Country singer Cooper Alan, 28, knows he had the best role model growing up. He describes his parents as “two people who like to take care of people.” His mom ran a bakery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She retired in 2019 and saw an ad about kidney disease on an airplane during a trip.
“She had just retired and said, ‘I’m going to anonymously donate my kidney to somebody I don’t know,’” Alan said. “Mom said, ‘I’m going to save somebody’s life, and I might never ever meet that person.’ It’s an example of how giving she is. They raised me and my brothers that way.”
Alan credits his mother’s giving spirit for inspiring him to launch his Cooper Alan Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting organizations that provide mental health services and resources. On January 31, Alan released a new song, “I Gotcha,” which he said is about “being there for one another through the toughest moments life has to offer.” Proceeds from “I Gotcha” and his tour’s opening weekend benefit his Cooper Alan Foundation.
“It feels good to give to something outside of just myself and my family,” Alan said. “Mental health is just something that’s always been near and dear to me.”
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Mental Health is Dear to Cooper Alan
The singer explained he had been going to therapy since halfway through college and then started going more frequently after he moved to Nashville to pursue music as a full-time job.
“I’m super, super grateful and thankful for what I get to do,” Alan said. “But music can be relatively anxiety-inducing, and I’m naturally kind of an anxious person.”
Alan’s therapy experience isn’t about dumping his feelings and leaving. His therapist helps him get to the root of his anxiety and understand it.
“It’s like, ‘Let’s figure out how we’re going to constructively address these problems or what’s going on in your head,’” Alan said. “It’s been a really life-changing thing for me.”
Alan’s focus on mental health comes at a time when Nashville’s music industry seems to be in the grips of a mental health crisis. Multiple members of Nashville’s music community have taken their lives in the last two weeks.
“I believe a lot of people go through similar or even more severe mental health struggles,” he said. “It’s a really important thing to pay attention to. The mind affects everything from how you feel to your physical health. You’ve got to address it early and often.”
You Must Address Mental Health Early and Often
Alan knew he wanted to launch his own charitable foundation at some point in his career – and had talked about doing it with his family. They wanted to “give back in a big way,” he said. He just didn’t think he was far enough along to be able to do it now. His mother disagreed. She called him in February of last year and said she felt a calling. They needed to start working on the foundation then. Alan’s family and his wife began gathering corporate and personal sponsors and organizing their first fundraising event, which will happen this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Friday night, the foundation is hosting a soldout private dinner, and Alan’s friend and country star Walker Hayes will join him in a writer’s round. On Saturday, Alan’s band will play a full concert open to the public at The Fillmore, also in Charlotte. Proceeds will go to HopeWay, a nonprofit behavioral health and mental health treatment facility in Charlotte.
“Honestly, there’s nothing that special about me,” Alan said. “Anybody, any artist, anybody who’s at my level or below or above can go out and do this. It’s a special thing to take on.”
After this weekend, Alan’s To The Bar Tour will be in full swing. He promises it will be “a very fun show.”
“I always say, ‘If you do know who I am and know my songs, you’re going to have a really good time,’” Alan said. “If you don’t know who I am, you’re still going to have a good time. There’s something in there for everybody. We kind of treat it like a big old party that also takes some moments to hit on some pretty important stuff. It’s a lot of high energy, but you hear kind of every side of me.”
Photo credit: Matthew Berniato
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