Artist Profile: Justin Cooper

SINGER // SONGWRITER // VOCALIST

Justin Cooper is a songwriter, producer/multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist based out of New York. He graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Radio/Television/Film and is currently a graduate student at the Berklee College of Music. He specializes in crafting songs made to go viral on social media platforms such as TikTok, as well as music for TV/Film/Commercials. His work as an artist and the work he has collaborated on have garnered millions of streams on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Music.

IMSTA: Hi Justin, how have you been doing since COVID19 started?

JC: I’ve been busy! The transition to a virtual world was certainly tough at first, as it was for most of us, but it eventually led to some exciting opportunities. I was able to give up my office job and transition into a career doing everything I love; In the last year, I’ve increased my musical output and have been working 6 other jobs. While I haven’t had much downtime, life has been so enjoyable and fulfilling that I don’t even want a break. As the old adage goes, do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

IMSTA: Can you tell us a little bit about your background, I read in your bio that you were previously an investment banker?

JC: Ah yes… I try not to think about those dark days. I’m being a bit facetious, but the truth is I spent most of my high school and college days on the classic finance track. I was miserable and my mental health hit a low point once I entered the banking world.

But perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. As a kid, I had always dreamed of becoming a musician. I even wrote in my 5th grade yearbook that I wanted to be a professional songwriter when I grew up. I was an avid songwriter… at least as much as a 10-year-old could be. While I never lost sight of that dream, I stopped believing in it somewhere along the line. I stopped writing songs in high school and by the time I was in college I had given up on music altogether. But I’ll never forget when I hit my low point, I looked at my mom and said, “I don’t want to be a banker. I want to be a musician.” I had bottled this dream inside myself for so many years, and it took me getting to my lowest to finally have the courage to admit it out loud.

Since then, things have gotten overwhelmingly better. As I mentioned before, I now wear many hats - I coach kids/teens and some adults in debate, public speaking, chess, and tennis in addition to tutoring math and writing. I also work overnight shifts at a 24-hour gym, where you can find me working out every afternoon! With the (albeit limited) time I have left every day, I work on my music and any other creative or business projects I have going on.

IMSTA: Wow, what a frantic lifestyle, now I'm curious about how would you describe your style of music?

JC: Good question! And one I wish I had a better answer to. To be honest, I don’t ascribe a specific style to my sound - whatever kind of song pops into my head when inspiration strikes is the one I try to create. I’m a huge fan of all kinds of music - everything from bubblegum pop to jazz to Beethoven… I listen to it all on rotation!

IMSTA: Who would you say are some of your favorite or most influential musicians?

JC: As cliché as this is, I’m obsessed with the Beatles. I know all the fun facts and stories behind every song and I own every Beatles album on vinyl. What speaks to me about them is their versatility - no matter what kind of mood I’m in, there’s a Beatles song to go with it.

Feeling happy? Good Day Sunshine.
Feeling heartbroken? Yesterday.
Feeling angry? Helter Skelter.
Feeling nostalgic? In My Life.
Feeling tired? I’m So Tired.
Feeling murdery? The Continuing Story of Buffalo Bill.

I could go on and on for days…

IMSTA: Personally, I'm a "Let It Be" type of guy. How long have you been writing songs and can you tell us about your writing process?

JC: I started writing songs when I was 9, and while my songwriting process has evolved since then, the root of it is the same. I’ll hear someone say some line, or see a sign on the street, and think, “Wow, that would be a cool song!” I have a list of about 1000 song ideas in my phone that’s always growing.

The melodies usually come to me while I’m doing something mindless. So many songs written in the shower…

After one of these short melodies has been stuck in my head sufficiently, I’ll go into my bedroom studio and work until I’m out of ideas. Sometimes, this means the song is done that night. Usually, however, it takes days or even weeks and months to get a song together. I needed to get a second external hard drive just to save all of my half-finished songs without crashing my computer!

IMSTA: Can you explain the differences between how you would craft music for commercial/radio and for social media platforms like TikTok?

JC: If I want a song to be on TikTok, I’ll try to make it meme-able in some way. For example, I have one song about eggs on Soundcloud called “Sunny Side Up.” Waiting for someone to make an eggy dance to go with it…

IMSTA: Hahaha, that's fun. What kind of gear do you use and do you have a favorite plugin?

JC: I only started seriously recording/producing my songs about a year ago, so I’m still kinda a gear novice. I use Logic Pro for my DAW, and a variety of Waves and Izotope plugins for mixing and sound design. I also use Melodyne - I don’t care what people say, if you’d tune your guitar you should tune your vocal. Other than that, I have a variety of plugins from a wide array of providers (mostly ones that are discounted during special sales). My favorite plugin right now is PunchyWorm from WA Production. I think it’s like 10 or 20 bucks and it makes your kick drum literally kick you. Also, the animation of a little worm dancing to your beat is hilarious and makes me smile!

IMSTA: If you love sales, you will always find sale discounts on popular plugins at our events (sorry for the shameless plug). Can you tell us about the story and process of your finalist song entry, “The Good Ole Days”?

JC: It was the end of my senior year of college and I had just finished watching the finale of the Office. One of the main characters, Andy, said a line that really stuck with me: “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” That night, I was sitting on the rooftop of a house I shared with eight of my best friends, and all I could think was, “These are the good old days.” I immediately ran down to my bedroom to strike while the inspiration was hot and 12 hours later I emerged with “The Good Ole Days.”

Now that some time has passed since writing this song, I’ve actually derived some new meaning from it. The Office is a show about how the seemingly boring parts of life are special if you look at them from the right perspective. The real purpose of Andy’s quote is that mundane and annoying parts of life make up the good ole days, and I’m gonna miss them when I’m inevitably embarking on some other adventure in the future. Now that I’ve been in the workforce full time for a while, I revisit this song as a reminder that while not every moment is spectacular, it’s the in-between parts of life that I’m going to remember most. Whether it’s 1 AM at the gym or I’m giving my 4th tennis lesson in a row, I can appreciate each of them because I know I’m gonna miss them one day. The good ole days are not just one wild stretch of life that we remember forever. Rather, every day is one of the future’s good ole days.

IMSTA: I'm a big Office fan so that really speaks to me haha. How did you hear about IMSTA? / Have you ever been to IMSTA FESTA?

JC: I knew about IMSTA because a couple of my songwriting buddies told me about your competition last year! Since I’m still kind of new to producing, I haven’t been able to get to a FESTA yet, but with COVID restrictions easing up hopefully I can get to one this year.

IMSTA: Well most of our events are online now so hopefully you can drop by in a stream. What do you think about IMSTA’s message?

JC: I’m a huge fan of the idea that you should legally purchase your software… I get that most musicians are on a tight budget but I believe stealing software hurts both manufacturers and artists. I get much more mileage out of each new plugin when I have to save up for months to get new ones. Besides, some of my best finds have been from hole-in-the-wall software manufacturers whose plugins are relatively inexpensive.

IMSTA: What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a songwriter?

JC: I’ve found that for many of us nowadays, pragmatism has replaced dreaming. I say, why not do both? I hear so many people complain that they don’t have enough time, or that they can’t write songs because they need to get a “real job.” But if songwriting (or anything for that matter) is something you love, it’s worth more than any paycheck. This doesn’t mean refuse to work until you make it big as a songwriter - The starving artist model is horrible for anyone’s wellbeing - but MAKE time for what you love. If you have to give up some nights out, or you can’t binge-watch that new show, so be it. If it’s really important to you, you can do it all!

IMSTA: Thank you Justin for your time! Hope all is well in your future.

For more of Justin Cooper, please check him out on his links below:

SPOTIFY
INSTAGRAM
SOUNDCLOUD