Get to know Coco Smith
Photo credit: Chris Garcia
On July 10th, indie-folk artist Coco Smith released their sophomore album, You Won’t Get My Message but You’ll Hear It, with eight tracks that intimately welcome listeners into Smith’s mind as they grapple with getting older, self identity and relationships. A common theme throughout the album is recognizing the inevitable shifts in interpersonal relationships that occur as we age. Smith’s lyrics are written with honesty and vulnerability, laying it all on the table. The album acknowledges the complexity and messiness of life without apologizing.
In August, I got the chance to speak with Smith to discuss their musical inspirations, what it was like being raised by musicians, working with a live band, and dream venues.
Born and raised in The Bronx by musicians and a graduate of the Berklee School of Music, Smith was surrounded by music from a young age. However, their parents were not full time musicians and decided to pursue careers in other industries for financial reasons. Smith understood that being an independent artist was not going to be an easy journey.
“I also had to sit down with my mom [and] be like, “yeah, I'm just, I'm gonna be not making money for a long time. I'm going to have to pay my dues. I am gonna have to not really pursue anything else,’” said Smith.
Despite the anticipated difficulties, Smith’s passion and true commitment to their artistry is undeniable.
Smith later said, “it’s either music or nothing, and I’ve kind of tried to make it that way.”
As a child, Smith attended Fieldston Day Camp at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York. There, they discovered the world of folk music and were inspired by the sounds and political past of the genre.
“[Fieldston] had a lot of people from different cultures come in and sing different cultural music, too, which was really awesome,” said Smith. “But, yeah, the folk music is really a good amount of the stuff that stuck with me. Pete Seeger is what that camp introduced me to. The whole protest music, the old American protest music, it's part of what radicalized me.”
A cross between Andrienne Lenker and Pinegrove, two of Smith’s biggest musical inspirations, their sound lies at a soft middle ground. But where they shine most is with their live band, which consists of only four people, including Smith.
Smith shared that one of their favorite songs is “Recycling” by Pinegrove, which commences with an emotionally driven instrumental ending.
“At the very end he sings ‘nothing really bugs me for the last time,’ and then he just lets the music play. He lets the instruments kind of go crazy and play really loud and he starts singing in the back, like kind of sing-screaming,” said Smith. By the end of the song, you're like, ‘well, he was really bugged.’ And that's just pulled through the instrumentation, not even through anything that he's explicitly saying.”
Smith went on to explain how audiences often overlook the lyrics and focus on the mood that the song sonically ignites. There is room for contrast between what the lyrics are conveying and the sound of the song.
When performing, Smith invites their band to add their own instrumentation to songs with no real rules. This intention is for both the performers and the audience to engage with their music.
“I try to let everyone go a little crazy at the end, and I let everyone write their own parts because they all know why I'm writing the songs. But I want them to have their own influence on it because that allows the audience to also draw from their own experiences,” Smith told me.
So what’s next? Smith also works at a coffee shop and genuinely likes the job, as they enjoy having conversations with customers from all creative backgrounds. But what they seem to love most is performing.
“Every time I play a new venue, I'm really excited,” said Smith. “I played Bar Frida for the first time a couple months ago, and that was super fun.”
They are truly grounded in gratitude for what they have already accomplished, but that doesn’t mean they’re stopping here. Though, they are loyal to their home of New York City.
“I have a secret goal of mine to play every venue that exists – in the city, at least. That's pretty much it,” said Smith.
Stream You Won’t Get My Message but You’ll Hear It here.
You can follow Coco Smith on Instagram here.
Inspired by artists like Andrienne Lenker and Pinegrove, New York based indie-folk artist Coco Smith has been surrounded by music their whole life. On July 10th, the singer released their sophomore album, You Won’t Get my Message but You’ll Hear It. We spoke with Smith about their creative process, their love for Pinegrove, and much more.