Rising artist Caleb Polaha chatted about his new song “The Whole Night,” his inspirations, and the digital age.
Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote applies to Caleb Polaha.
‘The Whole Night’
The song “The Whole Night” has a retro vibe to it, where the listener can recall Jeff Buckley meets John Mayer. “I’ve been writing songs for four years now and this was one of the most recent ones I have written, and it is different than anything I’ve ever done, and it’s just a love song about the real kind of love that is hard to find but once you find it, it’s a good thing,” he said.
“You can find that kind of love in your faith and with somebody who loves you through every circumstance. Someone who you know will always be there for you,” he added.
Inspirations
On his music and songwriting inspirations, Polaha said, “My faith and my relationship with God inspire it. Spirituality really inspires it, as well as musicians such as Johnny Cash, Ryan Adams, and Jason Isbell.”
Talent runs in his family. Caleb is the son of Hallmark star Kristoffer Polaha. “My father is a huge influence on me and my biggest hero, he has taught me a lot about storytelling, being an artist, and being creative. He would sing me little songs before I went to sleep. I grew up in a house full of joy and love, and he was such a huge part of that. He is one of the reasons that I am doing what I do at this point,” he said.
The digital age
On being a young artist in the digital age, Polaha said, “It really allows for anybody to do it, which is cool. I just got together with a friend of mine, Jack Marsden, he is a producer and he does it in his house at his little home studio. We would get together and we started producing some songs that I’ve written, and this one turned out well and we put it out there. It was super simple, and the digital age is an awesome way to get your music out there without needing to go through a record label.”
“Ultimately, my goal would be to get signed to make everything official but at this point, the digital age is such a beautiful way to share my music with the world,” he added.
Willie Nelson
Polaha listed Country Music Hall of Famer Willie Nelson as his dream collaboration choice in music. “Willie is an awesome guy, I’ve always loved his music and who he is as an artist. That would be cool to work with Willie,” he said.
For other young and aspiring artists, he encouraged them “to go and do it.” “Put yourself out there whether it’s little videos online or find somebody to work with. Just start doing it. Treat yourself like you are already a professional artist, go out and do what you want to do,” he said.
Polaha defined the word success simply as making his loved ones proud. “Also, writing songs, performing and going different places, and touching people’s lives through that. Going out and doing what I love and feeling like I’m accomplishing something,” he said.
“The Whole Night” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Caleb Polaha, follow him on Instagram.
