CALLAGHAN

HOMETOWN: Boston, Lincolnshire, England
INFLUENCES: Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, James Taylor
ALBUM: Life in Full Colour, due out May 1
WEBSITE: callaghansongs.com

Georgina Callaghan was playing flute by age 6, learned piano shortly afterward, began writing songs at 14 and by 18 made the long trek from her small hometown to London to pursue a life in music. She slept under the kitchen table in her sister’s tiny apartment while gradually building a reputation performing in local venues and recording a series of independent EPs. Finally she reached out to one of her favorite singer-songwriters, Shawn Mullins, through MySpace. To her amazement, after hearing her songs he invited her to come to America to work with him.

Things went so well there she relocated permanently to Atlanta in 2010 and began recording what would become her full-length debut, the Mullins-produced Life in Full Colour. “I knew the sound I wanted, and that collaborating with Shawn could really deliver it,” she says. “He’s a hands-on producer, a total perfectionist. He will stay in the studio until it’s right. Some songs we got through easily, with others we were there until 3 or 4 in the morning. It was my first experience of recording an album from start to finish, so it was great to work with him, to see how an experienced producer approaches things and learn more about the whole recording process.”

Callaghan captures her exuberant optimism about her new life in the album’s opening track, “Best Year.” “When I got on that plane from London to come over to Atlanta, I didn’t know what to expect, how long the album would take or what kind of reception my music would get,” she says. “There have been all kinds of challenges, but the whole experience has been beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I could not have asked for more. It’s been such a fantastic year. I’m just going to keep singing that song every single year, because next year’s going to be even better.”

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