Cam

Camaron Ochs, soon to be known to the rest of the planet as Cam, hails from the part of California that’s more barns than beaches, and she made her way to Nashville with a pocketful of songwriting credits that nod as much to pop as they do country.

Cam has written for Miley Cyrus but was raised on Patsy Cline and dreams of country music. She self-financed her first recording via Kickstarter in 2013, and within three years is on the cusp of stardom. Some, like her agent, CAA’s Rod Essig, think she’s already there.

“She came to my office and asked to see me,” Essig told Pollstar. “Once she sang, and I heard this clear, strong voice, I wasn’t going to let her leave until she signed with me.”

Photo: Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP Photo

Essig wasn’t the only one impressed by the young artist. She appeared at last year’s “All for the Hall” benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Emmylou Harris heard her sing and asked Cam to perform with her the next day.

Cam’s impressive debut single, “Burning House,” from a Kickstarter-funded, four-track EP called Welcome to Cam Country, was picked up by country radio before she even had her first major record deal.

Her debut full-length, Untamed, was released in December and additional singles are lined up like El Niño storms in the Pacific. Cam is already up for a Grammy Award for best country solo performance for “Burning House.”

Photo: Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com
Detroit Downtown Hoedown, West Riverfront Park, Detroit, Mich.

“People love Cam because she is just so real,” Essig said. “She reminds me a lot of Faith Hill. And she is a double threat because not only can she sing, but she writes her songs, too.”

But in a way, she’s more of a quadruple threat. She sings, writes, plays guitar and also has a pop sensibility that gives her real crossover potential.

But for now, Cam is all about the country. She’s currently opening for Brad Paisley on his tour, and will join Dierks Bentley in May. In between, she’ll have at least a couple of one-offs in her home Golden State, at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall and Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield.