By Logan White
MTSU Raider Shakedown
Reporter
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| Celebrating are (from left to right): Joe Fisher, Cali Rodi, Keith Urban and Rick Barker |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Songwriter and artist
Cali Rodi celebrated her signing with Boom Music, a company run by country
superstar Keith Urban and industry vet Joe Fisher, on March 31 at a house party
hosted by friends, family and fellow writers.
During the party Rodi was asked a few
questions about her career and life leading up to this incredible milestone. Making
up songs as a little girl, Rodi always knew that music was what she wanted to
pursue. She began playing guitar at the age of 9, although she swears that for
the first two years, she played “Mary Had A Little Lamb” over and over again
before she started to understand what chords were. She humbly credits her
guitar teacher Billy Cioffi for teaching her how to play the guitar with authority
and intention. As her fans would say, “The girl can rock.”
With a voice that can be described as a
mixture of Taylor Swift, Ashley Simpson and her personal favorite Hayley
Williams, pop/rock is not the only genre of music that Rodi listens to, but it
is what she always returns to.
“Hayley Williams is the reason I sing," Rodi
said. "She knows exactly who she is as an artist and consistently puts out great
music. Plus, she is fearless on stage and can energize a crowd like no one else.”
While Williams is her vocal inspiration, when it comes to her guitar hero it is
none other than her boss, Keith Urban.
“Keith made me want to pick up a guitar,"
she added. "He has such a unique style of playing that I’ve always been drawn to,
and I feel so lucky to be able to work with him.”
It is safe to say that one of
her biggest dreams has come to life.
As far as songwriting goes, the artist
did not always know she wanted to be a writer. She had her sights set on being
an artist, and she still does. However, now she is both. As for who got her
into songwriting, she credits none other than Taylor Swift. Rodi was still a
young teen when Swift began her to rise to fame. She really paid attention to
the fact that Swift had written her own songs, using this new knowledge as
motivation to start writing her own songs.
“I was in middle school and
high school during Taylor Swift’s rise to fame, so her songs easily resonated
with me," Rodi said. "To see someone close to my age having such a successful
career while stressing how she wrote her own songs was really inspiring.”
Rodi
also wants people to know that, just because she is a pop/rock artist, she is
in no way limited to that genre when it comes to writing for other people.
“Honestly, I love all genres," she said. "From
Drake to Merle Haggard, it’s all across the board.”
Among many of Rodi’s friends and family
were a few of the people who help put her stories to music: her co-writers. In
Nashville, a lot of the time your co-writers become some of your best friends.
This was certainly the case with Rodi and writer/artist Matt Thomas.
“I love
writing with Cali because first and foremost we are friends," said Thomas. "I
also find it really cool that we are polar opposites as far as what types of
artists we are. Sitting down and writing with her is always easy, fluid and
most of all fun.”
Apart from being easy on the eyes
and talented, the first thing people notice about Rodi is her compassion and
love for other people. Interacting with her is easy, mostly due to the fact
that she loves to talk to people. Just ask one of her 21.7
thousand loyal Twitter followers.
When asked where she hopes to be in eight
years, she had her answer ready.
“In eight years, I hope to have a record out
that I am proud of and to be on the road," she said with a smile. "I would love
to play shows and have the crowd sing the words back to me, because to me that
means that it affected them in some way. That’s all I could hope for.”
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