California Cowgirl is more than just the title of Annie Bosko’s long-awaited first album—it’s a perfectly biographical summary of the singer’s unwavering love affair with her SoCal roots, long after she left the West Coast for Music City.
Although it’s technically her debut release, Bosko is far from a first-time artist. The Thousand Oaks native has built a devoted fanbase through a steady stream of singles and EPs over the course of more than a decade. Add to that her highly energetic music videos and stage shows—skills she’s honed over the years working with top songwriters and choreographers—have made her one of the today’s most popular under-the-radar country stars
“It took 20 years to make,” she proudly says. “I emerged in the music world during the singles era, where people were like, just release singles, no one’s [doing] albums. And then just recently, albums became a thing again.”
While she now calls Nashville home, the sun-baked beaches, mountain trails, along with her own family’s farm still give Bosko an occasional case of homesickness. After all, the Golden State is where she developed her affinity for all things fitness.
“I miss the outdoors, she says. “I’m an outdoor enthusiast. I love hiking, mountains, surfing. I grew up a tomboy, so I’d say that’s probably what I miss the most about California.”
The change in songwriting scenery hasn’t slowed down the “Neon Baby singer’s efficiently consistent workout routine. Growing four other siblings, Bosko was trained early to be competitive. In addition to her love of music she first learned by singing Wizard of Oz tunes at age 5, Bosko also grew up playing a wide range of sports throughout high school. She uses that athletic mindset today to stay physically and mentally prepared for each and every performance.
“I’m just a believer that singers are almost like athletes,” she says. “If you want to do this at a competitive level, then you have to train like you’re an athlete. When you do, you can do a lot more, and you can do it a lot better.”
Bosko’s deep dive into dance—check out her moves in the ultra-bouncy “Country Girls”—has contributed to a more athletic physique and better performance onstage. She says staying active as much as possible is essential for overall health. “I have to move. I don’t like sitting still,” she says.
The Riker Brothers
Annie Bosko Remains a California Girl through and Through
California Cowgirl isn’t just a catchy album name for the singer born in Thousand Oaks. Despite making the move to Nashville, Annie Bosko will always remain a Golden State songstress at heart.
When she wasn’t playing volleyball or softball during school, the outdoors were her natural go-to for staying fit. Growing up in California, Annie’s days were filled with adventure—from riding the waves at Pacific Coast hotspots like Leo Carrillo and Malibu’s famous Zuma Beach to hiking the local trails, the outdoors became her playground.
While Tennessee may offer great trails for hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, good luck finding a wave to shred. “I have not surfed in six months,” she says. “I’ll make time to go when I have some shows in California. September is my favorite time, because the water’s warmer from the summer months and it’s less crowded.”
A self-admitted tomboy, Bosco embraced all kinds of outdoor activities.
Raised on a family farm in California, Annie’s childhood was a sun-soaked adventure. “My family was in farming, so we grew up, you know, it was like ranch, farm lifestyle, riding horses. I was outside a lot as a kid. When I got home from school, it was like, ride your bike, go play in the creek, just go, right?” she reminisces.
Her love of the outdoors extends beyond the beach. Annie’s fond memories include hiking California’s mountains, fishing, and even hunting with her family. “My dad hunts the birds. My mom cooks the birds. That’s kind of how it went in our fam,” she says, recalling early morning duck and dove hunts.
These days, her fitness foundations begin with a simple walk. walking is the foundation of her fitness routine, especially when life on the road makes structured workouts a challenge. “Sometimes it’s just three miles walking a day. If I don’t do anything else, I try to walk,” she says. Even when she can’t access a gym, Annie makes it a priority to get her steps in, believing that consistent movement is key to maintaining her stamina and mental clarity.
Beyond walking, Annie embraces a diverse mix of workouts to keep her body strong and performance-ready. “Sometimes I’ll do like, circuit training, you know, like the elliptical, some weight lifting, physical therapy… Sometimes I’ll do like a Pilates class or yoga. I do a lot of stuff at home,” she explains.
Bosko’s also added a new athletic skill—golf—to stay active both at home and on the road. “I’m a golfer now, who would’ve thought?” she laughs. “I used to make fun of golfers. I was like, you don’t have to be athletic to golf. Now I enjoy it.”
The RIker Brothers
Annie Bosko Lives By This Real-Food Rule
Another reason California still rules for Annie Bosko is the exquisite backdrop the Pacific Ocean provides. In addition to showcasing her lean and shapely physique onstage, it also pays to stay in shape for the countless music videos Bosko regularly films. For the “Crooked Halo” singer, outdoor settings make for the most memorable videos—she favors the sunshine and brush of SoCal over the tick-infested forests of Tennessee.
“In California, there are still ticks, but you don’t have as many,” she says. “I’d only be afraid of the tall grass and being barefoot if I was in Tennessee,” she laughs, recalling her West Coast roots.
There’s a nutritional element to her deep-rooted fear of ticks. For this country-singing carnivore, there’s also the concern of Alpha Gal Syndrome—a tick-borne condition that can result in severe allergies to red meat, causing hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, or even anaphylaxis.
“I don’t want Alpha gal, where I can’t eat steak,” she says. “I don’t want Lyme disease either. So I’m a little freaked out by ticks.”
Nothing gets between Bosko and a good ribeye. Especially when at home in Tennessee, she’ll put her Cali cooking skills to good use, regularly throwing a steak and asparagus onto her Pit Boss and letting the grill do its work. “I know everyone likes to s*** on California a lot, but when it comes to the grilling, the steak sandwiches, they know what they’re doing. They do well.”
On the road, however, the quest for quality foods becomes a challenge, especially when a Whole Foods isn’t nearby. The singer suggests giving Walmart or even Target a try for finding optimal alternatives.
“Sometimes I’ll walk to a Target and I’ll find, like, mixed greens, olive oil, and like a pasta, a garbanzo bean pasta,” she says. “That to me is better than UberEATS or Domino’s. I can crush a large pizza. But sometimes that’s not the thing that’s going to make you feel the best. So I get super creative. Walmart’s got some good options, actually, believe it or not.”
Bosko says keeping a diet heavily based on natural, whole foods was rooted back home on her family’s California farm, where her father grew cilantro, fresh strawberries, corn, spinach, carrots, and plenty of other fruits and vegetables. Her mother’s dedication to home-cooked meals left a lasting impression: “Every meal that we had she’d always have a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a salad,” she recalls.
Today, she still takes that approach to her menu: “I’m just a believer in eating things that can rot,” she says. “So anything that can sit on your countertop that rots is probably good for you to eat.”
From ‘Over the Rainbow’ to Dominating Center Stage
While California Cowgirl was a two-decade project, her real musical journey began when her 5-year-old voice belted out the Wizard of Oz classic “Over the Rainbow” with her grandmother—the same song she would later sing at her grandmother’s funeral. That early spark led to her first big break at 13, when she landed a singing part for Disney’s Little Mermaid 2: “I got to go to Burbank, the Disney Studios.”
Bosko’s voice soon found new stages, from serenading diners as a Macaroni Grill server—“I would sing happy birthday in Italian, which I can still sing,” she says—to performing the national anthem in front of sold-out sporting events nationwide. “It’s the hardest song you’ll ever sing, ever,” she admits.
When Bosko steps on stage, she blends her skills as a singer with her athletic skills to provide fans with an equally entertaining song and dance country music performance, partially fueled by her passion for Zumba. The Latin music-infused dance program is a brutally entertaining aerobic workout—and has become another essential element of Bosko’s all-around fitness regimen. “I love to dance,” she says. “I don’t like sitting still. Sometimes I’ll do like a Zumba dance workout, or, like a YouTube dance workout.”
Zumba and dance have become essential training tools for building the stamina and stage presence that define her performances. Zumba burns calories, and serves as a great alternative practice for her high-energy stage shows—all qualities she says are essential for both performers and anyone looking to stay fit. Bosko even became a licensed Zumba instructor and taught a few classes, but the overlap with touring made it difficult to sustain. “I did get certified, like, years ago,” she says. “It didn’t last very long, though, because when you’re a musician, you really don’t have the consistency of a set schedule.”
Her obsession with dance accelerated at age 19 when she trained with Brian Friedman, the mastermind behind the moves of artists like Britney Spears, Cher, and Beyoncé. “I did do, like, my first job ever when I was 19, with Brian Friedman, who choreographed Britney Spears, like he created this slave dance and all that stuff. And he’s really phenomenal. I mean, I couldn’t walk when I got home from Europe. It was like my legs couldn’t—I was so sore from all the moving and all the dancing.”
The music, dance, and all-around energy Bosko shares with her fans each night equal an electrifyingly fun concert. With two decades’ worth of fan support, showing up each night at the top of her game is a promise she intends to keep. She’s put in the work. “I run around and move a lot onstage,” she says. “I love to entertain. If I get bored, the fans are gonna get bored.”
