Cam

Spurred by airplay on The Bobby Bones Show, the song received widespread acclaim, including a Best Country Solo Performance nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards and a Double Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Cam's music is defined by country pop stylings.

Cam (born Camaron Marvel Ochs; November 19, 1984) is an American country music singer and songwriter.

She began her career as a songwriter, composing material for several artists including Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus.

Cam was born on November 18, 1984, in Huntington Beach, California, and was raised in Lafayette, California, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area.

She also spent time in Oceanside, California, where her grandparents operated a ranch.

They helped develop Cam's appreciation for country music, listening to and performing it regularly.

Pursuing music throughout high school and college, she sang in various choral groups.

This included performing in the Contra Costa Children's Chorus, where she learned to sing in 14 languages.

She attended the University of California, Davis as an undergraduate student, studying psychology.

There, she formed an all-female collegiate a cappella group called The Spokes and learned to play the guitar while studying abroad in the Netherlands.

She developed confidence in playing the instrument on a trip to Nepal.

Taking residency in a rural mountain community, she lived for several weeks with limited electricity and basic needs; in addition, she developed a friendship with various Canadian musicians and started playing the guitar more consistently.

In 2010, she released her debut studio album Heartforward on an independent record label.

In a 2010 interview, Cam stated that she grew more confident in playing once from the trip.

Following college, she sporadically performed music but mostly pursued other interests.

This included work in research labs, including one at Stanford University.

Yet she remained conflicted about the choices she made.

A meeting with a college professor influenced Cam's choice to embark on a full-fledged music career.

The professor said to her, "Just picture yourself at 80 years old. Looking back at your life, what would you regret not doing: music or psychology?'"

In 2010, Cam released her debut studio album titled Heartforward via the independent Rubber Room label.

Credited to her full name of Camaron Ochs, the album contained contemporary pop songs.

Amber Schadewald of the San Francisco Bay Guardian called the album a brand of folk pop that "is light and sweet, with genuine lyrics that ask listeners to live with their 'heartforward'".

Songs written for the project were based on experiences from her trip to Nepal.

She promoted Heartforward through performances in Oakland and San Francisco, California, including shows at the Stork Club and Mama Buzz.

Cam soon moved to Los Angeles, California, and began collaborating with songwriter and producer Tyler Johnson.

She recorded some demos with Johnson in an attempt to attract Faith Hill, eventually leading to the recordings being heard by Tim McGraw's manager.

Her song "Fall Madly in Love with You" was chosen as a track for Cut to Impress, the 2013 debut album from Maggie Rose.

Miley Cyrus also recorded one of Cam's songs, "Maybe You're Right", on her 2013 album Bangerz.

The success of these songs led her to move to Nashville, Tennessee; there, began writing music for other artists, turning down a publishing deal in attempt to prove herself on her own.

She launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 to produce 10 songs with Johnson.

The campaign was supported by producer Jeff Bhasker, known best for his work with artists that include Beyoncé, fun., Bruno Mars, and P!nk.

The same year Cam toured Denmark and Sweden with Helsingborg band Karavan, having previously collaborated with Anders Mouridsen of the group while in Los Angeles.

Cam released a single in 2013 titled "Down This Road" with the encouragement of manager Lindsay Marias.

Through a photo posted on Instagram, local radio director Michael Bryan discovered the song and played it on the air.

According to Cam, radio airplay of the single helped her choose which label she wanted to sign to.

Ultimately, she chose to meet with Doug Morris, the director of Sony Music Entertainment.

Signing with Sony Music Entertainment, she released her debut major label EP in March 2015, Welcome to Cam Country, followed by the studio album Untamed later that same year.

Her third album was The Otherside, released on Triple Tigers in 2020.

Her second single "Burning House" is her most commercially successful, peaking at the number two position on Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay.