Name: Cooper Anstett
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Bloomfield Hills
Prospective Major: Bachelor of Science in Information
Extra Curriculars: Kappa Theta Pi (Professional Technology Fraternity), Music Matters
Fun Fact: Loves Hawaii
Her Campus: Tell us a bit about your music career. When did you first start singing and playing guitar?
Cooper Anstett: I’ve always been singing and I’ve always been playing guitar. My dad plays guitar and he got me into it. Around when I was 12 all I wanted to do was be super good at guitar, but I don’t think I was mature enough then. It takes maturity and patience to learn an instrument in my opinion. Now all I do is play guitar so much. If I’m not studying, I’m playing guitar.
HC: What can you tell us about your EP? How long have you been working on it?
CA: Last school year around Christmas, some acoustics that I recorded made their way to a couple companies in Nashville, Straight 8 Entertainment and then to Digitally Sound Records. They expressed interest in having me come down there and do a developmental deal. From March until July I was going back and forth between Nashville and Michigan and Minnesota. All of the photo-shoots, pictures and other promotional stuff took a couple more months, July through September. It’s been a long process, so today’s a good day.
HC: Congratulations! What’s today been like?
CA: Crazy. I wanted there to be as much buzz as there could be, but I didn’t know how people would respond to the album. Luckily I have a good amount of friends who I’ve played hockey with who are in the NHL and they’ve been tweeting and retweeting my stuff which is awesome. They’re great guys, some of them are on The Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Edmonton Oilers, and it’s been awesome exposure. Now random people who follow them are tweeting about it, which is crazy. I’m really trying to break into the hockey community because it’s a group of people I really care about.
HC: Who are some artists that inspire you?
CA: The obvious one is Jack Johnson. He’s been a huge influence on my music and in my life. He got me through a lot of stuff. I’ve been listening to him probably since I was 10. I just love the guy. Some other artists who I love too are Ben Harper, Kat Stevens, Van Morrison, and Amos Lee.
HC: What is your favorite original song to perform? Favorite cover?
CA: As of late, it’s been this song on the record called “For You.” It’s just a feel-good song that I like to start off a show with. I love playing “Where is the Love” by the Black-Eyed Peas and it’s actually on this EP. It’s fun taking a popular rap song from the early 2000s and giving it a rebirth in an acoustic form.
HC: Seeing as music is such a competitive industry, what keeps you motivated to produce new material? Why should people be listening to you?
CA: I have this continued passion to produce and make records because I just think there’s a lot that has to be said. The way I write music is really through inspiration, whether it’s a story I hear or a book I’m reading. There’s always an interesting way to present a topic in the form of a song. Most of the songs on my EP are life experiences, but a lot of it is fictional too. I want to touch people and get them to connect to me as an artist. For me, it’s honestly just something I need to live. I honestly cannot imagine a life without music. There are probably a hundred songs I’ve written that I haven’t shared with anyone, even my best friend or my dad. Music is like a diary for me.
HC: You transferred to Michigan this year from St. Olaf, a small college in Minnesota. How easily have you been able to adjust to this large campus?
CA: The transition has been good. Last year I played hockey at St. Olaf, so now not having hockey in my life has been really strange. I’ve always had to balance school with hockey, and now I’m trying to balance music and school. It’s very different, but in a good way. Also, Michigan has discussion section in addition to lecture, but St. Olaf only had small classes. It feels like double the classes.
HC: How important is a potential girlfriend’s taste in music?
CA: It’s not that important, it really just depends on the type of person. I could date someone with totally different taste from me. It’s a certain lifestyle people live that I look for and like, it’s super cool and super down to earth. If they listen to rap music that’s fine, but it’s definitely easier to get along with someone who listens to the same type of music as me.
HC: Is it a deal breaker if she doesn’t like Jack Johnson?
CA: No, just because I’d find that very hard to believe. I think I could get any girl to like Jack Johnson.
HC: What do you value most in a relationship?
CA: Honesty. I hate being lied to. Even if it’s rough, I’d rather just hear the truth.
HC: What can you tell us about your lyric video that just came out in addition to your EP? How involved were you in the making of it?
CA: What’s cool about this video is that it was totally my idea. I didn’t wanna go crazy, this was a low budget video I made with a buddy and a really nice camera. It took us a month or two to go through magazines and cut out all of the words and letters we were looking for. I just had a big bag of a bunch of words from magazines that weren’t organized at all. The video itself is a ton of pictures taken over and over again. It took around 6 hours to film. It turned out really simple and beautiful.
This writer couldn’t agree more, Cooper. Check out his video above, and be sure to snag his album HERE!