Annie Bosko Interview - California Cowgirl Album, Songs

Country singer/songwriter Annie Bosko has just released her debut album, called California Cowgirl (on QHMG/Stone Country Records). Unlike some rising artists who release their first album in their early 20s, Bosko’s debut record marks the culmination of a lengthy journey for an artist who is now enjoying a new level of success in her 30s.

Bosko’s album has been a lifetime in the making. It contains 18 songs, most which were co-written by her. Not only does it feature her autobiographical song “California Cowgirl,” it includes a wide range of songs, with feisty uptempo country tracks, midtempo tunes and heartfelt ballads. The album also features guest performances by top artists such as Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam and Joe Nichols.

Notably, Bosko has just released an excellent new duet version of her song “God Winks,” which she sings with Grammy-winning & platinum artist, Amy Grant.

California Cowgirl was produced by Trent Willmon (Cody Johnson) and David “Messy” Mescon (Megan Moroney, Dasha), and the album reflects her roots as a farmer’s daughter and her California-meets-Country spirit. In addition to the songs she co-wrote, it includes songs written by Lainey Wilson and Garth Brooks.

Bosko grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, where her father worked in the farming business. Her parents introduced her to the music of legendary artists such as Patsy Cline and George Strait, and she also loved listening to Shania Twain, Wynonna Judd, Martina McBride and other artists.

Bosko started singing at a young age, and when she was 14 she sang on the soundtrack for The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Then in 2014, she had her first country success when she released her song “Neon Baby,” which entered Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

After “Neon Baby,” Bosko had difficulty immediately following up that success. It wasn’t until 2023 that she signed with Stone Country Records in Nashville, and she began to network and collaborate with top artists such as Vince Gill and Raul Malo of the Mavericks, who encouraged her to further build her music career. Also in 2023, she performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

Although Bosko now mostly resides in Nashville, she has proudly held on to her California musical roots and identity. She says, “I think many people perceive Californians as all being super slick, but that’s not always true,” she confesses. “When you’re talking California country, you’re talking Merle Haggard and Buck Owens; you’re talking the Desert Rose Band, Gram Parsons, Highway 101, Dwight and all the cowpunk. To me, that’s some of the greatest country music.”

Here’s the video of Annie Bosko’s song, “California Cowgirl.”

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Annie Bosko. She tells how she got started with music, and discusses the making of her album, California Cowgirl.

DK: I read that you’re from Thousand Oaks, California. How did you get started with music and singing?

Annie Bosko: I got started with music and singing when I was a kid…it was like second nature to me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a singer and I got into country music because my dad was in farming. As a kid, my favorite memories of us together was my dad driving through the fields and we listened to old-school country music. My dad’s headquarters is in Oxnard (in Southern California), so they farmed everywhere from Oxnard up to Salinas (in Northern California). And country music was something that was ingrained in me at a young age

DK: In 2014 you had success with your song, “Crooked Halo.” Can you talk about that song and that period in your career?

Bosko: It was the first song I self-released as an independent artist. Up to that point, I had been waiting to release a song with a record label. But my friend was like, “You should just release it…don’t overthink it.” I took her advice, and sure enough it got on The Highway on SiriusXM and the Spotify Hot Country playlist, and it’s still probably my most streamed song. So I think that sometimes it’s the power of doing it, and not overthinking it and just going for it.

DK: After “Crooked Halo,” several years passed before you signed with Stone Country Records and put out your song, “Neon Baby.” So what was your life like over those years after “Crooked Halo,” but before “Neon Baby”?

Bosko: Well after “Crooked Halo,” it never really jumped to the next level. To be honest, I didn’t have a team in place. I tried a couple different things. I was in an all-girl country band, and I signed a publishing deal. So I was a published songwriter and I focused on writing songs. Then during Covid, I had a surgery on my vocal cords and I thought…I’ll go back to Nashville when I get a gig.

Here’s the audio of Annie Bosko’s song “God Winks,” which
features Amy Grant.

Then I got a gig and I bumped into Vince Gill, who offered to sing and play on my record. And it was this vote of confidence that I needed to keep going. Then Dwight Yoakam did a song with me, and so did Raul Malo of the Mavericks. And I started self releasing the music and my manager heard it. That led to the record deal and everything else that’s happened since. So I think once I started putting out music, everything else fell into place.

DK: Last year, you were on the Billboard country chart when you teamed up with Joe Nichols on the song, “Better Than You.” How did you connect with Joe on that song?

Bosko: I connected with Joe because we have the same record label and our president, Benny Brown, wanted us to do a song together. So this was a perfect song and perfect opportunity for that, so they took it to radio and we had a pretty good run and made it to the top 40 which was really exciting. Joe is such a fantastic singer and I love him as a human being. It was fun getting to do that with him.

DK: You’ve just released your album, California Cowgirl. Can you talk about the making of the album?

Bosko: The making of this record started when we wrote the song, “California Cowgirl,” and it set the bar. It became the centerpiece of the record. It felt like, “Okay, this is what the song’s supposed to be about,” and so we built it from there and started writing more songs to go around that. Once we wrote that song, it was like, “Okay, this is the beginning of the record.”

DK: Your song, “California Cowgirl,” seems to tell your story, with you going from Thousand Oaks (in California) to Nashville. So what’s it been like for you, being from California and then making it in Nashville?

Bosko: I think for a while, there was this perception that if you were from California, you couldn’t be country. Then the more I started to embrace it and I became friends with people like Dwight Yoakam who’s featured on my record, I shifted my perspective. So I was like…I think I actually need to own this as being part of my story and embrace it. There’s so much great country music that comes from California, whether it’s from Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam or Buck Owens. Why not try to give a nod to those guys? So that was the best thing, I think.

Here’s the video of Annie Bosko’s song, “Honky Tonk Heartbeat.”

DK: On your new album, you sing a duet with Darius Rucker on the song, “Old Friends.” How did you connect with Darius?

Bosko: It was about 15 years ago when we met and he was so sweet…he’s such a sweet soul. He’s always so inspiring and kind to everyone. We maintained a friendship, and I felt that he’s sort of a friend to everyone. Everybody feels like he’s their friend. He has that vibe and persona and warm spirit about him. So he was the perfect person to feature on this song. And fortunately he said yes. He agreed to do and it’s been awesome.

DK: On your new album, besides the songs we’ve discussed, what are your favorite songs?

Bosko: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I would say “Bright and Blue Sky” is one of my favorites. When we wrote it, I was envisioning a Merle Haggard song, and I wanted it to feel like Merle. I also love “Watch Me’ because I feel it’s an important message for women. I have frequently been told “No” in my career. And sometimes you get to a place where you’re like almost numbed by it. I think for me, it’s like…there are two kinds of people in the world, either people that hear someone say “No,” and it’s like I guess it can’t happen or it can’t be done. Then there’s people that hear “No,” and the “No” just fires them up to do it even more. So I’ve always tried to challenge myself to do the latter, and use “No” as a fuel to do it anyway.

The fun part is when you show people, and you prove people wrong. I think there’s a gratification that comes with that because nothing can be done until someone does it. You know, it’s always impossible until someone does it and you’re like…Oh well, shit, it can be done. So I think…Okay, let the “No’s” fuel you forward to do it anyway and to succeed.