CALLA: EVERY PIECE OF ME — FROM TEXAS ROOTS TO FINDING HER OWN VOICE
Some artists find their voice in a studio. Others find it onstage. Calla found hers somewhere in between — through music, dance, faith, heartbreak, ambition and the lessons that come with becoming who you're meant to be.
Raised in Richmond, Texas, just outside Houston, Calla grew up in a home where music had no boundaries. Her mother could sing, her father played guitar, and the family soundtrack stretched from gospel and country to the Beastie Boys, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden and EDM. Voice lessons began around six, followed by her first solo in first grade. Dance soon became another language, teaching her musicality, movement and how to command a stage.
By high school, Calla was balancing music with competitive cheerleading and nationwide Hip-Hop dance competitions, earning bronze, silver and gold at The Dance Worlds during her final three years. Journaling became songwriting, and eventually music became more than something she enjoyed — it became something she needed.
At 18, Nashville became the next chapter. The pandemic sent her back to Texas, where she wrote extensively with Shane Stevens before returning to Nashville. Along the way came “Solo,” SiriusXM spins, the “Self-Sabotage” remix EP, Season 24 of The Voice as part of Gwen Stefani’s team, work as Sara Evans’ personal assistant, a publishing deal with Made In Memphis Entertainment and a K-Pop writing camp with global entertainment company HYBE.
Every stop added another piece to the artist.
Now Calla is putting those pieces together with “Halfway,” the lead single from her forthcoming EP, Between 10PM & 4. Inspired by an ex releasing a song about the effort he put into their relationship, Calla decided it was time to tell her side — not to rewrite his story, but to make sure hers was heard.
“I’m writing my version of the story.”
That sentence could almost serve as the mission statement for this chapter.
Between 10PM & 4 explores relationships, independence, faith, self-worth and self-discovery, with Calla drawing from both sides of her artistry. “Breathe,” a song she has carried since she was 18, speaks to the freedom of leaving a relationship behind, while “Slippin’” brings Y2K dance energy into her pop-R&B sound and reconnects her with the dancer who helped shape the performer she is today.
Faith remains her foundation.
Vulnerability and confidence coexist in her music, just as softness and boundaries can coexist in real life. And beneath it all is the same Calla who has always refused to stay in one box.
“I’m creating music that’s relatable and that I hope people can find comfort in,” she says. “But I still have this sassiness to me.”
From a Texas girl singing her first solo to a Nashville songwriter, national television performer, dancer, believer and independent artist finding her voice on her own terms, Calla isn't simply looking back at where she's been.
She's taking everything with her.
“Halfway” isn't the finish line. It's the moment she stops settling for halfway — and starts stepping fully into who she is.
Q. You grew up in Richmond, Texas, with everything from gospel and country to Beastie Boys, Soundgarden and EDM around the house. How did that musical mix shape the artist you became?
Growing up in a household with such a wide variety of music really opened my ears to different influences from a young age. I was raised with an appreciation for all styles of music, and I loved seeing how every artist and songwriter could take their own experiences and turn them into something completely unique. I think I naturally started doing the same thing. I’ve been able to pull little pieces from all of those genres and influences and blend them together in a way that feels authentic to me. I don’t think I ever felt like I had to fit into one box musically, and that freedom has really shaped the artist I am today.
Q. You started singing at six, landed your first solo in first grade, then added dance, cheer and songwriting to the mix. When did you realize performing wasn’t just something you enjoyed—it was what you were meant to do?
I think I really realized it around 19. Performing had always been a huge part of my life, so for a long time I just thought, “I love doing this.” But as I got older, I realized it was deeper than that. I remember thinking that if music were suddenly taken away from me, I would feel like half of me was missing. That’s when I realized this wasn’t just something I enjoyed doing—it was something I genuinely needed to do.
Q. Dance has been a huge part of your story, including competing on the world stage. How does being a dancer change the way you hear a song and command a stage as a singer?
Being a dancer trained me to hear all of the little details in a song—the backbeats, the pockets, the moments where you can really play with movement and musicality. So when I hear a song, I don’t just hear the vocals; I’m naturally thinking about the entire performance and how everything can come together visually.
Growing up practically on a stage also taught me how to be comfortable being watched. That experience built a confidence in me that I can lean on now, especially when the nerves kick in.
Q. You’ve gone from Texas to Nashville, back home during the pandemic, The Voice with Gwen Stefani, songwriting camps and now your own music. Which chapter changed you the most?
I think Nashville changed me the most. Living there taught me so much about myself as an artist, a songwriter and just as a person. When I moved back after the pandemic, I had to find a different kind of strength to keep pursuing something I loved, even when I wasn’t sure where it was going to take me.
There was a lot of self-doubt and that constant fear of, “What if this doesn’t work out?” I had to completely retrain the way I was thinking and start moving as if I had already achieved the dreams I was working toward.
Nashville wasn’t my forever home, but I have so much gratitude for that season because it taught me how to keep going even when I couldn’t see the outcome yet.
Q. “Halfway” is about wanting clarity when a relationship lives somewhere between casual and committed. What finally made you say, “I’m going to tell my side of this story”?
When I started creating my EP, I went back through old music and voice memos on my phone, wondering if there was anything worth revisiting. I came across a song my ex had written where he portrayed himself as this person who had given 110% to our relationship, and in my experience, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
I had bitten my tongue a lot toward the end of that relationship because I knew there were things being said just to get a reaction out of me. So when I found that song, I remember thinking, “Okay, if you’re going to tell your version, I’m allowed to tell mine, too.”
“Halfway” became a way for me to finally say my piece—not to change anyone’s mind, but to tell the story from where I was standing.
Q. You’ve said, “I’m writing my version of the story.” How freeing is it to turn something personal into art and take ownership of the narrative?
It’s incredibly freeing. I think being able to translate emotions into art is one of the most beautiful things about being human.
In this specific situation, I feel like I lost a part of myself in that relationship and had to relearn where my value and worth actually come from. Being able to take those experiences and turn them into something creative has helped me reclaim that part of myself.
Now I get to stand firmly in who I am and stand up for the girl I was back then. There’s something really powerful about being able to give your past self a voice.
Q. Between 10PM & 4 touches relationships, independence, faith and self-discovery. Why did those late-night hours become the right space for telling these stories?
The title actually came from a lyric in one of the songs on the EP called “So Much Better.” I wrote the majority of the EP from journal entries I had written while I was in, and eventually healing from, a toxic relationship.
Those hours between 10PM and 4AM became this recurring space in my life—it was when I fell into the relationship, when my ex would often reach out to me, and later, when I would stay up journaling and trying to understand how to pull myself out of it.
Those hours almost became symbolic of both the relationship and the process of finding my way back to myself.
Q. “Breathe” has been with you since you were 18, while “Slippin’” brings that Y2K dance energy back into the picture. What parts of the younger Calla do you still hear in the music today?
Younger Calla really loved the big, cinematic songs that allowed her to showcase everything she could do vocally. I think “Breathe” still carries that part of me—it has that emotional depth and vocality that feels like it could live in a movie.
Then “Slippin’” brings out a completely different side of younger Calla: the attitude, the confidence and that Y2K dance energy. I think both songs are reminders that those different sides of me have always been there. I’m just giving them a more mature voice now.
Q. You’ve worked as a songwriter, performer, dancer and even behind the scenes with Sara Evans and at a HYBE K-Pop writing camp. What have those different rooms taught you about finding your own voice?
Those different rooms have taught me how important it is to listen to myself and trust my gut. I’ve learned that when something feels right, I don’t always need to overthink it.
At the same time, I’ve tried to approach every room as a sponge. There’s so much to learn from the people around you, whether it’s songwriting, performance, creativity or simply how they carry themselves.
I think finding your own voice doesn’t mean shutting out other influences—it means learning from them without losing yourself in the process.
Q. Faith clearly plays a major role in how you move through life and music. How do you balance being vulnerable in your songwriting while still holding onto the beliefs that keep you grounded?
For me, those two things actually go hand in hand. Being comfortable with being vulnerable in my faith has allowed me to become more comfortable in being vulnerable in my songwriting.
My faith gives me something to come back to when everything else feels uncertain. I don’t feel like I have to have all the answers or hide the messy parts of what I’m feeling. I can be honest about where I am while still knowing what I believe and what keeps me grounded.
Q. You describe yourself as someone who wants to make relatable music people can find comfort in—but you’ve also got that “sassiness” you talk about. How important is it that both sides of Calla show up?
It’s really important to me because I think both sides are equally authentic. There are moments where I can be incredibly vulnerable and talk openly about hurt, heartbreak and the things I’ve had to heal from.
But I also have this very sassy, confident, playful and sometimes spicy side of me. I don’t want to choose between those versions of myself. I think one of the most beautiful things about being human is that we’re capable of experiencing so many different emotions, sometimes all in the same day.
I want my music to reflect that.
Q. You’ve spent years learning how to use your voice, your body and your story. As you step into this next chapter, what do you finally feel brave enough to say that the younger Calla couldn’t?
I actually think it’s less about what I’m brave enough to say and more about how I carry myself now. I’m much more confident in who I am, what I believe and what I align myself with.
Younger Calla was still trying to figure all of that out while also trying to find her voice as an artist. Now I feel much more comfortable taking up space and trusting that I don’t have to have everyone’s approval to know who I am.
I think the biggest thing I can say now is, “This is who I am,” and actually mean it.
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