With a name like Emily Colt, it would appear that a career in country music was written in the stars for this 23 year old singer-songwriter. After being well known in her hometown of Southbury, CT. as a singer, Emily decided to try her hand at songwriting in 2009 at the urging of her producer Fred Krug.
Unaware of what might lie ahead, the then 20 year old put pen to paper and wrote her first song “Simple Man” in merely an hour. As she timidly revealed the song to Krug it became obvious that this was only the tip of the iceberg.
Feeling confident in her songwriting abilities, Emily discovered she had a whole lot more to say. So, began the birth of her debut Album “Bullets & Wildflowers” titled after two prominent cuts from the record. Within a month Emily finished writing the 10 song record with the guidance and collaboration of Krug.
Shortly thereafter, Emily landed her first gig ever as a headliner in the Bethlehem fair, not only premiering her original material, but also debuting her 8 piece band.
The momentum has only continued for Emily as she has spent the last 2 years cutting her teeth in the local circuit. Playing her fair share of bars, festivals, and major charity events, Emily has become a staple in the CT music scene.
Now, Emily is ready to take her music to the big time. In her record opener “American Dream”, an upbeat marriage of rock and country, Emily sings of how she is ready to pack her bags and head out to Tennessee to live out her dream. Throughout the record, she continues to allow the listener deeper into her world with songs like “Your Song”, a song written to her father, and “Red Wine” a power house ballad about the challenges of balancing relationships and pursuing dreams while living in a recession. To her Rock Anthem “Bullets are better than drinkin'” A Bonnie and Clyde-esque story in which she devises a plan with her lover to take back what the bankers on Wall Street took from them.
“Bullets & Wildflowers” is the combination of in your face rock lyrics, an old time country feel and Alternative musicality that sets this record apart from the rest. Though Emily has been compared to many vocalists, she is determined to stand out as a triple threat. Her sound is resonating with an ever growing fan base.
As a recent competitor and runner up of the famed Texaco Country Showdown, Emily is hoping to build her platform to becoming a household name and hopes to only continue to pave the way for herself all the way to Nashville. On her way, you can find her opening for major acts such as The Village People and Josh Gracin at some of Connecticut's major music festivals.
Emily Colt, Placed 2nd in the CT. State Finals for the 2012 Texaco Country Showdown.
Each year, acts from all over the country compete in different levels of the competition, including local, state, and regional contests in the hope of making it to the televised national final. Five regional winners compete in the national final trying to win the grand prize of $100,000, named "The Best New Act in Country Music".
Many contestants of the Showdown have gone on to have music careers, mostly in the country music genre. Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence, Carrie Underwood, Mark Chesnutt, Jason Aldean, Ashton Shephard, Jeff Bates, Katrina Elam, Toby Keith, and Brad Paisley all were contestants who won their local region of the Showdown. State and regional winners that are known in the country music business are Neal McCoy, Billy Dean, Sara Evans, Billy Ray Cyrus, Chris Young, Erika Jo, Miranda Lambert, John Michael Montgomery, Bobby Pinson, Chad Brock, Leann Rimes, Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, and Rick Trevino. Some other notable contestants include: Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, and Kate Anderton.
Currently in its 30th year, the Country Showdown is an annual talent contest to find undiscovered country music singers across the United States. As many as 100,000 acts compete in the Country Showdown annually, which is con- sidered to be the largest country music talent competition in America
The Showdown begins every Spring with over 50,000 contestants competing at a local level talent contest. The local contests are sponsored by over 450 country music stations nationally. Each radio station selects their local winner to represent them in the state competition. If they progress through the state finals, the contestants proceed to the regional final level.
Emily Colt - Live At The Cookhouse for the Texaco Country Music Showdown produced by COUNTRY KICKS 105.5
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