Currently based on the East coast of Australia in Newcastle, NSW, Rod Coote has created his own unique fusion of indie, folk and pop music into a dreamy sound that all his listeners have naturally embraced.
Last week the rising singer-songwriter returned with his most infectious single to date, releasing his new track “Summer Sun”. His effortless and heartfelt storytelling pairs with subtle production, reaffirming Coote as one of Australia’s most refreshing songwriters to emerge on the global music scene this year.
To celebrate the release of the record, we chatted with Rod about his background, career highlights, and his passion for honest writing.
SSW: Let’s talk about your background. Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be in this industry?
Rod Coote: I grew up in a small rural town here in Australia called Manilla, situated 500kms west of Sydney. It was such an intimate community to grow up in and as children we made our own fun camping on friends’ farms and spending most summers swimming in the local river. When I was about 14, I started spending time learning guitar and started playing live at school concerts. I found songwriting as a creative outlet to explore and deal with my mixed feelings as a teenager in a somewhat productive way. Now looking back, playing music after school in my room is one of my most vivid pastimes. As there weren’t any professional musicians in the small town I grew up in, a career as a music artist at point seemed a bit out of reach and I honestly had no clue at the time how to navigate a career within the industry.
It was when I first moved to the coastal city of Newcastle on Australia’s east coast that I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. I started immersing myself more into the local music scene by playing live shows at smaller venues around the city, collaborating with other musicians, meeting producers and was inspired to release my own music. I fell in love with making music and it has naturally become such a big part of my life.
What type of music did you grow up listening to? Who has had the greatest influence on your taste in music over time?
Like most kids in their early teens, I would mostly listen to popular songs trending in the top charts like artists such as Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Coldplay. Later in my teens when I began playing guitar and writing songs, I recall always listening to Ben Howard’s ‘Every Kingdom’ album and Bon Iver’s iconic album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ whilst driving in my car along the countryside when I first received my license to drive. These were very formative albums for me and influenced my love for indie-folk music that you can hear in my own music. Once I left school I discovered Australian artist Dustin Tebbutt and his music heavily influenced my perspective on songwriting and production processes. If I’m ever looking for inspiration, I always listen to his music and he is an artist that I look up to immensely.
How would you describe your sound in terms of feelings?
I like to describe it as a dreamy indie-folk pop sound. I’ve always been a fan of the stripped back instrumentation of most indie-folk songs and the rawness of the lyrics. Whilst I find when writing melodies, I tend to write catchy pop-melodies as a default and also enjoy experimenting with pop-like production. In both my previous release ‘Ghost Town’ and my most recent release ‘Summer Sun’, I dabble between both indie-folk and pop genre realms, sometimes blending the two sounds to create my own unique dreamy sound. I equally enjoy making a nice chill acoustic, stripped back song and I do enjoy creating an upbeat, pop song.
Your first track of 2020, “Ghost Town”, has been getting lots of buzz. What has that feedback been like for you?
It’s always nerve-racking to release a song after a lengthy period since your last release and I’ve been so blown away with the response. This last year I’ve spent most of my time honing my craft and I finally feel like I’ve begun to grasp somewhat of an understanding of how the music industry works and discovered what I wanted my music to sound like. Receiving such positive feedback from ‘Ghost Town’ was such a great reassurance that I was heading in the right direction with my music and was so humbling to see people genuinely connecting, with listeners not just in my local town, but all over the world. From growing up in a small town, I still find it hard to grasp that people are listening to my music on opposite sides of the globe.-
You just dropped your new single “Summer Sun”. Congrats! such a great track and it’s definitely a different vibe from what you have released so far! Can you tell us more about it? What was the inspiration behind it and what was the creation process like?
I initially documented the song title and concept in my iPhone notes during the Summer of 2019/2020. The concept of this song was inspired by many different both literal and metaphorical ideas, offering multiple interpretations of the song. The initial concept was inspired by deeply reflecting on some close relationships I’ve had with people throughout life with my immediate partner, friends and family, and explored how their presence had warm energy that metaphorically resembled a ‘Summer Sun’. I also utilised the idea of a both a metaphorical and literal bright light that continues to provide comfort throughout both the best times and the worst times of my life, that glimpse of hope that gets people up in the morning and through the sometimes-mundane aspects of our lives.
Similarly, to my previous single ‘Ghost Town”, the initial ‘Summer Sun’ concept behind this song took a different literal meaning through the experience of living within the Covid-19 pandemic. As the time outdoors was set on a limited amount of time each day, I truly began appreciating those small glimpses of time in the sun either spent in lonesome, with my partner, exercising or walking the dog. During the lockdown, I randomly found this awesome bush track in close proximity to my house that I previously never knew about and it became my new favourite place to soak up some sun.
What’s been the most exciting experience you’ve had so far in the music industry?
The biggest highlight of my career so far was having the opportunity to record music with singer-songwriter, platinum-award winning producer and a long-time idol of mine, Garrett Kato. Garrett embraced my vision for the music I wanted to create and utilised his years of producing/song writing experience to help enhance my music. He instantly became a great mentor and his advice helped me navigate the barriers that independent emerging artists initially face.
It’s been a crazy year for the industry and all of us had to adapt and adjust our lives and plans. How’s it been for you? Have you found any new and creative ways to reach your audience?
Like everyone, I had to find ways to adjust to the year that 2020 became and we’ve honestly been pretty lucky here in Australia. There were only a few months there that were considerable differences in my day-to day routine so we’ve been very fortunate in that regard. I think I’m one of the many artists that enjoyed the break from live shows and utilised the time to spend quality time with people close to me and to smell the roses more than we normally would. I had more time to properly sit down to write music and both my latest releases were written during this period. I did however miss the connection with my audience the most so I played plenty of online live stream concerts to keep connected and check in with everyone.
Let’s talk more about your personal journey. What is the hardest lesson you’ve learnt in life so far?
I think the hardest lesson I’ve learnt so far on this journey is to focus on the things you can control as an artist and honing your craft as a creative. When I first started releasing music, I became overwhelmed focusing on all the external factors that are involved in a music career such as finding a manager, or a record label, booking live shows or worrying about how many people are listening to my music. In more recent years, I’ve decided to just primarily focus on making music that I’m happy with and I’ve learnt that those other external factors just naturally come afterwards.
How do you use your intuition in your creative process?
Writing music has always been such a cathartic process and personal experience since I started making music. During the creative process, I try my best not to get caught up in what sounds are trending at the time and just write music that I genuinely love listening to and enjoy creating.
We’ve got one last question for you! Thinking of yourself as a soul on Earth, what do you think your purpose is?
That’s definitely something most people I assume questions throughout their life on a regular basis but I think the earlier you figure out your purpose, the earlier you can use it to work towards making the world a better place. To be genuinely honest, I haven’t completely figured out a sole purpose for my life as I’m passionate about many things including music. When I receive messages from strangers communicating that my music has impacted their life positively, that affirms that my purpose could be to connect with people through music and songwriting. I think just writing honestly and capturing real life experiences and feelings is the best way to add meaning and purpose to both my own life, and those who listen to my music.
Interview by Irina Liakh
