“Putting out my debut album is the ultimate dream come true,” says Kimberly… Read Full Bio ↴“Putting out my debut album is the ultimate dream come true,” says Kimberly Caldwell about her upcoming release Without Regret. “I’ve been a performer my entire life and everything I’ve done has led up to this moment. I’m looking forward to people finally getting to know the real me, because I’m laying it all out there for them on this album.”

Perhaps best known as a second season contestant on television phenomenon American Idol, Caldwell struck a chord with millions of the show’s viewers thanks to her gutsy vocals, passionate performances, and earthy charisma. On Without Regret, she wields her full-throttle belt to maximum effect on a series of emotionally resonant, pop-inflected rock songs, several of which she co-wrote. There are buoyant, propulsive rockers (female empowerment anthem “Going Going Gone” and first single “Mess of You”), the fiery and powerful (“Cost of Love” and “Heart Like Mine”), as well as soaring, graceful love songs (“Say Love” and the soulful “If You’re Gonna Fall”). Caldwell also covers Melissa Etheridge’s “Sleep While I Drive” as a tribute to Etheridge, whose “Come to My Window” Caldwell performed memorably on Idol. “We kind of conceived this album as a modern-day Melissa Etheridge moment,” Caldwell says. “I’m a massive fan of hers, as well as of Bonnie Raitt and Ann Wilson. I just love these fearless female rockers who sing straight from the heart.”

Caldwell strove to achieve the boldness of her favorite artists on Without Regret by recording songs that spoke to her, such as “Cost of Love” (written by Diane Warren) and “Heart Like Mine” (co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi and Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger), as well as co-writing four highly personal songs: “Taking Back My Life,” “Human After All,” “Frozen,” and “Say Love” — all of which document the different stages and emotions surrounding relationships. For Caldwell, the overall theme of Without Regret is just being human. “Like everyone else, I’ve had hardships: broken family, broken hearts, and thank God I did because I’ve been able to write honestly about the experiences in my life that have affected me in both good ways and bad,” she says. “If my music can give someone that push they need just to keep on going, then I’ve done my job.”

To help her deliver the authentic vocal performances she knew the songs required, Caldwell turned to producer Marshall Altman who has worked with singer-songwriters Matt Nathanson, Marc Broussard, and Kate Voegele, among others. “Marshall was amazing because he really welcomed all the emotion that went into making this record,” Caldwell says. “He taught me to embrace the imperfections — to stop worrying about every note being perfect and just let go.”

The most important thing, Caldwell says, “is that I jumped over to the fearless side. This album is my first step in allowing people to know ‘I’ve been where you are, I hurt like you do, but I’ve turned it around and made something positive moving forward and so can you.’”

Caldwell developed her fierce determination through a childhood that had its share of obstacles. Born in Katy, Texas, she describes herself as an attention-seeking kid who would climb on the coffee table, throw her hands in the air, and scream, “Look at me! I can do this!” “I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer,” she says. “I just wanted to perform for people.” That desire led to four years on the beauty pageant circuit, from ages 5 to age 9. “I loved the hair and makeup. I loved rehearsing,” she says. “My mom would have these extravagant outfits made, like red lamé with silver fringe and she would spray paint a silver cowboy hat and boots for me, the whole nine yards.”

A fan of country music and such artists as Reba McEntire, the Judds, and Randy Travis, Caldwell became obsessed with appearing on the television talent show Star Search, “the way people are with American Idol today,” she says. She wound up winning the competition five times, the most wins for a junior vocalist on the original version. At age 12, she landed a gig as a featured performer on a singing revue called “Country Tonite,” which meant a family move to Branson, MO, where the show was located. Caldwell sang country favorites six days a week, performing two shows a day, “doing full-on numbers where the dancers picked me up and I’m wearing a headset,” she recalls. Her mother told her she could stop anytime, but she loved performing and carried on for three years. Then at age 15, she decided she wanted to move back to Katy and “just be normal.”

Around this time, her parents’ marriage fell apart, her relationship with her father deteriorated, and her mother struggled to support her and her younger sister. Caldwell coped by going through what she describes as a rebellious phase, but the absence of performing took a deep emotional toll on her. So when auditions for the second season of American Idol rolled through Texas, Caldwell decided to take her shot and rode the wave all the way to the Top 10. When the show ended, she set out on a nationwide trek with the other finalists on the “Idols Live!” tour, then parlayed her fan favorite status into a stint as a correspondent for the entertainment/extreme sports program 54321 on FOX Sports Network, followed by a job as an entertainment correspondent and host for the TV Guide Network.

“I enjoyed hosting, but I didn’t want to let go of music or my dream of making an album,” Caldwell says. She spent several years working with her mentor, hit-maker Diane Warren, and several people approached her about numerous music projects, but nothing concrete really panned out until mid-2008. That’s when Caldwell wrote several songs that finally hit the emotional notes she knew she was capable of. The strength of her songs, plus her powerhouse voice, landed Caldwell a deal with Vanguard Records, part of the Welk Music Group. Shortly thereafter, Vanguard partnered with EMI Music Group to release Without Regret through Vanguard/Capitol.

“My two main philosophies are that everything happens for a reason and never apologize for who you are,” Caldwell says. “I try to live by both each day. I wasn’t meant to make an album any sooner because it wasn’t the right time for me. Now I’m on the right path and I really feel, for the first time, like I am truly fearless.”

Taking Back My Life
Kimberly Caldwell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Its over now, for good
I lost you some how
I new I would
You left me alone

You left me with no hope
And now I'm on my own
And I cant help the way I feel today

I know that you'll never feel the same way

You will never change so ill walk away this time
This time I know I'm taking back my life
I tried as hard as I could
I never gave up when I knew I should

I cried at night, I cried all the time
I'm taking back my life
And I cant help the way I feel today
I know that you'll never feel the same way

You will never change so ill walk away this time
This time I know I'm taking back my life
Though you've taken all I have again
I'm stronger then I've ever been

I'm finally here to move on with my life
And I cant help the way I feel today
I know that you'll never feel the same way
You will never change so ill walk away this time

This time I know

Overall Meaning

I'm taking back my life

The lyrics of Kimberly Caldwell's Taking Back My Life describe the end of a relationship and the singer's decision to move on and take control of her life. She laments the loss of the relationship, but acknowledges that she knew it was going to end eventually. She expresses the feelings of hopelessness and despair that resulted from being abandoned by her partner, but ultimately decides to leave him behind because she knows he will never change. She declares that she is taking back her life and moving on, even though it has been a difficult journey.

The chorus is particularly powerful, as Caldwell sings "You will never change so I'll walk away this time / This time I know I'm taking back my life." The repetition of the phrase "taking back my life" underscores the importance of this decision to the singer. The song is ultimately a message of empowerment, as Caldwell refuses to be defeated by heartbreak and instead chooses to take charge of her own happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Its over now, for good
Our relationship has ended permanently

I lost you some how
I don't know how I lost you, but I did

I new I would
I knew it was bound to happen eventually

You left me alone
You abandoned me without any support

You left me with no hope
You took away my optimism and positive outlook

And now I'm on my own
I am now independent and have to fend for myself

And I cant help the way I feel today
I'm feeling a certain way and I can't control it

I know that you'll never feel the same way
I'm aware that you won't ever empathize with me

You will never change so ill walk away this time
You're never going to change so I'm leaving for good

This time I know I'm taking back my life
I'm determined to get my life back on track

I tried as hard as I could
I put in maximum effort to make it work