In three short years, Kolby Cooper has managed to secure millions of streams, a record deal, a number of sold-out shows, and a lauded reputation for velvet vocals and wry lyrics.
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While undergoing his second effort, Boy From Anderson Country to The Moon, Cooper felt even more solidified as both a man and an artist—a fact he hopes is translated across the album’s 13 tracks.
To celebrate the album’s arrival today (August 19), American Songwriter is going through 10 questions with the country artist that help uncover what his album is all about. He chatted with American Songwriter ahead of the release, touching on the album’s inspiration, his songwriting process, his Grand Ole Opry debut, and more. Check it out below.
American Songwriter: Your new album is called Boy From Anderson County To The Moon. What weaves all the songs together?
Kolby Cooper: This album is about the lessons that I’ve learned over the past two years since my last full-length. I also touch on lessons that I learned growing up, how to be a better dad and how to be a better husband and a better friend. Generally, the message is ‘hard work beats everything and being a good person is the only thing you should be.'”
AS: The album artwork is striking, who came up with that?
KC: My brother, who manages me, sat in my kitchen with me while I explained the picture that I saw in my head—I actually mocked it up with my daughter’s colored pencils. I drew a very, very shitty drawing but it was the bones for what would be the album cover. It’s my favorite album cover we have and I’m so stoked about how it came out.”
AS: You have already established yourself as someone who has major songwriting chops, how do songs typically come together for you?
KC: I have a lot of people I love writing with in Nashville. A lot of the time I’ll have an idea and then we will get together and work through it. Normally, I try and hold on to an idea if I really like it for someone that I really want to write with. I like co-writers that I feel can really understand where I am in life and my writing style—just someone who is complimentary to me.
AS: Most songwriters pull on their own experiences for songs, but you have often said you look outward at your friend’s relationships and failures. What can you say about that?
KC: I’ve been married to my wife for four years now and we’ve been together for six overall. So I don’t have too many relationship issues, thankfully. But 50 percent of the best songs are heartbreak songs, so having a bunch of friends that maybe don’t make the best relationship choices helps.
AS: The album has two title tracks “Boy From Anderson County” and then ‘To The Moon.” What do those two songs mean to you and how do they represent both sides of your story?
KC: My last album was very much about where I was at that time. I was getting over losing my dad and a few other things that happened when I was younger. This album is much more about where I am now. ‘Boy From Anderson County’ is about meeting my wife and starting a family together. ‘To The Moon’ is about learning that money isn’t everything and it’s more about having the people you care about around. That’s really the sentiment of those two title tracks—people are what’s important. They are both songs I really care deeply about, so I wanted them both the be the title track. Our whole crew has a rocket ship tattoed on them somewhere to represent ‘To The Moon.'”
AS: Do you have a song from the album you’re most excited for fans to hear?
KC: I have two. The first is “Are We On Fire.” We were up in Nashville and it had been a weird day. It was kind of dark and cloudy. We were sitting there for an hour and hadn’t landed on anything when alarms started going off downstairs. Someone asked ‘are we on fire?’ and we immediately thought, ‘hey, let’s write that today.’ I love that story and I love the production on it—the way it starts off slow and then builds into something bigger.
The other is “Storm’s Coming” and that’s something I’ve said since around 2018. What it means is we’ve got big shit on the horizon and we’re always working on something new. It might be my favorite song on the album —it’s definitely my favorite production-wise.
AS: One of our personal favorites on the album is “This Song Don’t Make No Sense” what was the inspiration behind that track?
KC: It was one of those titles I’ve had on my phone for a while. I have a list of notes I started maybe 4 or 5 years ago. Every time I have a new lyric or title pop into my head, I just go in and write it down. I brought “This Song Don’t Make No Sense” back out about a year ago and thought, ‘Man, that’s cool, I wonder what this could be.’ I got together with a couple of guys and we figured it out.
AS: You’re about to make your Grand Ole Opry debut on September 10. What does that mean to you?
KC: It’s not just a dream for country artists, it’s a dream for all musicians in general. So getting to play there at just 23 years old is not something I thought I’d be doing. If you told me when I was 17 that I would be playing the Opry a few years from now, I would not have believed you. It’s a surreal thing for sure. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to play, but I’m gonna have a lot of fun with it, whatever it is.
AS: Do you remember the first song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter?
KC: Yes, it was “Rose in Paradise” by Waylon Jennings. I was probably three or four years old and I was going to catch up with my dad somewhere in Texas. It’s super rocky in the beginning. It was captivating and it immediately pulled me in. Waylon was my mom’s favorite and he’s also what I and my dad listened to together.
AS: Who are your biggest songwriting inspirations?
KC: Blink-182. Alan Jackson for sure. Also Merle Haggard. Any of the classic country artists, throw them in there because I love them all. I love artists that write their own stuff. There’s something to be said for people who can pick out the best songs for them from other writers, but whenever an artist writes their own stuff it’s just special.”
Boy From Anderson County To The Moon is out today (August 19). Find it, HERE.
Photo Courtesy of BMG
