and shoved the paper into my closet and the next day my mom was cleaning my room and comes out and says, 'What is this? Is this a song? It’s so good!' And me being a teenager, I was all embarrassed asking her why she was in my closet. Definitely fun looking back on. Now all I want to do is share my music with the world!"

What was the move from California to Nashville like?

"The move from California to Nashville was a scary one for sure. I am very close with my family so moving 2,000 miles from home was the hardest decision, but the best one I ever made for my career. I wrote about as many songs the first month living there as I could a year living in California. The town is just so magical and inspiring for a musician and I definitely felt it was where I was meant to be."

Gail Austin

About Gail Austin