With the upcoming release of her debut album City of Sin, Collette Cooper is a new name on the jazz and blues scene. She will release her new single ‘Perfect Girl’ on the 10th November.
Her unique voice has already drawn comparisons to the voice of legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf, who along with the likes of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone is one of Collette Cooper’s biggest influences.
She first discovered her voice when she attended acting school in Liverpool as she explains: “I used to busk on the streets with a friend, and sing in pubs and bars just to earn cash.”
Having founded her own theatre company aged 17, she headed off on tour before returning to the UK to create an album with the help of Dan Lipman, co-producer on City of Sin, and an ensemble of musicians.
The songs on her debut album were written during a difficult time in Cooper’s life, losing her father to cancer and becoming homeless after a breakdown. It was during this period she began writing City of Sin as she explains:
“The album is basically my experiences of places and people I encountered through that bleak period – my dark perspective of my life at that time. I always think it’s best to write what you know, and give a true and honest account from the heart, whatever headspace and situation you are in at the time. Just be truthful in the writing.”
BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw has been one of Cooper’s most loyal fans, describing her music as “Some of the best I’ve heard. I love her voice. It’s so unique.”
The single Perfect Girl will be released on the 10th November.