JP Cooper

Event information

Playing a blend of folk, blues, soul and gospel JP Cooper is an intriguing prospect amongst aspiring British singer-songwriters. Listening to him perform, either alone or with his band, bears witness to an honesty, intensity and power evoked via the simplest of orchestration. His soulfully expressive, unique vocal style, the kind that cuts through a room to hush a chattering crowd in seconds, is utterly bewitching. His unexpected vocal flights hardly prepare you for the intimacy and empathy to follow, andcoupled with a clutch of sensational songs, you will find it almost impossible to believe that he has only been writing seriously for two years and performing solo for barely one. Comparisons are yet to be made (although they inevitably will be..), but there is nothing derivative about his voice or his songwriting.

BIO:
I was born into a Catholic family in north Manchester in the 80′s. My parents were artists, as was my granddad so the process of creation was always something that was around us.

Although I was always deeply affected by music, and by words and stories, I don’t think I realised how I had fallen in love with these things until my teens. I can’t recall the moment, the story or the record but this was definitely the time it happened
I found myself mostly working with rock musicians so I spent years writing and rehearsing in disused mills and garages and travelling the country in transit vans full of equipment. I had a lot of fun and made a lot of mistakes.

I think I was learning a lot about myself…..

Singing has always a huge thing for me. I had always loved soul music and old r n b and blues. I love singers like Donny Hathaway and Otis Redding but I also loved grunge singers like Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. The next big influence for me was Gospel music. I joined a gospel choir after being asked to go along to a rehearsal at a performance I did. I fell in love with the vocal arrangements, the people and the singing style.

My songs are just the way I’ve seen things unfold over the years. They’re about the way I see relationships with friends, lovers, society, spirituality. I started focussing on my solo writing about 2 years ago and It has been an amazing
journey. I think I’m just scratching the surface and am extremely excited to see what comes of the future. I just hope it affects people in a positive way

www.jpcooper.co.uk