For Colbie Caillat,love is the answer

While touring to promote her chart-topping album Breakthrough (2009),the California-born singer/songwriter began a relationship with her guitarist,Justin Young. The two moved in together and adopted a puppy that accompanies them on the road. More important,however,the romance inspired the songs on All of You,Caillat’s third studio album,which was released in July and debuted at No 6 on the Billboard 200. “Two summers ago,in Germany,I wrote Make It Rain when I was falling in love,’’ the 26-year-old says,speaking by telephone from her Los Angeles home. “And then every song after that was about (Young),whether it was about the ups or downs of our relationship or me writing a song about myself and my thoughts,” she says.

As a whole,the album presents a clear-eyed,mature look at all facets of relationships,something that’s rare on a pop album. Caillat was only 21 when she released her debut album,Coco in 2007. Her father,Ken Caillat,is a producer and recording engineer who won a Grammy Award for his work on Fleetwood Mac’s classic Rumours (1977),and also has worked with Alice Cooper,Frank Sinatra and others. When she was a child,Caillat recalls,famous musicians would regularly drop by the family home. Being a singer was Caillat’s stated ambition,even as a child. As a teenager she sang on tracks by electronic-music producer Mikal Blue. “My parents told me,“You have to know how to play piano or guitar,whatever instrument you want,’’ Caillat recalls. “You need to take vocal lessons to keep your voice trained,and you need to become a songwriter so that you have more underneath you and you can establish a career.’’ Taking this advice to heart,Caillat began writing songs after her very first guitar class and landed her record deal by posting songs on MySpace,where for four months in 2006 she was rated the top unsigned artist in the singer/songwriter category. Her education paid quick dividends: Coco went double platinum and launched the hits Bubbly and Realize. Caillat dueted with Jason Mraz on the Grammy-winning Lucky (2008) and with Taylor Swift on the Grammy-nominated Breathe (2008). Besides debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200,Breakthrough was certified gold and nominated for a Grammy as Best Pop Vocal Album.

Even so,she says that she felt little weight of expectations as she got to work on All of You. “It’s about being honest with yourself and with the people around you,’’ she says,‘’and being completely present in the moment and giving 100 percent.” She co-wrote two of All Of You’s songs,Shadow and Like Yesterday,but it was the lead single—I Do,co-written with Toby Gad—that set tongues wagging. “Everyone does think it is about me getting married,’’ Caillat says with a laugh. ‘’I got texts. Did I miss something? Are you engaged?” “(The song) is about being in love and taking your relationship to the next level,’’ she says,“but,if people want to use it as their wedding song then they can go right ahead,because that is what songs are for—to be what they want them to be,to mean what they want them to mean for them.’’