Happy Friday everybody! I have a spotlight to start the weekend. As always, if you or someone you know is a talented artist, designer, producer, etc. looking to be featured on The Spotlight, please email me at BrittanyShawnte@gmail.com (please see my Contact/Disclaimer page for requirements)!
Today, we have Russian-born/LA-based soul singer Cooper Phillip! I featured Cooper’s great song “Silence” on the blog last week, and had to have an interview with her to find out more about this great talent! Cooper was born into a family of musicians, so she has literally been around music all of her life. “I grew up going to the theater where my mother performed on the violin with the orchestra,” Cooper reminisced. “She put me on stage when I was two as part of Tchaikovsky's opera.” Even at that young an age, Cooper’s excitement and interest in being a performer began. She started out as a classical pianist, but didn’t believe it to be her purpose, and ultimately moved on to singing. “I realized this was my passion and where I wanted to grow,” the singer said. She won her first international singing competition at 11 years old, and immediately realized that singing was her destiny. “I felt such energy and recognition from the crowd [and] I knew this was the right path for me,” Cooper said.
Originally from Russia, Cooper eventually moved to New York (and finally to LA) to start her career, which she acknowledge was a huge and difficult transition. “The move to New York was very hard because it was such a change in environment from Russia, and I didn’t physically have anyone there to support me,” Cooper admitted. “On the flip side, this was a brand new start and the right path for me to peruse my dream.” The singer also admitted that she never wrote a song until she made that decision to move. “It wasn’t until coming to the states, where I had to start my life from scratch and survive, that I felt inspiration,” Cooper said. She stated that her not wanting to let down her friends and family is what kept her going after her dream. “These are people that believed in me and supported me emotionally and thus there was no chance I was going to let them down,” she said. “Continuing on this journey led me to LA, where I live and perform now. The transition to LA was less of a challenge and I am so unbelievably happy here.”
The singer, inspired by artists like Bruno Mars, Adele, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Stevie Wonder, has been doing quite well. She has released her Walk A MileEP, in which the title track details her struggles in New York, as well as others. “It made me feel much stronger when I started sharing this story through my music,” Cooper said. “I hope the listeners of will be inspired to continue to peruse their dreams and overcome and obstacle in their path.”
Cooper also noted that her song “Silence” stemmed from her own “personal heartache and failed love story,” she disclosed. “I was filled with emotions that needed to escape.” You can watch the awesome video again here, and purchase “Silence” on iTunesnow! Cooper also just recorded an original Christmas song for Swedish artist Andreas Aleman, which will be released December 13th in Europe.
In terms of what sets her apart, the singer stated, “I don't know of any other Russian artists with my background making this type of music,” she stated. “I think my story will inspire and stay front of mind in my fans. I really want to make each person to feel connected and special when they listen to my voice and music. In the future, she would love to play Madison Square Garden, which she knew she wanted the first time she watched a recorded performance of Mariah Carey performing there. "This is still my goal, but I also want to travel the world touring and sharing my inspiration with all cultures,” she said.
You can check out more from Cooper on her official website, as well as connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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