Denver, Colorado—Aubrey Collins may be the fastest-rising artist in mainstream country today. In the past year this 18 year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist from Denver, Colorado has wracked up a string of successes artists twice her age dream about.

Collins released her debut CD, Back To Me, in the fall of 2002. Since then she’s scored bushels of Colorado and national press, appeared on a hit television show and been signed to one of the nation’s most prominent talent bookers. Along the way she’s dropped the jaws of Music City’s industry heavyweights, wowed fans by the thousands and created a near deafening buzz about her talents.

This month she’s finishing a four-song demo that she’ll shop to major labels, the disc was produced by producer/song-writer Trey Bruce. Bruce’s credits include songs for Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood and recordings for Chris Ledoux, Trace Adkins and others.

“It’s been an amazing year,” Collins says in a major understatement.

Collins, a professional performer since age 4 and a winner of 15 World Championships of Performing Arts medals, released Back To Me in November of 2002. The CD—a hooky, mature collection of intelligent pop-country that was recorded in Nashville—quickly turned heads.

Denver’s alternative weekly, Westword, loved the disc and called Collins “heartier and huskier than LeAnn, less obvious and glam than Shania, and just plain better than (Faith) Hill in every conceivable way.”

Back To Me and the attention it generated soon caught the attention of Nashville heavies. These industry heads got a first-hand look at Collins’ way-beyond-her-years talents last January, at her first Nashville showcase on the heels of her CD. The event drew an A-list of top-level reps from Nashville’s major labels (including Universal and Sony) who stayed for the entire length of Aubrey’s knockout set.

After bowling over Nashville, Collins drew the eye of the Los Angeles producers of NBC’s runaway hit, “The Search for America’s Most Talented Kid”. Collins appeared on two episodes of the program and wowed judges and millions of viewers. Thousands of those viewers flooded her website (www.aubreycollins.com) in April after she missed winning her age bracket by one, one-hundredth of a percentage point.

The experience earned Collins CD sales and fans around the globe. “I was amazed at how many people were pulling for me from all over the world,” Collins says. “Not winning the show might have been the best thing that could have happened to me.”

In July, Collins signed with the Nashville office of Monterey Peninsula Artists, which handles Toby Keith, Travis Tritt and other major stars. “Aubrey Collins is the total package and then some,” says James Yelich, the head of Monterey Peninsula’s Nashville branch. “She is an undeniable superstar.”

To help live up to such praise, Collins has returned to the recording studio to record a new four-song demo (in Nashville) with Trey Bruce. the recording shows that Collins has continued to mature since releasing Back To Me. Her singing—already muscular and commanding—has developed into and even more dynamic force full of heartfelt tenderness and rock & roll toughness.

The four songs on the new CD sport an edgier style, too. “Fallin’” steps into the more rockin’ side of pop-country, while “My Kind of Happy” is a blast of musical sunshine that crosses musical formats and age-demographic lines. “Movie Star” is brilliant, radio-ready country, immensely catchy and a little rough & tumble. “Cowgirl of Sorrow” (penned by Bruce) is a beautiful ballad highlighted by mature lyrics and Collins’ emotion-packed delivery. The demo will be shopped to major labels starting in late August.

In the meantime, Collins keeps honing her craft and gaining more momentum. She has just put together a full-time touring band made of the Denver area’s best young rock and country players. She and her group are touring across Colorado, headlining the state’ biggest festivals and fairs (including Taste of Colorado and the Colorado State Fair) and opening for Diamond Rio at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

All told, her list of accomplishments in less than a year means Aubrey Collins is on the fast track to something significant. “It sure feels like we’re heading for the big time,” Collins says. “I couldn’t be happier about it, I’m really excited to see what the next year brings.”

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