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Since March 2003
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Kimberly Caldwell says her first single, a country-rock cover of Heart's late-'80s hit Who Will You Run To, was "fate waiting to happen, destiny, for me."
The Katy native, best remembered as the raspy-voiced top-10 finalist during American Idol's second season, says judge Randy Jackson (who championed Caldwell during her time on the show) approached her about collaborating on an album the day she got booted. Diane Warren, who wrote the Heart tune, also was interested.
"My mom called me and said, 'I think Who Will You Run To would be a really great song for you.' I was like, 'Yeah, whatever,'" remembers Caldwell, who was home recently to have dinner with a contest winner and do a little radio promotion.
"Then, my grandmother called me and said, 'A fan wrote in saying Who Will You Run To would be such a great song for you to record,'" Caldwell says.
"I couldn't get away from this song. It was just in my face. Heart is a huge inspiration to me. Ann Wilson is a phenomenal singer."
Caldwell, 24, says she spent hours perfecting the song in the studio so it would be radio-ready. It's a vibrant effort, highlighted by Caldwell's weary yet comfortable delivery and impressive range.
The track has received a warm welcome on radio and recently cracked the Top 30 on the Texas Music Chart. That's not bad for a singer who is still in the early stages of recording a full disc and shopping her name to labels. Who Will You Run To was released on Story Road Records (Radar Records) and is available for download via iTunes and WalMart.com.
Caldwell wondered how she would be received here even though she was raised here.
"Texas is where I came from. It's where all my family and my friends live," Caldwell says. "But it's been a few years after Idol. We didn't know if they were still going to support me or whether they were just going to say, 'She's a has-been.'
"They really embraced me, and we've been really, really fortunate."
Caldwell also has found considerable success as a spunky host on the TV Guide Channel. She mans a slew of shows, including Reality Chat and Idol Tonight and works red-carpet events.
The Idol expert also will pop up in the horror sequel Wrong Turn 2, playing a caricature of her reality-TV persona. The film is scheduled for release next year.
Though she's had a blast interviewing everyone from Charlize Theron and Stevie Wonder to Hugh Jackman and Taylor Hicks, Caldwell says she is ready to be on the other side of the microphone and wants to "be somebody who pushes the boundaries."
"Singing is what I do. It's just my life," she says. "I, at one time, was the chick that wouldn't get off the couch. I was the chick that didn't have any drive. I was the chick that wanted something but didn't know how to express myself. To have music... is amazing to me. It's my outlet. It's my only way of release."
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