INTERVIEW: Cam
The country music scene is crowded with big names that have become the faces of the genre. One pioneering female artist is on her way, owning her residence on the country music scene: Camaron Ochs, popularly recognized as Cam. Read WTBU’s interview with Cam below!
Cam has become a household name among country music fans, especially over the last year with her popular hit, “Burning House.” The blonde-haired, yellow-obsessed “Mayday” singer released her debut album “Untamed” with a major label last December, and has spent this year as an opener on various tours promoting her new music. After a whirlwind of a year since Untamed was released, Cam is gearing up to begin her first headlining tour which will include a stop at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on Nov. 12.
In a recent phone interview with WTBU, the singer remarked on her success thus far in her career.
“It’s so wild when you’re starting out, you’re like ‘we’re gonna be huge, we’re going to win Grammys!’ and then you’re like, ‘we probably won’t win Grammys,’” she said with a chuckle. “It’s really funny, it’s kind of like when you’re starting out you have no money and you’re breaking down every week like ‘why am I doing this?’”
But touring is not the only major event in Cam’s life lately. She recently got married and on top of that, this year, Cam received her first Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance, an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Country Female Artist, and not one, but two of her first-ever Country Music Award nominations for Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Burning House.”
Cam said she faced her own crossroads of deciding whether to chase her dreams in music, or pursue a career in psychology, which she studied in college. She recalls asking her professor for advice after graduating.
“She told me, ‘picture yourself, eighty years old, what would you regret having missed out on – psychology or music?’” Cam said. “That kind of hit home. I care enough about [music] to deal with the ups and downs, and it’s been really rewarding.”
For Cam, 2016 has thus far been full of touring with major country artists, like Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley, on their headlining tours. Cam remarked on how positive her takeaways from these tours have been.
“They’re both killer entertainers, and they’re very smart about it,” She said of Bentley and Paisley. “It really comes from practice and from thinking ahead and being smart about how you connect with your audience.”
According to Cam, when she dished the plans for her headlining tour this fall to Dierks Bentley and his band, they said that they wished they could return to the venues Cam is set to play. Cam said Dierks recalls those venues as his favorite shows, where he practiced and learned to develop the show he has now.
“It’s kind of heartwarming that I get to do what Dierks and his band kind of wish they were doing right now,” she said.
Looking forward to her own first headlining tour, Cam said she’s happy to reveal that she and her band will be playing “Untamed” in its entirety, as well as some new material. She remarks that there are big plans in place for this tour to deliver the album in an authentic way.
“It just adds to the feeling that you’re really watching the live show,” she said. “There’s a reason you came to see this instead of just listening to the record at home. That’s really important to me and the band. It’s all a really fun adventure.”
According to Cam, it’s not a matter of nerves or stress as she embarks on her tour, but rather a fun endeavor that will allow her to connect with fans and play her own music. The California native said she’s eager to start the Burning House tour and play a larger set instead of solely an opening set.
“I have been dying to go do this show,” she said. “No matter how big or small you want to be, you have to start somewhere with your original fans. It’s not a pressure thing, it’s more like, ‘what kind of dream do you have and what do you want to be with these people?’ It’s going to be really cool.”
– Daniella Weiss