''Real to Me'' is the debut EP by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

country singer Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old ...

Callista Clark Callista Clark (born September 29, 2003) is an American country music singer from Zebulon, Georgia. She released her debut EP, Real to Me, on February 12, 2021, with the EP's lead single " It's 'Cause I Am" peaking at No. 30 on the ''Billboard'' ...

, which is produced by Nathan Chapman. The five-track EP was released on February 12, 2021 by

Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...

. " It's 'Cause I Am" impacted US country radio on March 29, 2021 as the lead single for the EP.

Background

Clark began writing songs at the age of 11, and was discovered by

after posting a cover of the

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

song "

Have You Ever Seen the Rain? "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" is a song written by John Fogerty and released as a single in 1971 from the album ''Pendulum'' (1970) by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number 1 on the R ...

" on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

, where it received 27 million views. She was signed to Big Machine at the age of 15. The title track on the EP was written by Clark at the age of 15, after she experienced her first breakup. She told ''

Hollywood Life Hollywood Life is an American digital media brand launched in 2009 by magazine editor Bonnie Fuller. The site covers celebrity, fashion, beauty, women issues, and entertainment news. It also airs award shows and other pop culture events. History ...

'' that people had told her that "what I was feeling wasn’t real yet or wasn’t valid yet, just because of how young I was", but that "it felt very real to me!"

Critical reception

Melinda Newman writing for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' praised the EP, saying that Clark had "confidence and verve". Markos Papadatos of ''Digital Journal'' gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, proclaiming that Clark is "poised for stardom", and naming "Don't Need It Anymore" as his personal favourite, stating that it "showcases lark'swide range as a recording artist".

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

' Rianna Turner noted the influence of

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

church music Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. History Early Christian music The onl ...

and "90s and contemporary

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...

hits" on the EP, saying that Clark's "mature vocal timbre" and lyrical quality gave the EP a timeless quality.

Track listing

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. All tracks are produced by Nathan Chapman.

Personnel

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

and Tidal. * Nathan Chapman -

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

(track 3),

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

(all tracks),

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

(all tracks),

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

(tracks 1, 2),

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

(track 4), background vocals (track 3) *

- acoustic guitar (track 2), lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (all tracks) * Dave Cohen -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

(all tracks) *

Kevin Kadish Kevin Kadish (born 1971) is an American songwriter and record producer. He co-wrote, produced, and mixed the 2014 Diamond certified (10x platinum) single "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboar ...

- electric guitar (all tracks) *Rob McNelley - electric guitar (tracks 4, 5) *Miles McPherson -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(tracks 2, 3) *

Aaron Sterling Aaron Sterling (born July 9, 1980) is an American drummer, producer, engineer, and session musician who lives in Los Angeles. The son of professional musicians, Sterling grew up in Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, before moving to L.A. in 2000. K ...

- drums (tracks 1, 4, 5) *

Derek Wells Derek M. Wells, KC, (born 28 November 1946) is a Canadian former politician who served a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of South Shore from 1993 to 1997. Early life and education Born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, he graduated ...

- electric guitar (track 2)

References

{{reflist Big Machine Records EPs 2021 EPs Albums produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer) Country music EPs