California Cowgirl is extra than simply the title of Annie Bosko’s long-awaited first album—it’s a superbly biographical abstract of the singer’s unwavering love affair along with her SoCal roots, lengthy after she left the West Coast for Music Metropolis.
Though it’s technically her debut launch, Bosko is way from a first-time artist. The Thousand Oaks native has constructed a loyal 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 reveals—abilities she’s honed through the years working with prime songwriters and choreographers—have made her one of many immediately’s hottest under-the-radar nation stars
“It took 20 years to make,” she proudly says. “I emerged within the music world throughout 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 dwelling, the sun-baked seashores, mountain trails, alongside along 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 outside fanatic. I like mountaineering, mountains, browsing. I grew up a tomboy, so I’d say that’s in all probability what I miss essentially 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 discovered by singing Wizard of Oz tunes at age 5, Bosko additionally grew up enjoying a variety of sports activities all through highschool. She makes use of that athletic mindset immediately to remain bodily and mentally ready for each efficiency.
“I’m only a believer that singers are virtually like athletes,” she says. “If you wish to do that at a aggressive degree, then you must prepare such as you’re an athlete. If you do, you are able to do much more, and you are able to do it lots 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 attainable is important for total well being. “I’ve to maneuver. I don’t like sitting nonetheless,” she says.
Annie Bosko Stays a California Lady by and By
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 at all times stay a Golden State songstress at coronary heart.
When she wasn’t enjoying 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 full of journey—from using the waves at Pacific Coast hotspots like Leo Carrillo and Malibu’s well-known Zuma Seashore to mountaineering the native trails, the outside grew to become her playground.
Whereas Tennessee could provide nice trails for mountaineering 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 reveals in California. September is my favourite time, as a result of the water’s hotter from the summer time months and it’s much less crowded.”
A self-admitted tomboy, Bosco embraced every kind of outside 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 already know, it was like ranch, farm life-style, using horses. I used to be exterior lots as a child. Once I acquired dwelling 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 recollections embody mountaineering California’s mountains, fishing, and even searching along with her household. “My dad hunts the birds. My mother cooks the birds. That’s sort of the way it went in our fam,” she says, recalling early morning duck and dove hunts.
Nowadays, 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 be able to’t entry a health club, Annie makes it a precedence to get her steps in, believing that constant motion is vital 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 already know, just like the elliptical, some weight lifting, bodily remedy… Typically I’ll do like a Pilates class or yoga. I do a variety of stuff at dwelling,” she explains.
Bosko’s additionally added a brand new athletic talent—golf—to remain energetic each at dwelling 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 should be athletic to golf. Now I get pleasure from it.”
Annie Bosko Lives By This Actual-Meals Rule
One more reason 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 usually movies. For the “Crooked Halo” singer, outside settings make for essentially 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 component 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 may end up in extreme allergic reactions to crimson 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 a great ribeye. Particularly when at dwelling in Tennessee, she’ll put her Cali cooking abilities to good use, usually 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 lots, however with regards to the grilling, the steak sandwiches, they know what they’re doing. They do properly.”
On the street, nevertheless, the hunt for high quality meals turns into a problem, particularly when a Complete Meals isn’t close by. The singer suggests giving Walmart and even Goal a attempt for locating optimum alternate options.
“Typically I’ll stroll to a Goal and I’ll discover, like, combined greens, olive oil, and like a pasta, a garbanzo bean pasta,” she says. “That to me is healthier 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 artistic. Walmart’s acquired some good choices, truly, consider it or not.”
Bosko says maintaining a eating regimen closely primarily based on pure, complete meals was rooted again dwelling on her household’s California farm, the place her father grew cilantro, recent strawberries, corn, spinach, carrots, and loads of different vegetables and fruit. Her mom’s dedication to home-cooked meals left a long-lasting impression: “Each meal that we had she’d at all times have a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a salad,” she remembers.
As we speak, she nonetheless takes that strategy 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 Heart Stage
Whereas California Cowgirl was a two-decade undertaking, her actual musical journey started when her 5-year-old voice belted out the Wizard of Oz traditional “Over the Rainbow” along 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 acquired to go to Burbank, the Disney Studios.”
Bosko’s voice quickly discovered new phases, 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 abilities as a singer along with her athletic abilities 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 grow to be one other important component 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 grow to be important coaching instruments for constructing the stamina and stage presence that outline her performances. Zumba burns energy, and serves as an amazing different apply for her high-energy stage reveals—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 courses, 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 if 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 acquired dwelling from Europe. It was like my legs couldn’t—I used to be so sore from all of the transferring and all of the dancing.”
The music, dance, and all-around power Bosko shares along with her followers every evening equal an electrifyingly enjoyable live performance. With twenty years’ price of fan assist, displaying up every evening on the prime of her sport is a promise she intends to maintain. She’s put within the work. “I run round and transfer lots onstage,” she says. “I like to entertain. If I get bored, the followers are gonna get bored.”