Cam

Part of a generation of singer/songwriters who don't adhere to the confines of either pop or country, Cam's refusal to follow conventions -- and gift for storytelling -- results in rich, distinctive music. "Burning House," her Grammy-nominated single from 2015's debut album Untamed, is an example of her strengths: A ballad pitched halfway between Fleetwood Mac and the Chicks, its indelible, melancholy melody gave her a multi-platinum smash. On the subsequent singles "Diane" and "Classic" (from 2020's The Otherside), Cam showed how she could play with modern pop textures and classic country songwriting. This was also borne out in her songwriting credits, which found her collaborating with artists like Diplo, Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, and with Beyoncé on 2024's Cowboy Carter. She later resumed her solo career with 2025's introspective All Things Light.Cam was born Camaron Ochs in Huntington Beach, California, and raised in Lafayette, a small but comfortable community in the northern part of the state. While growing up, she spent plenty of time with her grandparents, who lived in a rural community in Oceanside, California, where she soaked up the influences of country living and Patsy Cline. After studying psychology in college, Camaron developed a passion for songwriting, and blessed with a strong, clear voice, she decided to relocate to Los Angeles and pursue a career in music. Her first songs were in a contemporary pop style, and as Camaron Ochs, she released an album, Heartforward, in 2010. By 2012, she'd slimmed down her name, first to Cam Ochs and later simply Cam, and was writing and singing country-oriented material.After moving to Nashville, Tennessee, Cam recorded an album in 2013 financed through Kickstarter; it featured contributions from songwriter and producer Tyler Johnson (who helped create songs for Taylor Swift and P!nk) and producer Jeff Bhasker (who worked with Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, and Fun.). One of the songs cut for the album, "Down This Road," co-written by Cam, Johnson, and Douglas Charles Showalter, impressed the programmers at WSIX-FM in Nashville so much that they put it into regular rotation, even though she didn't have a record deal and had self-released the recording digitally. Cam supported the record with plenty of live appearances, and shared bills with everyone from Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, and Vince Gill to Dan + Shay. By early 2015, Cam had signed a record deal with Arista Nashville/RCA Records, and a four-song EP, Welcome to Cam Country, saw digital release. A full-length album called Untamed, produced by Bhasker and Johnson, was released in 2015. Along with reaching number two on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and appearing in the top 15 of the Top 200 Albums chart, Untamed generated a hit single with "Burning House," which peaked at two on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and crossed over to 29 on its Top 40. A multi-platinum hit, the single also earned Grammy, ACM, and CMA award nominations. After "Burning House" finished its extended run on the charts, "Mayday" was pulled as a single in 2016, reaching 36 on Country Airplay. In 2017, Cam released the single "Diane," a response to Dolly Parton's "Jolene." A succession of digital singles followed over the next couple years, as Cam made the transition from Arista Nashville to RCA Records. The Otherside, her first album for RCA, appeared in October 2020, and was released in tandem with Triple Tigers, a label and promotional firm established as a joint venture between Sony Music and the independent Thirty Tigers label. Once again produced by Bhasker and Johnson, the album produced a pair of successful singles, "Till There's Nothing Left" and "Classic," and included contributions from Jack Antonoff and Harry Styles, the latter of whom showed off his whistling skills on a version of his song "Changes." The title track was written by Cam in collaboration with Tim Bergling, aka Avicii, and Sam Smith helped write "Happier for You." In 2021, Cam appeared on a pair of collaborative singles, "Everything Changes" with Ross Copperman and "london" with Wrabel, the latter becoming a significant streaming hit. She also released a holiday single that year, "Believe." Cam contributed to one of 2024's most talked about albums, Beyoncé's country-themed Cowboy Carter. She received credits for songwriting, production, and backing vocals on five songs, "American Requiem," "Protector," "Daughter," "Tyrant," and "Amen." After this, she returned to her own music, wrapping up sessions for her follow-up to The Otherside. Released in 2025, the philosophical "Turns Out That I Am God" marked Cam's first solo outing in five years and was followed by the breezy, atmospheric "Everblue." These paved the way for the July release of All Things Light, her fourth album.
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