Check Out Elly Cooke’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elly Cooke

Hi Elly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always loved music for as long as I can remember. I have so many childhood memories singing in our living room to George Strait and other country artists. Every Thanksgiving my siblings and I would put together a show for our family. We would practice for hours. The show included singing, dancing and acting. I realized my love for music while performing for my family in the comfort of our home. I began writing songs at age 11 and my Dad showed me a few chords on his guitar when I was 14. I’ll never forget how it felt to play my first chords on guitar, it felt like my whole world opened up and everything clicked for me. Soon after learning guitar I started performing my songs at local talent shows and open mics. As I gained more experience performing I started to make connections and got booked for shows at bars, wineries, restaurants, fairs, festivals, carnivals…etc. I performed a lot with my brother, Drew Cooke, who played guitar with me. During this time I also attended a lot of concerts where I gained inspiration and kind of learned how to make my own set by watching my favorite artists. I specifically remember seeing Hunter Hayes for the first time in my hometown. I ended up feeling so moved by his show that I wrote a song about it called “Girl In The Crowd”. About a year after writing the song, I took my guitar into one of Hunter’s meet and greets and played him the song. Hunter was very encouraging to me. I think that experience gave me the confidence and inspiration that I needed to continue to push forward and work at my music career. Since then I’ve gotten to record and release music as well as open for some artists such as Maren Morris, Riley Green, Parker McCollum and Chris Lane.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve always been more of an introvert so it was definitely hard to put myself out in front of people. When I first started singing at talent shows I would practice for hours and hours on one song because I didn’t want to mess up in front of everyone. I still get nervous when I have a big show but I try to channel my nerves in a good way with more practice.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a singer/songwriter based in Gettysburg, PA. I spend most of my weekends performing at shows. My weeks are spent performing at nursing homes, working on emails, booking shows, vocal lessons, practicing, recording and songwriting. My favorite part of music has always been songwriting. I’m so intrigued by the idea that each day I can wake up and create a whole new song. Songwriting has always been a safe space for me to share my life experiences, express my emotions or tell stories that inspire me. I’m drawn to country music because of it’s heartfelt. authentic songwriting but I’m also in love with the catchiness that pop music has to offer. I feel my music has a blend of both genres. The goal I have for my music is to move people through my songs. I enjoy performing because that is mostly where I get to share my songs with others.

One of my favorite moments in my career so far was getting to share the stage with Hunter Hayes at his show in New Jersey in December 2023. We sang one of his more emotional songs called “Roses”. I consider it an honor to have gotten to perform with such a talented artist. Hunter’s support over the past 10 years has truly encouraged me in my musical journey.

What were you like growing up?
I was a shy kid growing up but also very stubborn. Haha! My mom homeschooled me and my siblings so we spent a lot of time together. I was obsessed with reading and writing but I hated math. Some of my favorite memories were spent playing outdoors with my siblings and taking care of our animals. We had rabbits, chickens, dogs, a sheep and a cow. I also stayed pretty active in gymnastics for about 8 years during my childhood.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ellycookemusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellycookemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellycookemusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsusW105OtGbrRA3Qy6Q02w