Colbie Caillat doesn't have to reach too far into her memory banks to recall a time when she led a fairly normal existence.
It was only a year ago that Caillat was living with her parents in Ventura, Calif., working at a tanning salon on weekdays and visiting the beach with her friends on the weekends.
Then Caillat's friend built her a MySpace profile and posted some of her original songs to the site.
More than 9 million views later and Caillat has become the next big online phenomenon, selling out venues and selling CDs in the hundreds of thousands to fans of her eclectic mix of feel-good singer/songwriter material.
Caillat comes to town Friday with her hit song "Bubbly" and her debut album "Coco" in tow.
What's the best part about being a musician?
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"It is a lot of fun being on the road with my band and on tour. It gets tiring and stressful sometimes and being in an airport every day isn't fun, but seeing sold-out crowds singing all the words to my songs at concerts is a really, really good feeling."
The worst part?
"I used to get annoyed at doing interviews. I didn't really understand the point of them. Why can't one person do the interview and everyone else just get it from him? Now I understand. They want to hear for themselves, which is good because then you can tell your true side of the story to everyone. They only get annoying now when you have 10 in a row and you say the same thing 10 times."
Why do you think people enjoy the song "Bubbly" so much?
"People relate so well to it because everyone has had a crush. It is not about being in a relationship or the bad parts of a relationship. It is about having a crush and that person giving you butterflies. A time right when you first start to like them and you think they are cute. Everyone goes through those beginning stages of a relationship. It is a gentle song that is easy to listen to. It puts you in a good mood."
You are still very new to this. Are you worried at all that you might be just a MySpace fad?
"Yeah. At first it was scary. I was scared because I hadn't gone through it. I was nervous, but you kind of learn as you go. I am still learning, but it has become a lot easier."
Do you still visit MySpace? "Yeah, I have my own personal one for my friends that I go on every once in a while. But I've been so busy, I don't have time to get on the computer that much. When I do, I try to keep people posted on where I am at in the world."
• Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.
• When: 8 p.m. Friday.
• Cost: $16 in advance and $17 the day of the show through the Rialto, 740-1000.
• Hear it online: myspace.com/colbiecaillat.
