Courtney Cole
LA-based artist Courtney Cole has released her new EP Earthquake.
Produced by Cameron Stymeist, the new acoustic-pop project is a 4-track EP exploring the subject of healing and all of the processes that come along with it. Earthquake features the previous singles “Spiritual”, “Right Direction” and “New Eyes”. On this EP, Cole delivers soulful and powerful vocals while conveying true emotion and honesty on each track.
The singer/songwriter toured with major artists like Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, and Kane Brown, and co-wrote songs with GRAMMY Award winning songwriter, Shane McAnally.
Cole created an empowering podcast called The Love Freq Podcast with Courtney Cole. “The goal is to inspire all of us in our creative process, whether we are creating visual or performing art, or just in our child-like nature and remembering our childhood passions, which have been guiding us,” explains Cole.
Earthquake is now available worldwide.
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I grew up in New Orleans so I was always around music and creativity, that city is filled with it! I started performing when I was five years old when my dad and I performed Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” at a church talent show, and I was hooked with being on stage from then on! I was very involved in theatre and music all throughout high school, as I attended a creative arts high school in New Orleans named Nocca. When I was 18, I moved to Nashville to attend college, got my degree at Belmont University, and started working in the music industry as a front desk girl at a record label. I would write songs on the side as I developed my artistry, and I was eventually signed to my first publishing deal. It was from there that I started touring the country playing my songs and opening for incredible artists! In 2017, I was craving a change of pace and scenery after suffering some personal and professional hardships, and I moved to Los Angeles, which opened up a whole new side of myself and my artistry. That led me to the release of my new EP, “Earthquake.”
How would you define Courtney Cole, the artist?
I would describe my artistry as honest, passionate, self-aware, emotional, and cinematic.
Earthquake is your new EP. How does it feel like to release this new project?
It feels so healing and fulfilling. There is so much raw honesty in this EP. It was really important to me to share as much of myself as I could, so I wrote about what I was discovering about myself and the world around me. I was just processing my joy and my pain in the midst of the uncertainty I was experiencing at the time, and to be able to share that wit the world feels so healing and fulfilling.
When did you start writing on this EP? Who helped you create it?
I started writing this EP back in 2017, but I feel like it really started to take form in 2019. My buddy Cameron Stymeist produced this EP. He also wrote several of the songs, along with another one of my favorite co-writers, Trannie Anderson.
What are the different topics you are talking about on this EP?
This EP is all about healing and all of the processes that come along with it. It’s all about learning how to choose joy in the midst of pain, choosing love in the midst of fear and uncertainty, and finding out who you are in the process.
What do you like the most about this project?
I love how relevant it is for where we are now in the world. I think we are all being presented with the opportunity to be quiet and take a deep, hard look at ourselves and why we believe the things we do about ourselves and the world around us. I think that self-awareness is the first step in the healing process.
What did you feel when writing the first track on the EP, "Spiritual"?
“Spiritual” came out right after I moved to Los Angeles, and I was scared out of my mind moving to a new city. I wanted to challenge myself with something I was afraid of in order to prove to myself that if I could conquer one fear, I could conquer all fear. So, I bought a paddle board and started paddling into the ocean, because the ocean is something that really intimidates me. Eventually, I was able to paddle 3-4 miles out into the open ocean, and through that I discovered so much freedom on the other side of that fear. “Spiritual” is all about my relationship with that newfound freedom, because it truly was, and is, a spiritual experience.
What made you want to name your EP Earthquake?
The song “Earthquake” encompasses the healing process in general. It’s all about the first moments of self-awareness where you realize that everything you’ve come to know about yourself might not be exactly true. It’s the beginning of dismantling bad habits and false beliefs. It’s the moment right before freedom reveals itself, and you ask yourself, “Well, if none of these aspects of myself are me, then who am I?” and that’s an earth-shaking moment. I think since healing is such a theme of this EP, “Earthquake” just had to be the title.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Funny story! This EP photo is actually a selfie that I took by accident. I was overlooking the beautiful cliffs in Palos Verdes, CA and I just loved the vibe of it so much. It really felt like it captured the vibe of the EP!
What did you learn about yourself after finishing this EP?
The majority of the learning happened in the making of this EP, so much self-discovery happened during that time. But the finishing of the EP helped me to see the resilience and determination that I possess.
What does singing make you feel?
Singing helps me to express myself, so it’s exhilarating!
What can you tell us about your podcast The Love Freq? What is your goal for this podcast?
The Love Freq podcast was inspired by the frequency 528HZ, which is known as ‘The Love Frequency’ due to its harmonic presence throughout nature, lack of dissonance, and its healing properties. And it can be used as a tuning we can tune our music to, just as our music today is tuned to 440HZ. I talk about the beauty and the importance of healing and growing from earth-shattering moments and reconnecting with the truest, deepest parts of ourselves in order to live our most authentic, creative expression. The goal is to inspire all of us in our creative process, whether we are creating visual or performing art, or just in our child-like nature and remembering our childhood passions, which have been guiding us.
What major life lesson have you learned so far?
Wow, I don’t think I can answer this all in one sitting, there are too many to name. But I think the most important lesson that I have learned recently is that nothing needs to be forced. That might seem so basic, but we are all searching so hard for something, or trying so hard to be something, or trying to prove something, that it can become so easy to lose sight of who we are. It happened to me, for sure. But when you look at nature, you can see how everything happens with effortless ease, and everything has been happening the same way for billions of years. The sun and the moon transition into each other every day, the waves rise and crash, etc. What we have to understand is that we are all nature and are a part of these processes. So we can look at ourselves and understand that we don’t have to force anything, we just have to allow ourselves to remain open and let our processes unfold within each of us, because it happens naturally and effortlessly.
How did things change for you since your move to LA?
Moving to LA has helped me to uncover who I truly am and all that I am capable of. It was something that I needed to do and LA has been the cracker that cracked the nut wide open! I feel ready and excited to take the next steps and embrace new opportunities!
What are your thoughts on today's global situation and on the Black Lives Matter movement?
I feel like we are in the middle of a huge shift. I feel like we are all being called to question all aspects of our ego and all of the belief systems we have collected throughout our lives, challenge those systems, and heal them accordingly. Racism is one of those systems. Racism is real. It’s a construct we’ve built as a society, and it needs to be dismantled. I support all of my friends within the black community.
Photo credit: Michael Brewster
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
For each and every one of us to choose to become self-aware and live beyond the aspect of the ego construct that we’ve each built for ourselves and choose to live more authentically in line with love and truth.
What message do you want to give to the world?
I heard somebody say once that the seed of a flower already encompasses all its potential of becoming a flower. When that seed is in the right environment and cared for, it grows effortlessly. I think my message would be that you already are all that you need to be. You don’t have to force anything. You have every ounce of your potential, so just take the time to find the environment and the care that nurtures you in that process of being all that you already are.
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