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\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of strength and a lot of vulnerability in the human condition,\u201d Annie Bosko says while discussing her debut album. \u201cIt\u2019s it\u2019s okay to wake up one day and feel on top of the world, like you can kick ass and the next day, to feel like you\u2019ve just had your ass kicked by life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\tThat chronicling of emotional highs and lows serves as the emotional compass for her new album, California Cowgirl<\/em>, out today (Oct. 2) on QHMG\/Stone Country Records. The 19-track project, which follows her January-released self-titled EP, interlocks toughness, confidence, heartbreak and ambition, while interweaving moments from her own story of a West Coast farmer\u2019s daughter who chased her dreams to Nashville.<\/p>\n \n\tBosko calls the title track, \u201cCalifornia Cowgirl,\u201d \u201cthe album\u2019s centerpiece, and the bar that everything on the album needed to live up to.\u201d The phrase, first spoken to her by Country Music Hall of Famer Dwight Yoakam, not only gave the project its name but helped crystallize her artistic identity.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI did the Greater Bakersfield<\/em> podcast with him, and at one point he went, \u2018Annie Bosko, California Cowgirl,\u2019\u201d she recalls. \u201cAnd I just thought, \u2018Yep, that\u2019s who I am. That\u2019s the brand.\u2019 And that just sealed the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProduced by Trent Willmon (Cody Johnson) and David Mescon (Dasha, Megan Moroney, the album\u2019s latticework of fiddle, steel guitar and acoustic guitar nods to the influence of \u201890s and 2000s female country icons such as Shania Twain and Martina McBride.<\/p>\n \n\tBosko calls that decade one of country music\u2019s most iconic. \u201cI just feel like that era of country was so undeniably good. All the songs were so strong. It was such a great era for females. I certainly feel that we need more of that right now\u2014more female artists.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThat sense of nostalgia for an older generation of country music runs throughout the album. On California Cowgirl<\/em>, Bosko covers both Kris Kristofferson and Garth Brooks. She covers Kristofferson\u2019s \u201cHelp Me Make It Through The Night.\u201d Meanwhile, her take on Brooks\u2019 \u201cNew Way to Fly\u201d (which Brooks recorded on his 1990 album No Fences<\/em>) came at the suggestion of her manager Randy Bernard, who also co-manages Brooks (Bosko is managed by Bernard in a joint venture with BSB Management). \u201cHe said, \u2018This song would be really great coming from a female perspective,\u2019\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n \n\tElsewhere, \u201cMaliblue,\u201d written with Bridgette Tatum (\u201cShe\u2019s Country\u201d), distills heartbreak through clever wordplay. \u201cWe were in Malibu and walking on the beach and she had that great title for a song,\u201d Bosko says. \u201cIt\u2019s this fun play on words about a girl leaving a guy. I know I\u2019ve been there, where I\u2019ve been brokenhearted in some beautiful place. I just envisioned some girl crying tears into the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEven some of the originals on the album stem from \u201890s country greats. \u201cWatch Me,\u201d which captures a sense of strength and resilience in the face of doubters, is inspired by Toby Keith\u2019s 1999 hit \u201cHow Do You Like Me Now?!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019ve always loved the phrase \u2018Watch Me\u2019 and I love the message in Toby\u2019s song,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve all been told we\u2019re crazy, that we\u2019re never going to make it, or been doubted when it comes to pursuing our dreams. I love and respect Toby\u2019s songwriting and I thought, \u2018Where\u2019s the girl song for this? I don\u2019t know of one.\u2019 I\u2019ve dealt with so much skepticism. Even when I walk through airports, some people are surprised that it\u2019s my guitar going through security. But the song is tongue-in-cheek; it doesn\u2019t have to be a middle finger \u2014 it\u2019s more of a, \u2018Hold my drink because I\u2019m going to do it\u2019 kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBosko is clear-eyed about the skepticism she\u2019s encountered, even from family, as a woman pursuing a music career. \u201cIf I sat and thought about the statistics, the odds, I never would\u2019ve chosen to do this,\u201d she shares. \u201cYou\u2019d have to be a crazy person. But I think my sheer love and passion for the music inspired me to do this. My parents were very realistic, like, \u2018Hey we want to make sure you get your college degree, just in case.\u2019 As parents you don\u2019t want to see your kids struggle, so I don\u2019t blame them for that. But I knew this is what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tA co-writer on the bulk of the songs on the album, Bosko\u2019s creative vision is matched by her work ethic. She\u2019s been chasing the dream of music since she was a teenager. One of her signature songs on the album, \u201cGod Winks,\u201d nods at the open doors and opportunities that have signaled she\u2019s on the right path and have pushed her forward. One of those earliest moments came when she was 14, when she landed a spot singing on the 2000 soundtrack for Disney\u2019s The Little Mermaid II: The Return to the Sea.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThey had Chely Wright do a vocal on the end theme song, and then they needed a younger voice, too,\u201d Bosko recalls. \u201cI\u2019ll never forget driving to Burbank [California] and seeing the [studio] gates open. That was my little green light moment at a young age to make me believe I could really pursue it as a career.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThose \u201cGod winks\u201d have come more recently, too, as evinced by the album\u2019s collaborators. Bosko pairs with Darius Rucker on \u201cOld Friends\u201d and enlists Yoakam for \u201cHeart Burn,\u201d a sensual duet that highlights her versatility.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think he\u2019s probably the one I\u2019m most shocked by, because he\u2019s such an artist and purist at what he does,\u201d she says of Yoakam. \u201cHe\u2019s not going to just do anything to be nice. He has to really believe in something and it has to represent him and his artistry. The fact that that he has been so supportive, shown up to shows and let me sit in during his set, those are the things that you just never forget as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Bosko, the duets are artistic opportunities, but they are also pragmatic business choices. \u201cI think for any artist, whether that\u2019s Ella Langley or Lainey Wilson, so many female artists have gotten their breaks and exposure through collaborations,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s kind of the best way for a new artist to get out there, so you can\u2019t be afraid to ask. If you think it\u2019s a good quality song and you know you are talented and hardworking and deserving, go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhile country remains her foundation, Bosko doesn\u2019t see herself limited to one lane. Her playlists veer from Marty Robbins to David Guetta, and she\u2019s curious to explore different creative outlets.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIn the future, I could see myself recording stuff that leans even more old-school, traditional country, but then, also collaborating with DJs,\u201d she says, even as her ambitions extend to acting, musical theater, and fashion. \u201cI love clothes. A lot of times I\u2019ve ended up either designing my own outfit myself with a seamstress or creating clothing styles that I want, but can\u2019t find.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBut the first step is cementing her place in the country music firmament as a singer-songwriter with an engaging, relatable story to share with fans. \u201cThis album feels all-encompassing and autobiographical,\u201d she says. \u201cThis album is who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n