Runaway Country off to great start in Kissimmee
The 7th annual Runaway Country music festival started at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee this afternoon.
Over the weekend 30 artists will appear on two stages and everyone will be able to enjoy the event without fear as missing anything as none of the performances overlap.
We managed a quick visit this afternoon to take in performances by Cam and Courtney Cole.
Cam was featured on the main stage and for those who don’t know, she is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements taken from contemporary pop music to give the audience a really fun time. Cam began her career as a songwriter, composing material for several artists including Miley Cyrus.
In 2010 she released her debut studio album on an independent record label before signing with Sony Music Entertainment in March 2015 and releasing Welcome to Cam Country. She launched her second studio album, Untamed in December 2015 with the success of the song.”Burning House” receiving widespread acclaim and a nomination from the Grammy Awards.
Courtney Cole featured on the “My Apartment” stage and entertained the crowd with her bubbly personality and a sound that is equal parts contagious and sassy. Cole grew up just 20 minutes outside of one of America’s most diverse cities, New Orleans, where music was everywhere. She was exposed to country, pop, zydeco, R&B, jazz and more wherever she went. At age 5, she took her first bow onstage at a talent show in her church where she and her father lip-synced “I Got You Babe” together, with her father dressed as Sonny while she wore a Cher wig!
The world got its first look at Cole in 2011 on “CMT: The Next Superstar.” The series documented her talent and followed her pursuit of a country music career while she shared a house with other up-and-comers. A growing fan base began following her through social media and after the last episode aired, she was offered a full-time publishing deal.
While performing on Miranda Lambert’s Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour in the fall of 2015, Cole released her self-titled EP. Produced by Will Weatherly, it featured the fan favorite track “Ladylike,” co-written with Jimmy Robbins and GRAMMY, CMA and ACM-Award winner Shane McAnally.
Previously, Cole released her acoustic EP, #NoFilter, exclusively at Spotify. Her single, “Drunk,” which she wrote with Catt Gravitt, Gerald O’Brien and Shirazi, is available at iTunes. The music video for “Drunk” hit No. 1 on the fan-voted Taste of Country’s “Top 10 Countdown” and debuted at No. 8 on CMT Pure’s “12-Pack Countdown.” The Shotgun Seat observed, “Cole achieves the perfect balance of being simultaneously strong and vulnerable, like an early Taylor Swift.”
The line up for Runaway Country can be found here.
Tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday and they can be found at the Runaway Country website.
Lots more photos at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com
