Raised in California’s Central Valley as one of five children in a farming family, Annie Bosko grew up with country music woven into her daily life. Whether husking corn, riding horses, or singing along to George Strait and Patsy Cline in her dad’s truck, Bosko absorbed the sounds of tradition early on. Her mom introduced her to the Judds and Wynonna’s powerhouse vocals, adding soulful flair to her foundation. That blend of grit and melody shaped Bosko into a dynamic performer known for her claret-toned voice, magnetic stage presence and an artistry that has carried her from school talent shows to sharing stages with Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam and Raul Malo.
Her new album, ‘California Cowgirl,' is both a homecoming and a bold leap forward. Spanning 19 tracks, the record fuses Texas grit with California sunshine, weaving together nods to 90s country queens, rock edge and even breezy West Coast vibes. The result is a sprawling yet cohesive collection that opens with energy, closes with smoulder and showcases Bosko’s fearless creativity, soulful range, and knack for balancing heart with honky tonk fun. More than just a debut statement, ‘California Cowgirl' is a reflection of Bosko herself—resilient, risk-taking and deeply rooted in a love for country music that’s as timeless as it is fresh.
Thank you for your time today, Annie because I know what a busy life you lead…
Are you kidding? Thank you for your time and helping to promote the record.
You must be so excited for the album to come out?
Man, I am!! It feels a little anti-climatic if I'm being honest because it is way overdue – I'm way overdue this album! (laughing) I feel like I've been releasing singles for a few years now but what's exciting about this is that it is a full body of work. We're in this interesting time right now where people, all of a sudden, want full albums again instead of singles and EPs and I'm thrilled that people care about that again.
With 19 tracks that span empowerment anthems, party jams and heartfelt ballads how did you decide on the sequencing and the flow of the album as a whole body of work?
I had an idea of what I felt would work and would round things out as a journey. I wanted to show off all the different sides of who I am. It was important for me to make it multi-faceted so the album starts with a bang and there are twists and turns along the way.
I'm a big fan of 12 track, 45 minute albums and I can honestly say I never once looked at your 19 tracks and felt you'd lost momentum – the flow kept me engaged – which I think is rare for an album of such length.
Good! I'm really glad to hear that. You can get daunted if an album has too many tracks so I'm glad you didn't feel like that.
The title feels like an obvious title that reflects you an your life. Was that always going to be the title of the album or were there other ideas up for contention?
No – right after we wrote that song I told my label and co-writers that it felt like the name of the album. We put it out in April, right after Stagecoach, and I kinda knew that it would be the centre piece on the table. I think that song and idea separates me from other artists in the marketplace. Dwight Yoakam told me that Merle Haggard told him that western music was forged in the honky tonks and Nashville music came from the churches – I do believe there is a blend and crossover between those two sounds that I want to explore.
You started singing and performing at shows and football games and family events at a really early age. When did the bug first bite you and can you remember when you first realised that this was going to be your career?
I think I always knew, it was my identity as a kid. I mean, I've definitely done other jobs along the way to supplement my income and pay the bills but I always knew. It felt like quite an elusive, far-fetched dream as a kid – even though I am from California my dad was in farming and agriculture and my mom was a stay at home mom of five. We lived in a little community so there was no-one I knew in the entertainment industry so I didn't know how to get my foot in the door.
Then I got a job with Disney when I was 13 years old and that was the eye-opening moment of, like, ‘Wow! Maybe I could do this as a career.'
You moved to Nashville at 19 / 20 years old. When I go on Youtube and look at footage of a song like ‘Cowboy Up' there's video of you from 2011 singing that song!
That's the oldest song on the record, I can't believe you found that! (laughing) It's amazing that I have never released that song before! It always lived in my live shows and was a fan favourite but there was never a right time to release it – until now! It was hard back then because I didn't know how to be my own record label, that's something that I've picked up over time – I had to learn all that later.
Arriving in Nashville and learning the business side of the industry alongside being creative an d doing the grind week after week, month after month – were there ever any times where you toyed with walking away?
Oh, all the time! I still do! (laughing) You can't keep doing something like this unless you really love it and feel like it is something you are born to do. Even today I face rejection daily from people I even thought were my supporters! You learn not to get personally attached to it, it goes to something like ‘The Four Agreements,' right? You can't take anything personally and just do you.
There will be certain gatekeepers who tell you that it can't be done and then you get to the head person or the person in charge and they are like, ‘Yes, absolutely, let's do it tomorrow!' You know? It's never ending frustration which is why you need to be anchored in your passion. There were times I was signed to bad contracts, I cleaned houses, worked at restaurants, I nannied kids – I even moved home at one point – I had vocal chord surgery and had to recover from that too! Oh, let's throw in lockdown too! I said I wouldn't go back to Nashville unless there was a show to play: one emerged and Vince Gill was at that show and offered to play on a song with me and that kinda re-ignited everything.
There's similar parallels between you and Drew Baldridge I think, in your stories……
Yes, there is! The difference being he's a guy right? (laughing) We're still expected to look 21, right? Man, Drew is so talented. His hustle? Wow! To be the first independent artist to have a number one at Country radio? What an achievement. I love him, I love his work ethic and the way he treats people.
There's three duets on your album: Darius Rucker, Joe Nichols and Dwight Yoakam. They all bring out a different side of you. What was it about them that madre you choose them to bring out these different sides of you?
I've never asked someone to do a duet with me that didn't make sense. When I wrote ‘Old Friends' I kinda already had Darius in mind for it. I've opened for him in the past and he's always been a really sweet supporter and friend, same with Dwight. ‘Old Friends' absolutely made sense for him to be on it, it has that kind of Rock / Country vibe that he does so well. Darius feels like he's everybody's friend!
With Dwight, I also wrote that song with him in mind. As we were writing it I even asked my co-writers ‘what would Dwight Yoakam say at this point?' I wanted something a little cryptic, poetic and weird, right out of the box there! (laughing) His music is commercial but always on the fringe of the mainstream – a little different, right outside the box. ‘Heartburn' felt perfect for him – driving with the top down through the desert at sunset.
With Joe – that song was on his album initially. My label president had asked me to sing it with him and so we felt it should go on my album too. It made it into the Top 40 and to this day people keep asking me about it. There's a different vocal side to me on that song which makes it really interesting.
‘Cowboy Up' is the oldest song on the album – which song was written most recently that made it on there at the last minute?
I wanna say ‘Maliblue.' That's such a fun, retro track that channels feel-good California vibes. I think I'm the only artist out there that would put out a song on their album with that title! (laughing) We're on a writers retreat and my co-writer, Bridget Tatum and I were on the beach and it was January, 75 degrees and the perfect day in Malibu and she came up with the phrase! I was, like, ‘Shit! That's clever!' (laughing)
Which song that people haven't heard yet are you most excited for people to hear?
‘Maliblue' would be one because it's just so different. You just want to find those things that make you you and that song is one of them for me. ‘Fighter' is definitely another. I've had that song for a decade now and it's just one of those songs that moves people on a spiritual level. ‘Fighter' never goes away either – sometimes you write a song that you love and then three months later you're jaded with it – that never happens to me with ‘Fighter.' People still request it live so they seem to like it as much as I do.
Where do you consider your best vocal performance is on the album? ‘New Way to Fly' feels like it would be up there for me.
Yeah, that one, for sure. It's a hard song to sing. There's a big note I hit that goes into a yodel and into a falsetto and then back into my chest again. That's easily my best vocal on the record. It was a Garth Brooks song that never made it as a single because there was already lots of hits on the ‘No Fences' album – it's amazing song.
With these 19 songs – is there any particular song you are looking forward to adding into your live set or which song gives you the tingle when you know it's coming up in the setlist?
Probably ‘Cowboy Up.' We put it towards the end of the set and it always brings the house down. It's got that four-on-the-floor feel that gets people pumped up. I love to have a variety of songs in the set – I'll never forget going to see Shania as a kid – there was an energetic pyro start but then she came out on a stool and sung ‘You're Still the One,' ‘Forever and Always' and ‘From This Moment' and did a ballad section which was really intimate so I try to start my show with big energy and finish it with high energy but there will be a ballad section in the middle.
I'm hoping we get to see that over here in the UK again one day soon.
Me too! I played C2C a couple of years ago and it was amazing. One of my favourite musical experiences of my life. The way the UK crowds absorbs and appreciates music is different to anywhere else – they were calling out and requesting songs of mine that weren't even out yet or that I had forgotten about!
You've mentioned Shania. I can hear a lot of Trisha Yearwood and Wynonna Judd across this album too. Are they inspirations of yours?
Oh, 100%. Trisha is hands-down one of the best vocalists of all time, all genres. I grew up listening to a lot of The Judds – that was my mom's favourite band. ‘Why Not Me' is an all time favourite song of mine. The common thing between both those artists is soul. There's an element of soul that both those singers have in their voices that has always inspired me.
I hate to ask you this question, Annie, because the album isn't even out yet (note – it's out today!) but have you started thinking about or writing towards a next project yet?
I love you're even asking that! I haven't started thinking about my next project yet but there are a few songs that didn't make this album that I don't want to lose. So I feel like they could be a centre piece for a new project that I could kinda write around so I do have an idea for what I might do next!
…. or a deluxe version of ‘California Cowgirl?'
Oh absolutely! We'll definitely add a couple of songs onto this album sometime in the future.
If you could sit down with someone to write thew first single for that next project tomorrow who you haven't worked with yet, who would you choose and why?
Eric Church. I love him. Such a huge fan. He's the best, such an artist but still able to succeed commercially. I can't put my finger on why he resonates with me so much but he has since day one – ever since ‘Sinners Like Me.' ‘Creepin' is one of my all-time favourite songs. ‘Like Jesus Does.' He's so brilliant.
Go check out Annie Bosko's fabulous new album ‘California Cowgirl' – out today in all the usual places.
