Cooper is a self-made, self-taught musician who manages to exist effortlessly within two scenes generally considered to be at varying ends of the sonic spectrum. Learning his craft on the Indie Rock scene, but later connecting with the Sing Out Gospel Gospel Choir, Cooper’s exquisite vocal and adroitly played guitar seamlessly encompasses the best of both worlds. It’s Indie with soul, soul with heart. This is meaningful music from the mind of a man who’s lived life, loss and longing. He defines the idea of what it is to be a truly singular artist who both defies convention and resists comparison. “I don’t want to be seen as a singer/ songwriter because people lump you into that sulky troubadour box,” points out JP with a quick laugh. “I want to be a bit more than that. I want to make great music and grow. I’ve always loved and admired artists that evolve; people like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Björk. Hopefully I can be an artist who will explore and transform in a similar way.”
Though it might seem like music is in his DNA, JP wasn’t bought up in a particularly musical household. However, his Granddad, a commercial artist and dad, also an artist, taught him something that would prove invaluable to his own artistic endeavors in years to come. “My dad went to study at art school and my Granddad told him, ‘Never get a job in art ‘cause it’ll be something that you don’t love anymore. It’ll be a job not a hobby’. That really stuck with me years later when I began to teach myself guitar. You need to know your a,b,c’s, but the main thing is to have fun with it, to play with it like a child would, ignore the rules. The fact I’m completely clueless about what chords I’m playing works in my favour. I’m a complete blagger! But that’s really nice I think; I can stay wide-eyed about it.”
Bought up during the guitar-laden years of Britpop, like many young Manchester teens, JP played in various bands throughout school. Broadening his musical tastes beyond Oasis by regularly visiting eponymous record store, the Vinyl Exchange, it was there the young music enthusiast discovered everything from Björk to Aphex Twin, Donny Hathaway and Rufus Wainwright. Deciding to go solo while at college, JP was finally able to fully draw on his various influences and begin to experiment with the sort of artist he wanted to be. “I realised that I didn’t want to have to rely on anybody – as long as I could play and I could write then I’d be pretty self-sufficient. And I could make the music I wanted to make without having to compromise.” Teaching himself guitar, JP began testing his sound out at Open Mic nights and quickly started getting booked to play all over Manchester. Within a year he rose to selling out 250 capacity venue, the Deaf Institute. However, because he was a white guy with a guitar, he found himself increasingly booked at folk / indie / band nights. Ill at ease in a scene into which he was thrust, slowly his audience began to diversify as the subtleties in his music began to emerge. He joined Manchester’s Sing Out Gospel Choir and released a series of three mixtapes, noticing a growing fanbase within the urban world. Soon he was not only selling out venues like the Gorilla in Manchester, but he was hitting capacity at shows in London too. “As soon I found an outlet into the soul and urban world, everything changed overnight. Since then it’s grown and grown and I’ve found my audience. It’s really nice to be embraced by that world.”
Three years ago, he became a dad for the first time and a year later faced a difficult decision. Supporting himself by working in a bar so he could be with his son every morning and night, when Island Records offered him a development deal, he knew it would mean a lot of travel to London. “I didn’t want to miss any of my son growing up, but I also had to build a future for us both. It got to the point where I’d had this massive dream of doing music and all this amazing stuff was happening, but at the same time I was away from all of the things that are home to me.”
It’s a subject he covers on Closer, found on his 2015 EP, When The Darkness Comes. After signing to Island Records 18 months ago, JP released two EP’s, which combined have had over 5 million plays. The first, Keep The Quiet Out, was produced by the Confectionary [Bonkaz, Jacob Banks]. The most recent (When The Darkness Comes), produced by the duo One-Bit, features six perfectly executed vignettes. The EP is deeply personable yet utterly relatable. “It’s about relationships, people’s struggles, family and the human mind, the weirdness of it, the complexities of it,” explains JP.
He not only has a large online following, but he has a large and loyal live fanbase too. Last year, he sold out four headline shows in London, including the The Scala the Village Underground and Koko. The EP’s, along with his engaging live performances, have won JP a legion of fans as disparate as his sounds; the likes of Boy George, The Cast Of EastEnders, Maverick Sabre, Sean Mendez and Stormzy have all sung his praises, while recent collaborations with the likes of George the Poet have seen Cooper diversify a little into the spoken world arena. “It’s not my world at all but it’s taught me loads,” he muses. “The whole imagination behind it all inspires me to want to be better.”
Next up is JP’s debut album proper which promises to be bigger and bolder affair, while retaining a sense of simplicity and honesty. Featuring elements of Hip Hop, stand-up soul and Country-inflected guitar, there will also be some unexpected twists and turns. JP isn’t an artist that deals in the formulaic, the predictable or the conventional. “It’s going to be bold,” he decides. “I’ve enjoyed some spot plays on Radio and I know I’m lucky to have those because what I do really doesn’t sound like anything else on there. I’d like to carry on down that route. I don’t want my music to sound like everything else that’s being put out at the minute.”
JP Cooper isn’t the sort of artist to list his ambitions as being awards and accolades. That’s not why he makes music. He’s isn’t here to make cookie-cutter sounds that cynically appeal to a mass market. Rather he wants to challenge the idea’s of what music people should – and shouldn’t – be making. “There’s no façade. I’m just somebody who lives life and writes about it. It’s a human experience. I’m not untouchable,” he points out. “I think people trust what I do because of the way that I am; there’s no front. I think that makes people want to find out more. Hopefully when they do find out more, they’ll like what they hear. I know nothing’s promised, and I know I’ve been doing this for a few years now, but it feels just like the beginning. And that’s really exciting.”
However, he was hailed as ‘Future Sound of 2015’ by BBC Radio One’s Zane Lowe, supported soul singer Angie Stone, sold out a UK tour of his own, and had a coveted slot at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas.
His EP 'When The Darkness Comes' was reviewed in 2015 as "combining folk, blues, soul and gospel, ... [showcasing] Cooper’s talent for both songwriting and lyricism which releases true emotion – not only for himself but also the listener."
Sources:
This info was taken from when he was featured in The Telegraph and listed for his gig at The Cluny in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Beneath the Streetlights and the Moon
JP Cooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lent a knee and won't you come and see it for a while?
I miss us riding home at 4 A.M., do you remember?
Birds applaud as we turn into your tree
And although these foto albums don't quite paint it right
There's a video that plays inside my mind
I miss the way you look beneath the streetlights and the moon
And of all the things I miss the taste of you
The taste of you on me and me on you
I often wonder if my finest days are behind me
We were living in a golden haze so free
I miss us dancing in the midnight rain, do you remember?
Upstage and springtime and the days they change right in front of me
And although these foto albums don't quite paint it right
There's a video that plays inside my mind
And of all the things I miss, I miss the view
I miss the way you look beneath the streetlights and the moon
And of all the things I miss the taste of you
The taste of you on me and me on you
I'll forever inspire like time was a canvas we painted
Looking back I see colors and those colors ain't fading
Still, we're growing, we're changing
Still, sometimes I need saving
But looking back I see colors
And of all the things I miss, I miss the view
I miss the way you look beneath the streetlights and the moon
And of all the things I miss the taste of you
The taste of you on me and me on you
And of all the things we've learned from each other
I discovered how the love with you
Beneath the streetlights and the moon
All of all things we caused
One another, I discovered how the love with you
Beneath the streetlights and the moon
Looking back I see colors
The lyrics of JP Cooper's song "Beneath the Streetlights and the Moon" convey feelings of nostalgia and longing for lost moments with a past lover. The song is a reflection on the memories of the good times they spent together and the fear of not being able to recapture those moments in the future.
The first verse sets the scene for the reminiscing to come, as the singer asks the listener to take a knee and listen to his story. He recalls how he misses riding home with his significant other at 4 A.M., and it is evident that these are cherished memories. The singer mentions that pictures do not do justice to those memories, but a video plays inside his mind, keeping these special moments alive. The chorus emphasizes his nostalgia for the way the lover looks beneath the streetlights and the moon, and the taste of the partner on him and him on her.
In the second verse, the singer ponders if his finest days are behind him and nostalgically remembers dancing in the rain with his lover, further highlighting the idea of missing the past. He acknowledges that while they've grown and changed, he still longs for those memories. The bridge section is a reflection of the past - looking back, he sees colors and memories that aren't fading, and even though they've caused each other pain, they discovered how to love beneath the streetlights and the moon.
Overall, the song is a romantic ballad that encapsulates the feelings of nostalgia for lost moments, fear of not being able to recapture them, and the hope that maybe someday they can be. The melody complements the lyrics and the vocals are emotively delivered, adding to the emotion expressed in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me talk about the things I need for a minute
The singer wants to take a moment to express the things he desires
Lent a knee and won't you come and see it for a while?
The singer is requesting the listener's attention to showcase something important
I miss us riding home at 4 A.M., do you remember?
The singer reminisces about the precious moments the listener and he shared together
Birds applaud as we turn into your tree
The singer enjoys the simple pleasures in life, such as being surrounded by nature
And although these foto albums don't quite paint it right
The singer acknowledges that pictures may not accurately capture the essence of memories
There's a video that plays inside my mind
Despite this, the singer still has a clear and vivid memory of the past
And of all the things I miss, I miss the view
The singer longs for the beauty and awe of the world around him
I miss the way you look beneath the streetlights and the moon
The singer misses the presence of the listener and the way they illuminated the night
And of all the things I miss the taste of you
The singer desires not only the physical presence of the listener but also their essence
The taste of you on me and me on you
The singer cherishes the intimacy and connection shared between him and the listener
I often wonder if my finest days are behind me
The singer reflects on the past and worries if he has missed his prime
We were living in a golden haze so free
The singer recalls a time when he and the listener were carefree and happy
I miss us dancing in the midnight rain, do you remember?
The singer longs for the spontaneity and joy of dancing with the listener in the rain
Upstage and springtime and the days they change right in front of me
Although things change and life moves forward, the singer still has fond memories of the past
I'll forever inspire like time was a canvas we painted
The singer believes that the experiences with the listener have shaped who he is and his future
Looking back I see colors and those colors ain't fading
The singer sees the past as a colorful and vibrant memory that will never fade
Still, we're growing, we're changing
Despite the nostalgia, the singer acknowledges that both he and the listener are evolving and changing over time
Still, sometimes I need saving
The singer admits that he still has moments of vulnerability and seeks comfort from the listener
And of all the things we've learned from each other
The singer recognizes the valuable lessons and growth that occurred through their relationship
I discovered how the love with you
The singer learned how to love and be loved through their relationship
All of all things we caused
The singer understands that both positive and negative events and experiences were shared between them
One another, I discovered how the love with you
Through their relationship, the singer discovered the true meaning of love and connection beneath the streetlights and the moon
Looking back I see colors
The singer reflects on the colorful and cherished memories he shares with the listener
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GREG WELLS, JOHN PAUL COOPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind