By Charlotte Fontaine
NASHVILLE, TN — Musical artist Corook performed to a sold out room at the Basement East on March 27th. Their three-piece band opened for artist Maddie Zahm, but the energy and attention they gathered from the audience made it feel like everyone was there to see them.
Corook is a self-described alternative/indie artist who writes with a perfect blend of vulnerability and off-beat wit. A sea of beanies, sweaters, selfies, and seltzers were in anticipation of Corook coming out on stage at the medium-sized venue.
The room was jovial despite the tragedy that had occurred that morning in our city of Nashville. People were looking each other in the eye to say ‘excuse me’ while finding their way in the crowd instead of merely shuffling past, and there was a friendliness and sense of acceptance in the air of the show, which can be accredited to Corook’s powerful lyrics about self love and welcoming reception of uniqueness.
When asked what main emotion they want people to feel when listening to their music or attending one of their shows, Corook had this to say: “Hope. I think that hope is an emotion that recognizes the hurt and recognizes what we’ve been through as people and also is able to look forward to what is next.”
It’s an appropriate statement for the artist who came bursting onto the stage in yellow pants and a striped shirt to sing with a computer-sounding effect on their vocals singing lines with the opening, “hello.”
Being in a crowd that night felt both comforting, and somber at once. Most audience members were seemingly young couples but even those who were standing by themselves were not alone with the sense of camaraderie in the air.
The most moving moment of the eight-song set came with the haunting performance of corook’s ballad “IDK God.” Standing in red and blue backlights, the other two musicians on stage put down their instruments, and Corook sang alone with an electric green guitar: “I don’t know why, cause I don’t know God, but if I did, I’d ask her her thoughts.”
The room was nearly silent as the heaviness of the words hit the audience. The song almost felt shocking to hear after Corook’s upbeat dance songs had the entire room smiling, clapping, and dancing a few moments before.
To check out Corook’s new single, “i’m not doing well” and all other EP’s, you can follow them on instagram, and tik tok at the handle @hicorook, as well as all music streaming platforms.
