“… a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and a huge fuckin’ dork.”
We had the opportunity to sit down with Nashville-based singer-songwriter, corook, hours before their last show supporting Maddie Zahm on the You Might Not Like Her Tour.
BTS: Your music has a ton of variety in terms of sound and feel, how would you describe yourself to someone totally unfamiliar with you?
corook: I would say Timbaland, meets musical theater, meets Sara Bareilles all tied in one.
BTS: Do you notice a base component that comes about in all of the music that you write – something that separates you from other artists?
corook: I think the through line in all of my stuff is the storytelling. I really like telling a story from start to finish and telling it in my own voice. And I guess the only other thing would be the humor.
BTS: Was storytelling what drew you to music initially, or did you find that you liked storytelling in other art mediums?
corook: I think that I didn’t even realize that I could tell a story in a song until I started this project, to be honest. I think I was actually a little scared to tell my own story. I think I was drawn to music just for the glamour of it all, to be honest.
My dad brought home a live DVD of Linkin Park and I just sat there with, like, a notepad and a pen, and I just took notes, and I was just so intrigued with all of it, and there was just so much emotion that tied up in all of the melodies. I just loved the musical element of music first, and then it wasn’t until I graduated college and started this project that I really sat down and thought about lyrics and what I wanted my lyrics to be. I think it takes a really long time for songwriters to find their voice. And honestly, I think the second I realized that I was allowed to not be super serious was whenever I was like, okay, I got it.
BTS: You just finished up a tour with Maddie Zahm – what was it like opening for her? Do any moments stand out?
corook: The tour was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better matchup. I think the people that Maddie attracts with her music are just so sweet and sensitive and open, and it just felt like the perfect pair in that way. I remember there was this one show, it was our show in New York, and I was playing this song called “idk god”, which is the first time that I kind of slowed down the set. And by the end of the song, there’s this part where I just kind of, like, stop and take a moment, and then I begin singing. And I stopped and I had to stop. I got scared because I looked around and I could see everybody’s eyes. There was nobody talking. It was completely silent. I’d never seen a room so silent. I even said something, I was like, “Oh my god you’re so quiet” and then I did the song again, and it was a really great moment. I just stood there and they clapped for fucking ever. I could tell everybody just understood that moment. It was really cool.
BTS: Which of your songs are your favorite to perform and why?
corook: I would say “idk god”. I always like starting the set off by being goofy and trying to grab people’s attention, especially as an opener. And then “idk god” is that one that I’m like, okay, I’m going to tell you what I’m really going through right now. And it’s cool to watch people react to every single line with that one because I take it so slowly and I read them and I treat it like a conversation. I stop for them. I call back. So I would definitely say “idk god” is my favorite.
BTS: What can you tell us about the inspiration behind your most recent releases “i’m not doing that well” and “CGI”?
corook: I just want them to sound like they’re coming from my room because they are, and I think that those two back-to-back are. It’s such a purposeful but, funny move for us. It’s like putting such earnest, plain language, in “i’m not doing well” right next to this really fun, funky love song. And the truth is, that’s just how I feel from day to day. One day, I’m doing not so good, and the other day I’m deeply in love with my girlfriend and picking flowers, and that’s just kind of life. I don’t want to put any boxes around what I’m doing or any barriers around it. I want it to feel like every day.
BTS: In addition to emotional songs like “your mom” and “the dog” you have tracks that are pure fun. What is your creation process? How does it vary and how are the responses to those different moves that you make when creating?
corook: It’s definitely interesting because I would describe them very differently when it comes to the process. The fun songs usually come out pretty quickly. I’m usually just by myself playing the loop over and over again, diddling about. And it’s really fun and sweet, and it’s definitely one of the reasons that I love music in those kinds of moments.
And then other songs like “your mom” took me four years to write before they came out. So I sat with that song for a really long time and I actually made several different versions of the production of it. It was a really hard song for me to crack because I wanted to capture the playfulness of the language, but also the emotion of what I was actually saying. So that was definitely a harder one to figure out and maybe not as fun.
And I think the reaction, for example, a song called “hell yeah”, that was a really fun song for me to make, and so it was a really fun song for me to market, so it was really easy. And I think people were really drawn to that simple, quirky love song “person standing in the backyard with the boombox” kind of vibe I was trying to give. And that catches a lot of people’s attention.
BTS: How would you describe your fan base and what’s your favorite way to connect with them?
corook: Playing shows is by far my favorite way to connect with my fans. I just think that it is so cool to be in a room full of people that all have something in common. Whether it be like the daddy issues or the queerness or the non-binary – there are just so many things I try to touch on.
I would describe my fans as people with daddy issues that are probably non-binary, are queer, and are going to therapy and just trying to laugh through life.
BTS: You describe yourself as a dork over and over. What are the dorky things about yourself that you admire?
corook: I love video games. I’m currently obsessed with Stardew Valley. I love Rubik’s Cubes. I have like a million of them, 20 different shapes. And when I’m bored, I just find a new one and try to figure that one out. Yeah, I think those are probably the two dorkiest things about me.
BTS: Would you say your queerness is key to your music?
corook: Absolutely. I would say it’s important that it’s embedded in most of my songs, but I also think it’s important that it’s casually embedded in most of my songs. While I try to write about really specific queer experiences, it usually turns out that everybody has experienced it, whether or not they are queer. So yeah, being queer is a huge part of my life and it’s also just something that should be normal.
BTS: What is something you would want listeners to know about you that they might not get through social media?
corook: I’m an introvert. If I am not out playing a show, I’m usually doing something really quiet in my house. Whether it be playing video games by myself with my dog next to me, or having a really quiet friend hang out at a house. I don’t go out. I’m not a partier.
I think I had a party phase in college, as everyone does, but as I get into adulthood and I realize I’m allowed to spend my time however I want, I’m definitely way more drawn to my own inner world and a small circle of wonderful friends.
BTS: What are your hopes for your career moving forward?
corook: Oh man. Just like so much. I don’t really have any barriers as to what I want to accomplish. I want to be as big as I can possibly be and I really just want to create as large of a community of people that want to spread goodness and openness and laughter in the world and I would hope that that community is vast. So that would be my main goal.
BTS: Any last thoughts that you want to share with Beyond The Stage?
corook: More music is coming soon.
Check out the photos from their show at Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA.
corook in Los Angeles:
To stay up-to-date with corook, follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
And be sure to check out their new viral song co-written with their girlfriend, Olivia Barton, “if I were a fish” here.
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