Welcome to Cam Country

West Coast native Cam (Camaron Ochs) is gearing up to bring her sunny California spirit to the country music scene.  At the top of the year, she inked a deal with Sony Music Nashvillle’s Arista Records (Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, The Swon Brothers) and recently shipped her first single, “My Mistake,” off to radio.

Interestingly, Cam’s journey as a country artist began in LA, where she initially moved to establish a career in the pop world.  There, having gained attention for her songwriting, Faith Hill’s team reached out to her and requested that she write several songs for Hill to consider.  Though none of her songs ended up with Hill, a few of her country demos found their way to Maggie Rose.  In 2013, Cam’s song “Fall Madly in Love With You” appeared on Rose’s Cut to Impress.  

Landing that cut inspired Cam to move to Nashville to pursue a full-fledged career in the country music. With the exception of a brief dive back in the pop world, to co-write  “Maybe You’re Right,” for Miley Cyrus’ album, Bangerz, Cam says that she has been focused on creating music that will “push country music forward.”

Though it’s a bold statement, Cam’s debut EP, Welcome to Cam Country, lives up to the billing that she’s breaking into the genre with a trailblazing sound.  Her voice has timeless folksy texture to it that is somewhat Dolly Parton-esque in its delivery.  If you’re only going to listen to one track,  “Runaway Train” best captures the essence of her unique offering to the country music.

The pop-driven production on the EP pairs well with the classic style of her voice, giving the EP a solidly contemporary country feel. She teamed up with Grammy-winning producers Jeff Bhasker (Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Fun., Taylor Swift) and Tyler Johnson (Ed Sheeran, One Republic, Miley Cyrus) for the project.  The leadoff single, “My Mistake” is the most pop-heavy tune on Welcome to Cam Country–an understandable choice given radio’s climate.

It’ll be interesting to see if Cam will be one of the female artists to help even out the gender distribution on country radio.  In signing to Sony, she sits on a roster alongside the reigning country queens– Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.  Whether that will help or hurt her remains to be foreseen.

Keep up with Cam on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.