As an American Pop artist, Cory Cooper allows his music to represent a journey that’s universal among creatives; how to realize dreams and bring them into the real world.
Raised in Missouri, Cory Cooper is no stranger to weaving raw emotion and commentary on the feelings listeners experience in everyday life into his music. Ranging from delicate ballads to club-worthy bop’s Cory Cooper is unafraid of the unconventional.
“Drove My Heart Away,” is the profound single that Cory Cooper has us swooning over. With the heavy dance-like atmosphere that sweeps us off our feet, we focus our attention on the late-night Electronic/Pop ambiance that has us reminiscing on better times.
As the emphasis shifts between the reverberated and distant vocals to what is sonically happening in the foreground of the striking vocalization that Cory Copper emanates, we take in all that this emerging artist has to offer as a storyteller.
Delving into the depths of the drastic turmoil that cheating brings to a relationship, the unfaithful events of an evening out unfold before us as we hear the betrayal that Cory Cooper feels and transmits through a captivating composition of reality.
As we become fixated on the raw emotion that Cory Cooper exudes in his performance of, “Drove My Heart Away,” we hang on to each smooth note that cascades upon this movement forward single.
Cory Cooper is the prime example of turning life’s lemons into lemonade. Through the auditory authenticities that glisten through each word he utters, we get to share a piece of Cory Cooper’s truth amongst ourselves as we eagerly await for what is next to come from this up and comer.
Congratulations on the release, “Drove My Heart Away.” With the lively ambiance radiated from this track, what gave you the inspiration to take a more emotion-filled topic and pair it with a vivid tempo?
We have a natural tendency to think when we hear a fast, upbeat song that its lyrics will be happy or sexy, and if we hear a slow song it will be sad or about some kind of angst. With "Drove My Heart Away," I wanted to experiment by switching it up and giving a faster tempo to an emotional topic. This is something female artists such as Adele and Dua Lipa have successfully done, but rarely from male artists so I was inspired to break convention and try it out. The upbeat tempo was also intended to let people know that even during those painful times when it hurts like hell after a breakup or betrayal that there is hope. The song is written to let them know that it will get better and there is light at the end of that dark tunnel, so keep going. With musical inspirations ranging from Bruno Mars, Adele, Tina Turner, and Prince; how do you allow their influence to speak into your creations?
Every one of those artists has influenced and inspired me in a different way, ranging from writing, production to performing. Studying them has taught me that ultimately, I have to find my own sound and define who Cory Cooper is for the world. As an artist, the last thing you want is to be perceived as someone else because that's the moment you lose your identity. Whether these artists were in the studio or performing on stage, their sound and performances were undeniably their own. From Bruno Mars and Tina Turner, I learned how to give raw and emotional performances that are unrestrained and dynamic. The production of Prince's music is genius, so I work tirelessly with my producer to create my own unique sound. Adele's voice is so personal that it wraps around you like a blanket, so I work to hit the same emotional levels through my vocals (especially the ballads).
With each artist being vastly different from one another; what happens to be your favorite part of the creative process?
While I love the entire process of creating music, I would say my favorite part is creating the music in the studio. For me, nothing is more exciting than shooting ideas back and forth with my producer, trying different sounds, and seeing/hearing the song come together in front of our eyes and ears. Naturally, I also love the process of laying down the vocals when it's time. Both phases are an intimate dance where my producer and I have to be in lockstep with one another. There is constant back and forth where we have to listen and trust each other to make the best decisions to craft the best production and vocal performance possible. It's a magical experience when you get the opportunity to work with amazingly talented people you respect, and I am grateful for the opportunity each and every time.
How would you say that you have managed to stay inspired and creative through 2020?
Needless to say, 2020 was a challenge for every performing artist with so much pain, suffering, and chaos all over the world and in the music community. Personally, I've directed all of those emotions towards writing. Sometimes it's just an idea or emotions at a given moment. Like so many, I have felt anxious, lonely, afraid, depressed and every other feeling you could have during this pandemic, so I recorded and expanded upon them to create possible songs and lyrics. I also performed live online a few times, which was a lot of fun. Towards the end of the year, I sang a number of songs on Instagram Reels to give folks the feeling that it was actually a holiday season. Anything to keep me musically connected I've done, even if it's just vocal warm-ups to stay musically creative.
As we head into the new year, what are you looking forward to most?
Oh gosh, where to begin. From a personal standpoint, I'm looking forward to all of us getting the vaccine as soon as possible so things can hopefully calm down. So many people have been affected by this virus in one way or the other, so we all could use some hope and blessings in the new year. As a musician, I can't wait to get back into the studio, be in a singer's booth again, and actually record some new songs! After that, it would be incredible to finally perform on a stage again and experience interaction with a live audience. I miss that a lot. While singing into a camera alone at home can work during a pandemic, it just doesn't compare to singing into a microphone in front of a bunch of people. That kind of energy you just can't replicate!
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