The Young and The Restless News: Cait Fairbanks Earns Unexpected Emmy Nomination For Behind The Scenes Work

Unknown to many, “The Young and the Restless” star Cait Fairbanks received an Emmy nomination this year but not in the categories that most actors find themselves competing in.

Portraying Tessa Porter on “The Young and the Restless,” Fairbanks was nominated in the Emmy’s Outstanding Original Song category for co-creating the popular Y&R tune in 2018, “How Could A Lie Feel So True.” Viewers of the soap who scanned the list of Daytime Emmy Nominees may have missed her name since she was credited in her birth name Cait Baunoch and not as Cait Fairbanks.

When asked about her nomination this year, Fairbanks said she was surprised since they wrote the song so long ago. “It was a pleasant surprise, and I really love that I’m nominated in this particular category, because I really feel like I got to be part of the creative team, which is my dream. So, it was really cool.”

About being credited under her birth name, Fairbanks said there was nothing much to it. The only reason she could think of is that she used her birth name when she originally signed up for the show. She recalled that when she auditioned for “The Young and the Restless,” she sang a song she wrote while playing the piano.

So, the showrunners knew from the get-go that she was a songwriter. Also, she described herself, with a laugh, as “pretty pushy” when it comes to volunteering to write songs for the soap. “I always kind of stick my nose in anytime I think I could write a song on the show, and if it involves the storyline, then it’s even more exciting.”

Among the many writers that influenced her, she mentioned being inspired by the likes of Regina Spektor and Elliott Smith. She’s also obsessed with Frank Ocean and John Mayer.

Cait Fairbanks is also known by many for her act in “Heathers the Musical.” Her other TV credits include “CSI: New York,” “Untold Stories of the ER,” “Two and a Half Men,” “The Middle,” and “Everybody Hates Chris.” She also released her own music on SoundCloud in 2016.

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