Real to Me (EP)

Real to Me is the debut EP by American country singer Callista Clark, which is produced by Nathan Chapman. The five-track EP was released on February 12, 2021 by Big Machine Records. "It's 'Cause I Am" impacted US country radio on March 29, 2021 as the lead single for the EP.^[1]

Real to Me
EP by Callista Clark
Released	February 12, 2021
Genre	Country
Length	16:47
Label	Big Machine
Producer	Nathan Chapman
Callista Clark chronology
Real to Me (2021) Real to Me: The Way I Feel (2022)
Singles from Real to Me
"It's 'Cause I Am" Released: March 29, 2021

Background

Clark began writing songs at the age of 11, and was discovered by Big Machine Records after posting a cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" on Facebook, where it received 27 million views. She was signed to Big Machine at the age of 15.^[2] The title track on the EP was written by Clark at the age of 15, after she experienced her first breakup. She told Hollywood Life that people had told her that "what I was feeling wasn’t real yet or wasn’t valid yet, just because of how young I was", but that "it felt very real to me!"^[3]

Critical reception

Melinda Newman writing for Billboard praised the EP, saying that Clark had "confidence and verve".^[4] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, proclaiming that Clark is "poised for stardom", and naming "Don't Need It Anymore" as his personal favourite, stating that it "showcases [Clark's] wide range as a recording artist".^[5] Forbes' Rianna Turner noted the influence of Southern church music and "90s and contemporary country radio hits" on the EP, saying that Clark's "mature vocal timbre" and lyrical quality gave the EP a timeless quality.^[2]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal. All tracks are produced by Nathan Chapman.^[6]

Track listing for Real to Me

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"It's 'Cause I Am"	Callista Clark Cameron Jaymes Laura Veltz	2:47
2.	"Heartbreak Song"	Clark Chris DeStefano Emily Shackleton Liz Rose	4:16
3.	"Change My Mind"	Clark Dan Isbell Jonathan Singleton	3:09
4.	"Don't Need It Anymore"	Clark Jaymes Melissa Peirce	3:19
5.	"Real To Me"	Clark Casey Robert Brown Veltz	3:16
Total length:			16:47

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic and Tidal.^[7][8]

• Nathan Chapman - banjo (track 3), acoustic guitar (all tracks), bass guitar (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 1, 2), steel guitar (track 4), background vocals (track 3)
• Callista Clark - acoustic guitar (track 2), lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (all tracks)
• Dave Cohen - keyboards (all tracks)
• Kevin Kadish - electric guitar (all tracks)
• Rob McNelley - electric guitar (tracks 4, 5)
• Miles McPherson - drums (tracks 2, 3)
• Aaron Sterling - drums (tracks 1, 4, 5)
• Derek Wells - electric guitar (track 2)