Rising Stars: Meet Coco Groves

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Coco Groves.

Hi Coco, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Originally from MN, I started performing in my early teens and continued to do so for thirteen years before deciding to move to Nashville and try the band thing in 2020.

During the time before I moved here, I got my BFA in Musical Theater, was fortunate enough to perform and tour the United States for veterans and active military with “Letters From Home,” be a resident performer on Oceania Cruise Lines and performed in regional theatre throughout the United States. I also had the opportunity to do some on-camera work and model in the US and Europe. Fast forward to February of 2020, just two weeks after I moved to Nashville, my band Coco & The Nash was formed.

Our first year or two was not exactly what we expected due to the pandemic hitting just one week after we got hired to play on Broadway, but we never gave up and instead spent a lot of time cultivating our show. Something we could all agree on as a band was that we didn’t want to be a typical “Broadway band.” Instead, we aimed to create a show that genuinely embraced Nashville’s “Music City” nickname and spanned all genres and decades.

Now, although we still perform on Broadway regularly, we also have the opportunity to play for people throughout the United States for festivals, private events, and corporate parties. We have also recently started working on original music, so that’s exciting! Haha.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been an easy road? Absolutely not! But I think that’s part of what makes being an “artist” so cool and unique. We put our hearts and souls into everything we do and create, so sharing that with others is pretty special.

As for my personal struggles while working in the industry? I think most musicians can relate when I say living paycheck to paycheck is always an adventure and that the lack of respect for musicians in this city (especially cover bands) can sometimes feel daunting. A professor once told me, “Everyone wants to consume art, but no one wants to pay for it, ” it stuck with me.

This is even evident on Broadway, where the bands downtown make the bars and city their money, and still aren’t paid fairly, treated with respect, or talked to as though our jobs are “real jobs”, which can be frustrating. There are no unions or rules and guidelines when it comes to how the bars treat their bands downtown, and it shows.

There are, of course, issues that transcend the arts industry, such as *gasp* sexism. Yes, even in Nashville, TN, sexism runs rampant. Jokes aside, this is actually something a lot of women here face on a daily basis, and that is why I created a private Facebook group for women who perform on Broadway. From most of the bookers and bandleaders being men to men telling female performers the only way to stay in the band is to sleep with them, we have our hands full.

I remember when I first moved here, I was filling in with another band, and that night after the gig, the bandleader called me when I got home to tell me I was “too much on stage” and that I would do better if I just sang a few songs well and ran the tip bucket. A week or two later, while with that same band, the owner of that particular bar yelled in my face that he wasn’t talking to me but was talking to the men.

Obviously, I quit that bar and never worked with that band again after that, but it’s unfortunately super common here. To be clear, there are, of course, some wonderful men who take care of their female bandmates here, as well as bars that treat their musicians with respect, but sexism and fair treatment are something we could stand to work on as a whole in the industry.

I think another challenge a lot of newer musicians here face is also the romanticism of old Nashville. Even within the community, you have the older generation telling the new folks coming in that the talent has gone way down, and country music is going away, which just isn’t the case. What is the case, however, is that there are infinitely more bars and stages, which means although there is MORE country music here than there was, it feels like less because you hear other styles of music playing on the street regularly.

As someone who isn’t a major country fan (judge me if you must), I think it’s wonderful to hear so many styles of music playing on Broadway. For those that aren’t aware, Music City actually got its name from a gospel choir filled with minorities, not country music. I could go on and on about how we could make the music community better, haha, but it’s all out of love and respect for my fellow musicians and creatives. People forget that they only get to see our end product, not the full process.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For the most part, I am just a singer and bandleader, but it’s kind of a jack of all trades master of none situation. Although my main job is taking care of my band “Coco And The Nash” and performing with them, I also run our social media, do all of our booking, write contracts, make our setlists, and plan our travel when we go out of town. There’s definitely been a learning curve, I’ve had to learn how to do a lot of things due to the fact we don’t have the money to hire an outside party yet.

Outside of that, I paint, garden, travel, and love to post creative videos and pics. I also love to share fun makeup looks on my social media and I am always trying to find new adventures. I’m also a huge advocate for mental health, and I love performing for our veterans and active military.

Within the next month or so, I am also hoping to get my YouTube channel up, where I plan to talk about music herstory and interview women in the arts industry to see how they got to where they are.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I know I talk a lot about what we could fix within the arts community here. Still, I also think there are so many fantastic opportunities and many amazingly talented and kind people here. I love that writer’s rounds, live music, and creative endeavors are always around every corner.

We have some of the most remarkable small businesses and shops around and so many food options. I don’t want anyone to think it’s all doom and gloom; there are so many lovely things and opportunities happening here, and I am excited to see how the city continues to evolve. I consider myself lucky to know so many unique and creative people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cocoandthenash.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadventuresofcocogroves/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cocogrovessings?si=zrpo5tlOiqrHj6gT
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/cocoandthenash/

Image Credits
Liv McEwen Photography and ALX Media