Interview with Coppe Cantrell
Coppe Cantrell is a Gospal musician.
Why did you want to be a professional musician?
I was called to sing by almighty God, out of a sound sleep to do so. Ironically, since I was a child, I wanted to be a singer, but I was tone deaf. God gave me the desires of my heart, to glorify him, in 2009. I have been singing professionally ever since I received my miracle gift of singing and songwriting.
What inspires your music?
What inspires my music is reading the Bible, and life's experiences, which is ample to be inspired from.
What things get you in the mood to write songs or do lyrics come spontaneously?
The things that get me in the mood to write songs, after reading the word of God which the anointing is strong, being in a happy mood might inspire me to write a sad song, if something bothers me, I might write an up-tempo song, dependent upon my environment and what's going on in the world. My songs are not just about my life only, but what's going on in the world and the things to come. Lyrics, sometimes come spontaneously, and when they do I record the lyrics and melody on my voice recorder on my phone. Most of the time it's a catchy hook, that the Holy Spirit has prompted me to sing, sometimes It can be late at night, when it was late in the morning that I received my gift, ideas do come to me. Spontaneously, but sometimes they are not there.
How do you want your music to affect people?
How I want my music to affect people is I want them to appreciate the music, but once they start listening to the lyrics, they realize that I have something important to say, it's not about trying to sing about sexual things, as so many try to do, I am not that kind of artist, I want people to be able to give their life to Christ after listening to my music, and start reading the Bible and get a relation with God through Christ Jesus. There is so much going on in the world, I want people to wake up and listen to my music as a wakeup call, God sends many vessels for people to take heed. I am just one of those vessels that has been anointed to do God's will. With so many people out trying to fulfill their own will, we have free will and God does not force his will on no one, but he gives us all signs that we need to adhere too. It is my job to relay His messages through song.
Do you test out your songs before releasing them? How do you do this?
Yes, I do test out my songs before releasing them. What I do is let my family listen to my songs first, then I put it out on social media, I also have created videos for all my songs, so putting it in this format also gives people a visual that they can relate to with the song. I also send more than one song to my radio promotions team, and they let me know which songs that they can get in heavy rotation, and which songs they feel shouldn't go out to radio, they want songs that can relate to a world market, not just locally or regionally.
How do you prepare for a gig?
I usually must make sure that if I have advanced notice of a gig, I will start getting on the treadmill, stationary bike, and a consistent workout, because having a performance is like singing the actual song three times in a row, so it is important for endurance. I also make sure that I have rehearsals with my dancers and musical team at least five days a week, within the two weeks before the gig. Right before the show, plenty of singing the vocal scales and plenty of rest.
What is your favorite song that you've written?
My favorite song that I've written is my song called Jesus Rocks, it is my favorite song that I've written. It's my favorite song, because I tell the story of Jesus in a fun and uplifting way, that will have you rocking out as you sing along and dance to the up-tempo song.
Has there been a reaction to one of your songs that you've been surprised by?
Yes, there has been a reaction to one of my songs that I have been surprised by, my song War Cry, wherein I am pretty much not biting my tongue on anything or anybody, for things to come and things that may have happened regarding Bible prophecies, politics and even our pastors. With that being said, I created a music video that has been censored on YouTube, making it where only those 18 and older can watch my video, and you must have a YouTube account in order to be able to watch it! I was a bit surprised that they would do that to my song, when there are so many videos and songs that have been glorified, that shouldn't even be on YouTube or any outlet.
What are some ways that you promote yourself?
The ways in which I promote myself are through my website. I utilize social media. I have a radio promotions team that gets my music playing on the radio, I have music videos (2) for each one of my songs that I have recorded, one official video and one lyrics video. I also utilize a PR person to help with these interviews.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge of your career?
I would say that the biggest challenge of my career would be getting the music out to radio and certain distribution outlets. As an indie artist you don't always have the open doors for certain outlets by gatekeepers. Thank God for the digital distribution channels that so many of us can utilize and get our music out there. Music Stores only have so many spaces. It's virtually impossible to have everyone's music on their shelves. So, it's a do-it-yourself scenario, that I must deal with and come up with different strategies to get my music out there.
What has been your favorite place to tour?
My favorite places to tour have been anywhere that God has called me to minister in song. Though there are many places in the world to visit, and many I have yet to explore, I would love to tour Europe and other parts of the world. I have lived in the U.S. my entire life, so getting outside of the U.S. would be rewarding.
Are there advantages to being an independent musician?
Yes, there are advantages being an independent musician, first and foremost as an independent artist, I can take my time and work on each song at my own pace, without being rushed by a record executive to start or stop a project as they want me to do. Being an independent artist, no one can tell me which subject matters to write about, that I can or cannot talk about, as some non-independent artists have had to deal with.
As an independent artist, I can promote as much as I want, write whatever I want to write, feature whomever I want to feature on my songs, release music videos, and do interviews with whomever I decide to do an interview with, there's no pressure. On top of that, as the owner of my company and self-managing my career, I can do diligence on every aspect of my career.