When you ask Kimberly Caldwell to describe herself in one word, she says creative and dramatic, or “dramatically creative” (a phrase she coined herself). When you ask me to describe Kimberly Caldwell, I say: Down-to-earth. Talented. Multi-faceted. Genuine. There really is no ONE word to describe Kimberly Caldwell.
If you don’t recognize her as a finalist from season two of American Idol, you’re bound to know her from her numerous TV hosting gigs, her music career, her acting career or her entrepreneurship as founder of Stage Presents handmade bags. When we say this girl is multi-talented, we mean it.
Even in the midst of her busy schedule, splitting time between Vancouver and Los Angeles, releasing multiple singles and a smokin’ hot new music video, planning a wedding, and launching a hair accessory line, Kimberly found time to catch up with Sweet Lemon. We chatted about everything from what she’s been doing since Idol, the inspiration behind her music video for “On the Weekend,” her love for the simple things in life, and beyond. Read on to learn more about this awesome Lemon Lady.
Sweet Lemon: It’s been a while since American Idol, and from what I can tell you’ve been busy! From hosting duties, to releasing a debut album, what else have you had going on in the last few years?
Kimberly Caldwell: Yes, I [was] in Los Angeles for about 10 years, writing and recording and releasing my debut album, Without Regrets. That was through Vanguard and Capitol Records. Then I hosted a lot of shows. I started hosting a show right after American Idol for Fox Sports. That was my first hosting job ever, and then I hosted quite a few of my own shows over at the TV Guide Network. Idol Chat, Idol Tonight, Reality Chat and then I had a music video show over there. Then I moved on to working with Mark Burnett Productions and I did a CBS show with them, an MTV Show called P Diddy’s Starmaker and then a VH1 show called Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Camp, and then I hosted the first season of Best Ink on Oxygen. In between all of that time, I met my now fiance; he just proposed this off-season. We’re going to have our wedding in Palm Springs New Year’s Eve. He plays major league soccer and I met him randomly in Philadelphia. He plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps now, so he’s been out here for about three years and I’ve been out here a little over two, so I just travel back and forth from L.A. to Vancouver working. Since I’ve been out here I launched my leather handmade handbag company. I custom make and handmake, and design each one of my bags. It’s called Stage Presents and I have opened up a little shop on Etsy. I’ve just been doing that on the side for fun, and it’s been so awesome. We’re actually working with our friends over at Head’n Home Hats, and they’re just so fantastic. I have been working with them to develop my own hair accessory line, which I’ve always wanted to do.They’re leather, handmade hair accessories, and we’re just putting the final touches on all those designs now. I’m also a columnist and a beauty blogger for Sophisticate’s Hairstyle Guide, the number one selling hair magazine in the world, so I’ve been really lucky to team up with them.
Rockin’ a piece from her newest line
SL: What do you currently have going on music-wise? I think all of us in some sense can relate to “” and the music video is so fun. Tell me how that came about.
KC: I sat down with a couple of my buddies, Andrew Dixon, who is an amazing musician and producer, and our buddy Brian Dennis, and we just decided to write for fun. Then all the sudden “On the Weekend” came about. I just told them, hey i have this song idea, I’m hearing all my friends griping about their 9-5 jobs, but on the weekend they’re badasses. So I want to write a song called like “On My Day Off”, or something like that, which became “On The Weekend.” While we were writing it, I kept visualizing what this video would look like and how hysterical it would be.
From that we just fell into writing the other two songs we released, “Tied Together,” which is a song about me and my little sister’s journey. She is an open lesbian, and so I have so many gay friends in my life and so many gay friends that have affected me in such an amazing way and have always been so loyal to me. So that song is sort of an empowerment song to the gay community, and to my sister. Then the third song is called “Doin’ Me Right” and all of them have an 80s vibe and “Doin’ Me Right” is just a fun, silly in the bedroom song. It’s definitely something you can dance to.
We had no idea we would release the songs, we just were doing it for fun. We realized that we all three were just so proud of what we had come up with, and what we had put together, so we definitely wanted to release it. Even though we didn’t complete an album, we just decided to release the three songs. “On the Weekend,” we were lucky enough to team up with Thermafuse hair care, who are great friends of mine. I pitched them the idea of doing a makeover in the video, so they actually sponsored the entire video. I wrote the script for the video and got help from all my best friends, and I styled the whole video. My best friend, who’s in the video, did all the makeup and she used all Makeup Forever makeup, she is one of the regional educators over at Makeup Forever. And then my little sister did all the hair, she was in the video too. And then my good friend Mikalah Gordon from American Idol was our third glam squad person in the video. My buddy who is my coworker [in the video], is one of my best friends out here in Vancouver. We met at Crossfit and became fantastic friends, so he came down and was the geek to chic makeover with me, and we did the whole glam van. We had it all decked out inside, and all the Thermafuse products, of course. Then the big reveal with all the smog and everything was very 80s – an ode to ZZ Top’s “” video from the 80s. We wanted to do an ode to Office Space too, because that’s obviously sort of where “On The Weekend” came from. That was the whole premise, is just breaking loose from the 9-5. We teamed up with LET ‘EM HAVE IT! Productions, they just did such a fantastic job. We did it in one day, and it was just the most laid-back, chill environment ever. It didn’t feel like we were working at all it was just too much fun.
It kind of just takes you away for a few minutes to where you just get to be in the music and you don’t have to think about the rest of the world and what’s going on.
SL: What was your favorite part of shooting the video for that song?
KC: I would probably say when me and Patrick come out of the van and we’ve had our makeover and there’s the ridiculous excess amount of smoke and stuff whenever we’re getting out, which is supposed to represent all the hairspray we just used. But I just thought it was so silly, and so over the top, and that’s why I loved it so much. It just felt very empowering to step out of that van and have the smoke and be all decked out and such.
SL: Do you see a full album sometime in the near future, an extended play maybe?
KC: Maybe an extended play. As of right now, I’m so proud of what we released and I think that sometimes an album really clutters the great songs. I know that it did on my last album, I think there were so many great songs that so many people didn’t ever get to hear, because there were just too many songs to pick from. I was so proud of the product that we had, and the product that we released. So for now, I’m completely fine and satisfied with releasing “On the Weekend” as a single and just the two bookends “Tied Together” and “Doin’ Me Right.” It’s a great little trio that we released and for right now, that’s just what our plan is, is to focus on those songs. I mean if it comes about and we wind back up in the studio – great. But this was all kind of on a whim and it was so much fun. This is, I think, the best music I’ve ever been a part of. I’m just so proud that I had a hand in creating what we did.
SL: Who are your biggest musical inspirations? What did you grow up listening to?
KC: Well I grew up in Texas, so country music was a huge huge inspiration for me. You know the soundtrack of my life is definitely country music. Any 80s and 90s country music, I know like every word to. The Judds were a huge inspiration to me. Wynonna Judd, in particular, especially when she went solo, was probably my biggest idol and my biggest inspiration. Still to this day, I just think her voice and her writing and her presence and everything about her just screams woman power, and I love that. But you know everybody from Pat Benatar to Joan Jett to Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Heart. You know pretty much all the women powerhouses are the ones that have kind of inspired me over the years.
SL: What do you hope to portray through your music? How do you hope to inspire your fans? What do you like to do to inspire the people that look up to you?
KC: When it comes to the creative arts in general, I just kind of like to have my hand in everything and challenge myself in all aspects of artistry and entertainment. So I think, you know, to just keep pushing yourself. You never know what’s around the corner. You never what you’re gonna be good at, and what you’ll fall in love with. I thought that singing was my thing and that was it. But I’ve realized that there are so many other creative aspects that I have really fallen in love with over the years, just by being open and being willing to challenge myself. But, when it comes to my music and the lyrics and melodies, in general I think the great thing about “On The Weekend” and “Doin’ Me Right,” and even “Tied Together,” is that it kind of just takes you away for a few minutes to where you just get to be in the music and you don’t have to think about the rest of the world and what’s going on. It’s just, I think, such a great release to listen to those songs, and empowering. Then when it comes to “Tied Together,” I stand up for what I believe in and that’s what the entire song is about. Not only standing up for yourself, but standing up for all of the people around you, and empowering them and empowering yourself and not backing down. I think it’s such a great release for me to write lyrics, and write melodies and things like that and it even hits me when I sing them live today. To know that it’s touching other people, that’s the big picture. For me being a voice not only for myself, but for other people that just need a little boost.
SL: Of all the things that you do, do you favor one of them? Or do you love all of them?
KC: I really do love all of them. I guess it just depends on the day. When I’m creating a bag and I’m designing and hammering and sewing and cutting and doing the whole thing, I’m in the moment and that’s what my passion is right then. But, when I’m on a stage, that’s where I feel like I’m supposed to be. When I’m in the studio, it’s like the best therapy I could ever have. When it comes to acting, it’s definitely a challenge. It’s not something that I can just do, like I do singing and writing, and things like that. So it’s something that’s a real challenge and I have to continue pushing myself and making myself better. So each thing kind of gives me a different high.
SL: What advice do you have for someone looking into starting a career like this? Or really just pursuing your dreams in general?
KC: I get told no all the time, but I live for the times that I get told yes. Those are the times that kind of pick you up and put you right back where you belong. In the entertainment industry it’s tough to keep getting up when you keep getting knocked down, and it’s always a rollercoaster. One day I have three gigs up in the air, and then the next day I don’t have anything going on for a week. So it’s tough to just stay on the rollercoaster and keep riding it, and not to jump off and go and get a safe job. But this is where the passion comes from and the creativity comes from. And I just have such an amazing team of people around me. My friends and my family, and just so many people that believe in me, that keep me focused and that keep me getting back up. So I guess I would say surround yourself with people that believe in what you’re passionate about. Even if I wanted to lay down, they’d make me stand back up.
To know that it’s touching other people, that’s the big picture
SL: What do you like to do in your free time? What do you do on the weekends, kind of like in the music video, what do you do to let loose?
KC: In my early twenties I was actually that music video. I was dancing on the bars and being crazy, but who wasn’t? Especially [because] I lived in Hollywood. But I’m definitely not now, you won’t see me dancing on any bars. I love to go to the flea market, and I love to go to thrift stores and antique stores, and all of my straps on my bags are actually vintage belts. I collect vintage belts and hook them on to the bags. So I love doing that. I have four little nieces, that are about to be my little nieces, and they’re all under the age of ten. When I’m in Los Angeles, I just love being at the house and hanging out with them, or going shopping with them. They went cake tasting with me the other day and it was just so much fun. I love going hiking with my sister and my best friends, and our dog. Just the simple things in life seem like the most cherished now. Even just laying on the couch and watching a movie with my man. And going to bed early.
Just for Fun:
Favorite Album of All Time: The Judds’ Greatest Hits. Me, my mom and my sister went to a Judds concert a couple years ago. We knew every word to every single song that they sang, and it was like a three hour concert. It’s like the soundtrack of my childhood.
Best Live Performance You’ve Ever Seen: Garth Brooks, for sure. I love Garth Brooks. I met him when I was little, performing one time in Nashville. But, he does this charity every year, Teammates for Kids and my [fiance] is one of the teammates who donates money to be able to go to this Garth Brooks event every year. In Nashville we got to go to his house, and go to his barn, and he turned it into this concert series. Then, the next night we went to dinner at the Grand Ole Opry and we sat on the Grand Ole Opry stage, just maybe 100 of us, and had dinner on the Grand Ole Opry stage and Garth Brooks, like ten feet from us, gave us an hour-long, two-hour long performance. Acoustic and amazing. [He] told stories of his journey and why he wrote some of the songs he wrote. So we’ve gotten to see him live a couple times now and it’s just the most like life-changing experience you’ve ever gone through, watching Garth Brooks live. Then when you get to meet him afterwards, he’s the nicest guy of all time, and you just hope that one day you end up with a good sense of yourself like he has.
Favorite Food: Mexican food, tacos, anything spicy. I really love some good boiled cajun crawfish. So good.
One Word to Describe You: I don’t know if I’d go with dramatic or creative. One of those. Dramatically creative, I just made up a word.
When Life Gives You Lemons: Put it in some sweet tea. Texas sweet tea, put it in some Texas sweet tea.
What can we expect from Kimberly in the next year? If she stays as busy as she has been, which I predict she will, I would personally be willing to bet a lot is to come for this talented woman in the near future. For now, she’s excited about her newly released music, launching her new hair accessory line and spending some well-deserved vacation time on her honeymoon.
Stay connected with Kimberly and keep up with all of her exciting ventures via , , and her website.
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All Images Courtesy of Much & House Public Relations
