BY ALISE CHAFFINS
At first blush, Trevor Cooke is a small, unassuming young man. But as you speak to him, you see the big dreams of this Morgantown singer and songwriter.
Cooke, who performs alternative pop and hip-hop, has had the desire to be an artist for as long as he can remember.
“I started writing my first song whenever I was in eighth grade. It took me a year to finish my first song and then I got to put it out and I haven’t stopped writing since.”
Cooke has recently released his third independently produced album called “What I Don’t Know.”
Drawing from the experiences of growing up in West Virginia and living in Morgantown, his songs reflect his daily life and some of his struggles with mental illness, as well as a look at the good days he has.
To help promote the album, he will perform Feb. 3 at Morgantown Art Bar, and Feb. 18 at Music on Main in Bridgeport.
“I’m really proud of this album. Some of these songs have been in the works for quite a while. I think what differentiates this album from the previous ones is that I’m being a lot more vulnerable and a lot more honest about where I am in my life.”
Cooke talks about using music as a coping mechanism, saying whatever is in his head is likely to end up as a lyric.
“Whether I want to tell a story about something that has happened to me, or I’m dealing with complex emotions, it’s easier to say things in a song lyric than it is to say things out loud, so I use it to vent that way.”
Last year, Cooke released his first music video to accompany his song “Doing Well,” about his struggles to find his place and finding a way to become more comfortable in his own skin. He said he wanted to do a video since he first started taking music seriously and talked about the process of shooting it.
“I love riding my bike around Morgantown while listening to music. It’s how I relax,” Cooke said. “I thought it would be really cool to have a camera following me around while I’m playing music. My uncle was kind enough to film the whole thing. My grandpa drove his car and my uncle was hanging out of the back of the car with a camera. We had my speaker hanging out of the car just playing the song on loop so I could lip sync to it while we were driving around.”
Cooke is studying music industry at WVU and working on the production side of music out of his newly created studio, but his passion is performing. He said he is able to create a fuller experience with just himself, his guitar and his laptop. Using the program Ableton Live, he is able to incorporate vocal and guitar effects that allow him to enhance the production value of his show.
Even in his free time, it’s all about music for him.
“It’s what I love more than anything. It’s my entire personality. It’s my entire purpose.”
