We had a chat with emerging UK artist Kati Cooke following the release of her catchy debut pop single ‘shouldn’t i?’
With the release of her immersive debut single ‘shouldn’t i?’, emerging UK pop artist Kati Cooke has immediately established herself as a relatable and engrossing new voice who’s blend of R&B and pop evokes the same kind of sultry and captivating appeal as artists like Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, melding slick, immersive sounds with a resonating, poignant edge that leaves a lasting impression on you as a listener.
The track explores the relatable feeling of being drawn towards something or someone that you know that you can’t or shouldn’t have, expressing that kind of conflict that goes on in your head as you weigh it up and try to rationalise with yourself. The emotive and stirring nature of the artist’s expressive vocals and the glittering, poppy sheen of the production give the track a catchy and memorable edge, as lyrically the artist vulnerably delves into the depths of temptation in candid and honest fashion. We love this new release and thought that it was a great introduction to the artist, so we had a chat with Kati Cooke to find out a little bit more about and her upcoming plans as an artist.
Who TF is Kati Cooke?
Meeee! I’m Kati Cooke, a singer and full-time pop princess from the UK. I love blending harmony-filled pop vocals with upbeat R&B and trap beats. I like to think of my music as a seamless mix of all the different sounds I enjoy listening to regularly. My aim is to be authentic and honest with my lyrics, painting a picture of the way I view the world for those listening.
At the same time, it’s so important to me to keep my music light and enjoyable, so I infuse a pop, “bad-b” energy into my upbeat tracks. This is what makes music fun to me, energetic vibes that makes people want to dance and sing along are my absolute favourite. I hope my music resonates with listeners and gives them a glimpse into my world.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been writing songs since my early teens. In lockdown I started experimenting more with making my own music, learning to play the piano and writing more. As things started to open back up, I started gigging locally and singing, that really gave me the confidence to work on my own music. I took the leap and dived head first into my first single. I’ve also been working really hard to learn how to produce recently, which I think is so important for me as I love being in control of all the elements of my work.
Why do you make music?
I’m obsessed with all things pop music and have been since I can remember. There’s nothing I love more than singing in the car to my favourite artists and I’ve always felt the need to be on the other side of that, making music that young girls and boys can sing and scream along to. All I know is that music makes me happy, and without it in my life, things would be a lot more boring.
What are your biggest influences?
This is so hard for me because I have so many favourites, however my big 3 I think would be: Ariana Grande, Madison Beer and Sabrina Carpenter. I think I take a bit from all of these in my music, from Ariana I love to incorporate the pop, light vocals. From Madison I love how her raw emotion comes through in her songs and from Sabrina I love how fun she gets with her music. I try to keep my music original, but if I were ever compared to these, I’d be honoured.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
I think the recording of my first single ‘shouldn’t i?’ was so much fun, I was in London for the weekend, we recorded the song and I spent the whole weekend sight-seeing and listening back to the track. I can’t explain how proud you are to listen back to something you’ve created and dreamed of for so long, I can’t wait to continue that with every song I make.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
The kind of thing you’d want to listen to whilst you were getting ready with your girls, or driving around late at night. If I had to imagine the name of a playlist my songs would be on it would be “put this on toast because its my jam”. I’ve just laughed out loud reading this back lol. But for real my sound is upbeat and fun, but i’m also not afraid to get a little deep and vulnerable with it.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
Honestly, just performing on stage to people that love my music the way I love my favourite artists. Every time I go to a concert, I think “I want that to be me so bad”. Having all these faces screaming your lyrics back to you, knowing they all listened to it enough to know what they are. I think my pinch me moment would be to perform in a venue that I’ve been to see some of my favourite artists perform in – the full circle moment would make me cry I think.
We love your new single ‘shouldn’t i?’, what more can you tell us about it?
“shouldn’t i?” is a track that delves into the internal conflict of knowing you shouldn’t do something but being irresistibly drawn to it. I wanted to capture the essence of human vulnerability and temptation. The single was born out of personal experience, reflecting on my own struggles and moments of defiance. We all face moments where we’re tempted to do something we know we probably shouldn’t, and this song is about those moments of giving in, the thrill and the regret that often follow. I wanted to capture that complexity and turn it into something beautiful, fun & powerful.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
So much you’re not even ready. The amount of songs I have coming your way that I love so much is so exciting and I wish I could just drop all of them right now. I promise more is coming so so soon though!
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
My mum FOR SURE. In the lead up to the release of “shouldn’t i?” All I heard was “5 more days”, “how do I listen to it again?”, “can I share it on Facebook?”, “I told my friend at work that her daughter needs to listen to it”. She has always been my number 1 fan and is the reason I am where I am. Without her I wouldn’t have joined theatre when I was 13, or started gigging, which means I wouldn’t be here right now. My entire circle are the biggest supporters and I’m so lucky to have them, and I’m so so excited to share more of what i’ve been working on too! <3
