STATE COLLEGE — A barista at Starbucks not only makes drinks for customers, but also sings to herself and her coworkers while mopping or stocking supplies. Usually singing when the store is not that busy, Callie Marie Jalbert Veach Dixon, 19, can be found turning her shift at work into a live performance.
Though Veach Dixon works at the coffee shop, her dream job is to be a professional singer.
After graduating high school, she moved from Greensburg to the State College area in the fall of 2015 to pursue her singing career.
She lives with her oldest sister, Caryn Jellen, in Bellefonte.
Jellen, who used to be in the band “Carson’s Window,” now networks with other artists to help the them make a living doing what they love. She is also Veach Dixon’s music manager.
“(The) Greensburg area is the kind of the town where you stay and you don’t really get out. I felt like I was trapped in this little town that I couldn’t get out of and State College is a moving, happy place,” Veach Dixon said.
The singer, who has been surrounded by music her entire life, has been playing piano since she was 6 years old and she taught herself how to play guitar at 14. She now sings and performs in State College, as well as in major cities, including Pittsburgh and New York City. She describes her style as “indie and electro.”
“I’d like to say I get nervous, but I don’t. Before my performances, I get excited and I can’t really eat the whole day, but I don’t get nervous. I’m kind of shy, but when I go on stage it’s different,” Veach Dixon said.
Though she is not shy when interacting with coworkers or customers at her job in Starbucks, Veach Dixon will not brag about her singing career to anyone.
“I think she’s a little more reserved about (her singing). She doesn’t flaunt it to anyone,” said Veach Dixon’s Starbucks manager, Kristen Mayhew.
Veach Dixon, who goes by “Cali” in the musical world, was home-schooled her whole life. Taking a year off school to focus on music, Veach Dixon performed at Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center and venues near her hometown.
“I got distracted a lot and I couldn’t focus on my music (because) I also had to focus on my school to graduate. So, I decided I need a year off and decide where this music career is going before I jump full fledge into college and then decide, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go to college anymore because music is taking off too much,”’ Veach Dixon said.
To promote and market herself, Veach Dixon uses apps such as Crowdfire, Twitter and Instagram to attract a larger audience. Through social media, Veach Dixon has been able to gain popularity and advertise her music with all of her followers.
“(Callie’s) followers love her. She’s incredibly humble and people connect with her because she’s a real person and also because she’s a good role model,” manager Jellen said.
With more than 19,000 followers on Instagram and more than 30,000 on Twitter, Veach Dixon is constantly promoting herself and her music by adding videos of her singing. Plus, she tries to make an effort to connect with all of her followers by tweeting things such as, “I wish I could meet every single one of you and give you hugs and personally say how thankful I am to have you guys support me.”
“She has such a bubbly personality that she’s not afraid to have a conversation with anyone,” Mayhew said.
Veach Dixon’s first live performance was in front of about 100 people in March 2014 at The Rex in Pittsburgh.
“I dropped my mic and I pulled it out of the cord and my friends just started laughing, but it was fun. I missed part of my verse to my song, my own original song, but other than that it was good,” Veach Dixon said.
Veach Dixon wrote her first song, “I’m Sorry,” three years ago. The first song she ever recorded was called “Falling” and was about having a crush on a boy and not being able to have him.
“I actually had to perform that song in front of him,” Veach Dixon said.
Veach Dixon wrote her first album with the help of two sisters. “Oh Love” is available on iTunes and Spotify.
“I’m in the studio currently recording my upcoming single for the end of this fall,” said Veach Dixon. She recently opened for the band A Great Big World at the Altar Bar in Pittsburgh, and is planning to move to Los Angeles by the end of the year to continue her music career.
