Coco O’Connor: Taking Her Signature Sound Back to Where it All Began

Coco O’Connor’s journey is not just another typical small-town-girl story. Hers is truly an inspiring one. She was born and raised in Cullman, Alabama, a rural town outside of Muscle Shoals. It was where she found her passion for music and quickly began developing her sound. It wasn’t long before the songwriter got her heart set on following her dream of making music on the global stage.

Coco O’Connor’s songs have been on the most iconic platforms today. The Craig Ferguson Show, PBS, The History Channel, Netflix, and National Geographic, to name a few. Today, amidst the pandemic, Coco wants to comfort people through her music. She sold thousands of CDs by asking her audience to cover only the shipping and the handling.

Coco released her debut album in 2015, which became a big hit and gained her a significant following. But her success did not stop there. She took her signature sound to the next level in 2018 with her independently-released seven-song EP. The album gained critical acclaim and an award from the International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) during its 15th annual ceremony. Her song, The Devil, A Wounded Man, And Me, received the highest recognition. 

After stealing the hearts of her listeners globally, Coco wants to return to where it all began. “It has a lot to do with going back to my roots where I grew up,” says the award-winning songwriter. During her career, Coco formed a band for a music festival. In 2019, Coco persevered to return to the studio and signed a record deal with Bonfire Music Group. A year after the band’s founding, Coco brought the full band in-studio to record her latest masterpiece, When I Was Your World. 

Blackbird Studios and Dog Den Studies produced the album in Nashville, Tennessee. Coco collaborated with the top producers and songwriters in the industry to come up with a full collection of stunning songs. In her team is powerhouse industry veteran Bill McDermott who has worked with George Strait, Tim McGraw, and Emmylou Harris. Also, with her in this venture is Sound Engineer Steve Marcantonio. Performing for the record were some of the best artists in the Muscle Shoals area, including world-renowned Will McFarlane and The Shoals Sisters.

The lead single from the album, When I Was Your World, is inspired by Coco’s relationship with her daughter. She wrote the heartfelt song back in 2015-2016 but held onto it for the right moment. 

“I was blown away that I was the world to this little, new person in my life. It’s a song dealing with all aspects of any relationship – from the newness to it all to eventually the loss and everything in between.” 

The song came to life in one of Coco’s songwriting sessions with Rick Beresford and Deanna Walker. She blurted out the title right there and then, and her two colleagues loved it. Even Deanna got a little emotional as they were writing the last verse of the song, according to Coco. 

The songwriter took an invigorated approach to the record. The album boasts a harmonic combination of Americana, folk, roots, and even bluegrass influences. She made her intentions clear and robust from the album’s opening track, Honey Bee. She also collaborated with talented songwriters Mark Narmore (Reba McEntire)  and Stephanie C. Brown (Garth Brooks)  for the song  White Horse. Coco took different elements together to produce an exciting work of art. 

“Life is like a race, but it’s important to run your own race and not someone else’s. It’s less about winning or losing. You win when you persevere.” Coco O’Connor has performed on some of big stages. But for her, there’s still no better place to make her music other than home.

Learn more about Coco O’Connor and her original songs through her website.