California Cowgirl is extra than simply the title of Annie Bosko’s long-awaited first album—it’s a wonderfully biographical abstract of the singer’s unwavering love affair together with her SoCal roots, lengthy after she left the West Coast for Music Metropolis.
Though it’s technically her debut release, Bosko is way from a first-time artist. The Thousand Oaks native has constructed a faithful fanbase by a gentle stream of singles and EPs over the course of greater than a decade. Add to that her extremely energetic music movies and stage exhibits—expertise she’s honed over time working with prime songwriters and choreographers—have made her one of many right this moment’s hottest under-the-radar nation stars
“It took 20 years to make,” she proudly says. “I emerged within the music world through the singles period, the place folks have been like, simply launch singles, nobody’s [doing] albums. After which only in the near past, albums grew to become a factor once more.”
Whereas she now calls Nashville residence, the sun-baked seashores, mountain trails, alongside together with her circle of relatives’s farm nonetheless give Bosko an occasional case of homesickness. In spite of everything, the Golden State is the place she developed her affinity for all issues health.
“I miss the outside, she says. “I’m an out of doors fanatic. I like mountain climbing, mountains, surfing. I grew up a tomboy, so I’d say that’s most likely what I miss probably the most about California.”
The change in songwriting surroundings hasn’t slowed down the “Neon Child singer’s effectively constant exercise routine. Rising 4 different siblings, Bosko was skilled early to be aggressive. Along with her love of music she first realized by singing Wizard of Oz tunes at age 5, Bosko additionally grew up taking part in a variety of sports activities all through highschool. She makes use of that athletic mindset right this moment to remain bodily and mentally ready for every efficiency.
“I’m only a believer that singers are virtually like athletes,” she says. “If you wish to do that at a aggressive stage, then it’s a must to practice such as you’re an athlete. Whenever you do, you are able to do much more, and you are able to do it rather a lot higher.”
Bosko’s deep dive into dance—take a look at her strikes within the ultra-bouncy “Nation Women”—has contributed to a extra athletic physique and higher efficiency onstage. She says staying energetic as a lot as doable is important for general well being. “I’ve to maneuver. I don’t like sitting nonetheless,” she says.
Annie Bosko Stays a California Lady by and By way of
California Cowgirl isn’t only a catchy album identify for the singer born in Thousand Oaks. Regardless of making the transfer to Nashville, Annie Bosko will all the time stay a Golden State songstress at coronary heart.
When she wasn’t taking part in volleyball or softball throughout college, the outside have been her pure go-to for staying match. Rising up in California, Annie’s days have been crammed with journey—from using the waves at Pacific Coast hotspots like Leo Carrillo and Malibu’s well-known Zuma Seaside to mountain climbing the native trails, the outside grew to become her playground.
Whereas Tennessee could provide nice trails for mountain climbing within the Nice Smoky Mountains, good luck discovering a wave to shred. “I’ve not surfed in six months,” she says. “I’ll make time to go when I’ve some exhibits in California. September is my favourite time, as a result of the water’s hotter from the summer season months and it’s much less crowded.”
A self-admitted tomboy, Bosco embraced every kind of out of doors actions.
Raised on a household farm in California, Annie’s childhood was a sun-soaked journey. “My household was in farming, so we grew up, you recognize, it was like ranch, farm life-style, using horses. I used to be outdoors rather a lot as a child. Once I bought residence from college, it was like, journey your bike, go play within the creek, simply go, proper?” she reminisces.
Her love of the outside extends past the seashore. Annie’s fond reminiscences embody mountain climbing California’s mountains, fishing, and even looking together with her household. “My dad hunts the birds. My mother cooks the birds. That’s form of the way it went in our fam,” she says, recalling early morning duck and dove hunts.
As of late, her health foundations start with a easy stroll. strolling is the inspiration of her health routine, particularly when life on the street makes structured exercises a problem. “Typically it’s simply three miles strolling a day. If I don’t do anything, I attempt to stroll,” she says. Even when she will’t entry a health club, Annie makes it a precedence to get her steps in, believing that constant motion is essential to sustaining her stamina and psychological readability.
Past strolling, Annie embraces a various mixture of exercises to maintain her physique sturdy and performance-ready. “Typically I’ll do like, circuit coaching, you recognize, just like the elliptical, some weight lifting, bodily remedy… Typically I’ll do like a Pilates class or yoga. I do a number of stuff at residence,” she explains.
Bosko’s additionally added a brand new athletic talent—golf—to remain energetic each at residence and on the street. “I’m a golfer now, who would’ve thought?” she laughs. “I used to make enjoyable of golfers. I used to be like, you don’t need to be athletic to golf. Now I get pleasure from it.”
Annie Bosko Lives By This Actual-Meals Rule
Another excuse California nonetheless guidelines for Annie Bosko is the beautiful backdrop the Pacific Ocean gives. Along with showcasing her lean and comely physique onstage, it additionally pays to remain in form for the numerous music movies Bosko frequently movies. For the “Crooked Halo” singer, outside settings make for probably the most memorable movies—she favors the sunshine and brush of SoCal over the tick-infested forests of Tennessee.
“In California, there are nonetheless ticks, however you don’t have as many,” she says. “I’d solely be afraid of the tall grass and being barefoot if I used to be in Tennessee,” she laughs, recalling her West Coast roots.
There’s a dietary ingredient to her deep-rooted worry of ticks. For this country-singing carnivore, there’s additionally the priority of Alpha Gal Syndrome—a tick-borne situation that can lead to extreme allergic reactions to pink meat, inflicting hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, and even anaphylaxis.
“I don’t need Alpha gal, the place I can’t eat steak,” she says. “I don’t need Lyme illness both. So I’m a bit freaked out by ticks.”
Nothing will get between Bosko and ribeye. Particularly when at residence in Tennessee, she’ll put her Cali cooking expertise to good use, frequently throwing a steak and asparagus onto her Pit Boss and letting the grill do its work. “I do know everybody likes to s*** on California rather a lot, however on the subject of the grilling, the steak sandwiches, they know what they’re doing. They do effectively.”
On the street, nevertheless, the search for high quality meals turns into a problem, particularly when a Entire Meals isn’t close by. The singer suggests giving Walmart and even Goal a strive for locating optimum alternate options.
“Typically I’ll stroll to a Goal and I’ll discover, like, blended greens, olive oil, and like a pasta, a garbanzo bean pasta,” she says. “That to me is best than UberEATS or Domino’s. I can crush a big pizza. However generally that’s not the factor that’s going to make you are feeling the most effective. So I get tremendous inventive. Walmart’s bought some good choices, really, consider it or not.”
Bosko says holding a food plan closely based mostly on pure, entire meals was rooted again residence on her household’s California farm, the place her father grew cilantro, recent strawberries, corn, spinach, carrots, and loads of different fruit and veggies. Her mom’s dedication to home-cooked meals left an enduring impression: “Each meal that we had she’d all the time have a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a salad,” she remembers.
At this time, she nonetheless takes that method to her menu: “I’m only a believer in consuming issues that may rot,” she says. “So something that may sit in your countertop that rots might be good so that you can eat.”
From ‘Over the Rainbow’ to Dominating Middle Stage
Whereas California Cowgirl was a two-decade venture, her actual musical journey started when her 5-year-old voice belted out the Wizard of Oz basic “Over the Rainbow” together with her grandmother—the identical music she would later sing at her grandmother’s funeral. That early spark led to her first huge break at 13, when she landed a singing half for Disney’s Little Mermaid 2: “I bought to go to Burbank, the Disney Studios.”
Bosko’s voice quickly discovered new levels, from serenading diners as a Macaroni Grill server—“I might sing glad birthday in Italian, which I can nonetheless sing,” she says—to performing the nationwide anthem in entrance of sold-out sporting occasions nationwide. “It’s the toughest music you’ll ever sing, ever,” she admits.
When Bosko steps on stage, she blends her expertise as a singer together with her athletic expertise to offer followers with an equally entertaining music and dance nation music efficiency, partially fueled by her ardour for Zumba. The Latin music-infused dance program is a brutally entertaining cardio exercise—and has turn into one other important ingredient of Bosko’s all-around health routine. “I like to bounce,” she says. “I don’t like sitting nonetheless. Typically I’ll do like a Zumba dance exercise, or, like a YouTube dance exercise.”
Zumba and dance have turn into important coaching instruments for constructing the stamina and stage presence that outline her performances. Zumba burns energy, and serves as a fantastic different observe for her high-energy stage exhibits—all qualities she says are important for each performers and anybody trying to keep match. Bosko even grew to become a licensed Zumba teacher and taught a number of lessons, however the overlap with touring made it troublesome to maintain. “I did get licensed, like, years in the past,” she says. “It didn’t final very lengthy, although, as a result of while you’re a musician, you actually don’t have the consistency of a set schedule.”
Her obsession with dance accelerated at age 19 when she skilled with Brian Friedman, the mastermind behind the strikes of artists like Britney Spears, Cher, and Beyoncé. “I did do, like, my first job ever once I was 19, with Brian Friedman, who choreographed Britney Spears, like he created this slave dance and all that stuff. And he’s actually phenomenal. I imply, I couldn’t stroll once I bought residence from Europe. It was like my legs couldn’t—I used to be so sore from all of the shifting and all of the dancing.”
The music, dance, and all-around power Bosko shares together with her followers every evening equal an electrifyingly enjoyable live performance. With twenty years’ price of fan assist, exhibiting up every evening on the prime of her recreation is a promise she intends to maintain. She’s put within the work. “I run round and transfer rather a lot onstage,” she says. “I like to entertain. If I get bored, the followers are gonna get bored.”
