So let me tell you how I came to know about Coco.. I received a message from her on IG letting me know about a new video she is releasing and if I could possibly interview her….so I guess you can figure how that went. Not only is she a very talented singer, lyricist and musician but I felt like I was speaking to a younger version of myself. After our Zoom meeting, It was like fate had brought us together, with the help of her manager, CJ Maurice, who is as awesome as she is.. so let’s get into it.
Q: Talk about growing up in New York and your first memories of being moved by some piece of music… is that the moment you knew, this is what I want to do with my life?
Coco: I grew up in The Bronx, NY, right on the border between Kingsbridge and Riverdale. I have a lot of memories of my parents playing music together.. CD’s like “Rubber Soul” by The Beatles and “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” on NPR intermittently. I was quite interested in the music but I don’t think I was old enough to be moved by anything…there were lot of times as a child where I was genuinely moved by a piece of music but I think the first time I was moved enough to get serious about it was in my junior year in high school, in a different town outside of The Bronx. I was in the car with my friend Victoria (she had fantastic music taste and a wonderful voice), and she showed me Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers. I thought to myself, “this is maybe the best song I’ve ever heard in my life,” and I remember wanting to write music shortly after that. I still have that song somewhere up there with the greats in my mind.
Q: You just finished your studies at Berklee School of Music in Boston. What is it like in that type of environment where thousands of students are competing to have successful careers in the music industry? Does it actually prepare you for the reality of an indie artist in the music business today? Stressful?
Coco: Oh, Berklee is quite scary. Lotta “big fish, small pond” stuff, lot of people around me feeling the imposter syndrome. I had a lot of fun there, though. It’s hard to completely put the experience into words. Yes, it’s competitive, but once you meet the right people, you realize that they to build community just as much as you do. It’s so important to have your people, 1) because they can help you learn things that you don’t know and 2) because they are your general support system and 3) because it’s imperative to be around people you love. Once you realize that making music isn’t about “competing for spots” or “competing for gigs” i.e., it was about creating the “So-and-so might get the Sinclair gig I was gunning for, that rocks, I’ll get it next time” mentality, I had so many more things going for me. Being happy for your friends and learning from the things they accomplish was one of my largest takeaways i got from attending the school. Berklee does a great job, especially within the Pro Music major (which was my major) of teaching students to be independent musicians. They help you make your own EPKs, help with promotions (especially in the business classes) and they help you make valuable connections.
Q: So you have a few singles out already but I’m sensing you are heading in a new direction with your new music that’s yet to be released?
Coco: I have some music out! I’m very proud of the work my friends and I have done. I want to to start to go in an even more genuine direction with my music, something even more stripped down, something I can say with lyrics that carry more meaning. I want something the audience can deduce multiple layers of interpretation from.
Q: Speaking of new music, you have a new video that’s releasing today, February 16th, Golden Soul (link above). What is the concept behind this song?
Coco: We do have a new video out! We all worked super hard on it, earlier in the year. Golden Soul is about some family members of mine. It’s about how two people can be really kind and open-minded, but in a relationship together, it just doesn’t work. The two of them are “golden souls,” but one of them is looking for the other to provide them with something unattainable. In other words, the first person wants the sun when they have a “golden soul” right in front of them. It’s sort of triumphant, in a way. There is still lasting goodness in relationships that don’t last.
Q: How did you and your team put the video together? Did you need to do any crowdfunding or fundraising campaigns to get the project off the ground?
Coco: Adam Regenstreif is an extremely talented director and one of my close friends; he floated the idea to me right after I showed him the unreleased first draft of Golden Soul. His whole crew is fantastic, and they were able to dedicate weeks of their busy schedules to put this together, props and all. Adam has this idea of a couple meeting for a picnic date in the park – except the girl is carrying all of the date supplies on her bike and he comes with nothing and leaves her to clean it all up. The date goes well and they clearly like each other, but nevertheless, she proves more and it takes a toll on her. The producer, CJ Maurice, helped create financial spreadsheets to allot for the props ( most of which were food), and contributed storyline ideas and the setting of the video, which was Robbins Farm Park in Massachusetts. The team was happy to contribute what they had, Georgie Duddy was the makeup artist and let me use some of her clothing to make it look more authentic. We all borrowed as much as we could and set up a GoFundMe for the remainders. We ended up making as much money as we needed! And we had a great time setting it up!
Q: Now you’re a big fan of Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief. What is about her music that you can relate to and draws you in? What did you learn from her online Songwriting Workshop?
Coco: I love Adrianne Lenker to no end, as well as Big Thief! her songwriting touches this part of me that makes me feel like I’m in a movie or compilation of some sort. I love songs that do that to me. Her music also affirms the idea that songs can be poetic, they can be anything you want them to be. A lot of people think there’s a secret to lyric writing, and that it’s to not be too vague. To me, her lyrics make perfect sense, even if you can’t read them like a book. You can take them and make them about you, or you can create a story in your head and play it out with characters (I feel like a lot of movie directors and writers do this in the beginning stages of putting music in their art) or you can even speculate about what the words mean to her! That’s the fun part! I find lyrics to be a lot less fun if you know exactly what the songwriter is talking about. But one thing I learned from her songwriting class is the happy medium between being “too vague” and “too blunt”. She walks you through it exactly, with annotated lyrics for her own songs and interweaving imagery with surprising, blunt lines. I don’t like to think that some people are just geniuses, because that implies s lack of work on their part and that it’s just intrinsic, something you “have” or “don’t have”. I think Adrianne Lenker is very thoughtful, and I can only hope to become as tasteful or as impactful as she is to me.
Q: Besides Adrianne Lenker, who are some other artists that you’d consider that have been some influence on you in any way? Whether it’s music, art, fashion, dance etc.
Coco: Remy Charlip was a choreographer, writer and illustrator of children’s books, one being, “Arm in Arm,”. It’s an adorable book, most of my tattoos are from it. My mom passed it on to me. There are themes of Meta fiction, repeating of words sometimes no seeming significance (you can create the significance, again, that’s the fun of it), and cats! I love cats. His title comes from the line in one of his writings, and it’s not in the climax. I like to think that I took that writing style from him. Things that you seem to write in passing, that you want to hit the reader/listener so you make them your title. Thst one line could be the entire meaning of the song, and at the same time, not the most important line. Otherwise overlooked. Triumph despite the rest. Those are my favorite tropes. Alabama Shakes have a lot of those themes and messages in their music, as well as Pinegrove. They have a sort of, “hey, it’s all going to be okay” vibe to their songs that must make me cry every single time. Pinegrove mimics it with porosity in their driving bass lines, and Alabama Shakes does it with organ (something I’ve worked on with my keyboardist, Brandon Crockett), and rhythmic guitar. I just find it all to be so beautiful. I would like to create that.
Q: Like myself, you are very passionate about music but is there anything else you may have a passion for? Love? Religion? Politics? Philanthropy? Animals? Social Issues? Food?
Coco: Love! I’m so passionate about love. I find that even the people who seem to have everything else figured out they don’t have this one. I try to lead with love, and sometimes I lose sight of that in my regular day-to-day. That’s why music is so important. It reminds me of how to be good. I am also passionate about food. I get quite upset. I’ve learned that I need to have that aligned before I do anything else.
Q: Name 3 things you like to do in your spare time that have nothing to do with music.
Coco: I like to read and write. I just got my thoughts out, usually online these days. It helps me feel normal when there are a lot of corporate formalities required of me. I am convinced sometimes that we weren’t meant to work as much as we do, we were meant to enjoy each other’s company more. Sometimes working so much is a blessing, sometimes it is not. I also like to take photos. I’m not a photographer by any means, and my main camera is my phone, but it’s fun for me and almost compulsive. If I see something cool, I must capture it. I also love to learn about nature, but I don’t do that nearly enough, so I have a couple of Natl Geo magazines I have yet to read.
Q: If you were the headliner on tour, which artists would you bring as your supporting acts? And why?
Coco: This is an interesting question…Hmmmmm. I think if I were headlining I’d bring my good friend, Halligan Delaney. Every time she sings, I start crying. Its incredibly simple to me, and she’s the first one who came to mind. She doesn’t embellish too much, she just truly means what she sings and writes. I would love to play a venue with her and have us be protected under the lights and free beer! I’d also bring my friend Mori, who’s music constantly feels like the warmest hug. I feel like I can do anything when I hear her sing! No matter how sad the song is, and they are, quite. I’d also bring along my friend Abby, who’s artist name is Mingko. Their music makes me feel like I’m in a forest one minute and receiving a gut punch the next (in the best way). I’d also bring Simon Safran, a lyricist I can only wish to match. They are so thoughtful and put together so concisely and with musicality. The last person I’d bring along is my friend, Indigo, their artist name is chrysalis. They just sing so hard, if that makes sense. Not unhealthy, just hard in a way that it sits in your throat and makes you want to scream cathartically. Their lyrics are also a gut punch. These are my musician friends and they matter so much to me, I’ll bring them to the ends of the earth with me!
Q: What music are you working on and where can fans find your music?
Coco: Right now, I’m working on releasing a single and then an album, as well as a video with Berklee! You can find my music on all streaming platforms, under Coco Smith.
Coco’s social media sites are: Instagram, Spotify and YouTube
Wow! What an interview!! Not only do I have to go watch Coco’s new video but I have to now listen to all of Coco’s friends’ music too! I think we’ll be seeing much more of Coco in the near future. Keep an eye out for her in your town and as always, remember to support your local venues!
Until then, I’m Your Music Stylist!
Music To Your Ears 