Colbie Caillat says Taylor Swift is an 'angel' and it was 'an instant yes' to rerecord vocals for 'Breathe'

• Insider spoke to Colbie Caillat about rerecording "Breathe" for "Fearless (Taylor's Version)."
• The "Bubbly" singer said she was "honored" that Taylor Swift asked her to recreate the 2008 duet.
• "We were babies then. It was fun to feel those emotions again," she said, calling Swift an "angel."

When Taylor Swift unveiled the tracklist for "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," fans were thrilled to find Colbie Caillat's name faithfully restored to track seven.

Swift has long been open about plans to rerecord her first six albums, though it wasn't clear whether she planned to reenlist her original collaborators. In fact, it wasn't until "recently" that Caillat herself found out she'd be welcomed back to "Fearless" with open arms.

"It wasn't too long ago," she told Insider of Swift reaching out. "I was honored that she asked me to be a part of it again. It was an instant yes, of course."

Caillat said she got to work that day, recreating her decade-old vocals at a studio in Nashville.

-ᴋᴀɪʟᴀ⁷ ⟭⟬¹³ TAYLOR x2!!♡ (@taytaedaylight) February 12, 2021

"It completely flashed me right back to when I was recording here in Nashville, 13, 14 years ago with Taylor and [producer] Nathan Chapman in the studio," she said. "Taylor's parents were there too. And it was just such a fun day, such great people."

"It was so warm and welcoming and it took me right back to that time - which was a lifetime ago, like, we were babies then. It was fun to feel those emotions again," she said.

Back in 2008, the two women teamed up to cowrite "Breathe," which has long remained a fan-favorite track on Swift's Grammy-winning sophomore album.

The "Coco" singer previously told Insider that Swift was inspired by "something she was going through with a band member at the time."

"Singing it again reminded me what a beautiful song it is, and that we can all relate to it at different times in our lives," she added on Friday. "I know this is a special song for Taylor."

Caillat, whose backing vocals Swift described as "haunting," was the only featured artist on the album's original tracklist.

Now, she's joined by country artists Maren Morris and Keith Urban, who were recruited to duet with Swift on two previously unreleased songs, "You All Over Me" and "That's When."

After topping charts and winning Grammys for stripped-down, folk-pop songs like "Bubbly" and "Lucky," Caillat has also waded into the country genre with 2020's "Canyons," the debut album from her band Gone West - though she doesn't think her new musical style affected her approach to rerecording "Breathe."

Caillat said she received the directive to make it sound "very similar to the original."

"I wouldn't say it was challenging, but I needed to focus on having the same inflections as Taylor and as we had in the past, because people love what they got used to hearing," she explained. "It felt very natural."

However, the multi-platinum artist has been told that her vocals sound slightly more pronounced on the new version, which fans were quick to celebrate online.

"I feel like it sounds pretty similar, but I might be a little bit louder," she offered, smiling.

-babs (taylor’s version) (@zanyswift) April 9, 2021

"I mean, our voices, they do change over time. Her and I, we were so young back then. We were newer singers," she continued. "Our voices have evolved. We've gotten stronger as vocalists. It's bound to sound a little bit different."

On Friday morning, Caillat celebrated the release of "Breathe (Taylor's Version)" and congratulated Swift on her Instagram story.

The "Folklore" singer reciprocated almost immediately. She reposted Caillat's story and said she's "so grateful" for their continued collaboration - which, somewhat hilariously, began when Swift discovered Caillat's music on MySpace.

Caillat told Insider that she's "so proud" of Swift and "everything she's created for herself" in the years since they first met.

"I think everyone can learn from her just being a strong, beautiful, talented business woman. And staying engaged with her fans, she's really done a beautiful job at that," Caillat said. "I'm really just happy to be a part of 'Fearless' again. She's an angel."

-Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) April 9, 2021