From viral sensation to independent disruptor, Cookiee Kawaii advances her genre-defying soundscape.
Authentic, eccentric, and spellbinding music guru Cookie Kawaii is at the forefront of expanding the club music scene. Rising from New Jersey, the American musical sensation is leaving an indelible mark on the music world with her extraordinary fusion of Jersey club, electrifying EDM, and the irresistible allure of pop.
Cookiee’s meteoric rise reached its zenith with the explosive success of her chart-topping single, Vibe (If I Back It Up), amassing over 100 million streams on Spotify. This iconic track not only unveiled Cookiee’s enchanting vocal prowess but also unleashed an infectious, toe-tapping beat that set TikTok and the entire social media sphere ablaze. Her inimitable style and boundless energy captured the hearts of a global audience, propelling her to the forefront of independent artists.
The traction of her hottest single “Vibe (If I Back It Up),” not only solidified her status as a rising star but also swung open the doors for boundless opportunities within the music industry. In 2021, Cookie released debut album Vanice featuring hit single Violin, garnering exceptional traction on streaming platforms. The song even attained the eyes of the US Open Tennis Championship, who showcased the song in their promotional video, along with Cookiee’s narration.
Cookie’s unwavering commitment to artistic freedom is propelling her to exceptional heights in the industry. As an independent visionary, she is empowered to explore uncharted territory while remaining authentic to her singular vision. Her unparalleled creative liberty enables her to consistently produce music that resonates deeply with her devoted fanbase, all while pushing the boundaries of musical genres and style. With her mesmerizing vocals and genre-defying approach, Cookiee Kawaii reigns as an artist poised to set the contemporary music landscape ablaze with her creative fire.
This past summer, Cookiee set the stage ablaze during her performance at Broccoli City’s 2023 festival. We had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Cookie Kawaii before her City Stage set. Read the full conversation below!
Have you ever been to Broccoli City Fest before?
Yes, I have and their festival is super dope. So I’m happy to be back again for another year.
Is there anyone in particular you’re hoping to meet, see, or collaborate with here?
Yes, Miss Freaky T Tia of course. I mean, there’s mad dope talent here today. But she’s like my fave so I can’t wait to see her.
Where’s home?
Home for me is Jersey. I’m a Jersey club artist, that’s what I’m doing so that’s home for real.
What was the defining moment you realized you wanted to do music? Was this always your career plan?
For me, honestly, I just grew up with my parents, they’re DJs. I just grew up around music so it was easy for me to just fall into wanting to be in that realm. Straight out of high school, I was writing poetry, making songs. Now, I’m performing at festivals, so it’s dope.
Music is all about expression, what do you like to express in your music?
Shaking ass, turning up. My music is pretty much just vibes and a good time. So that’s really what I’m going for. Just spreading love, joy, and making people feel good about themselves.
How did you adopt the stage name “Cookiee Kawaii”?
Well, It’s pretty simplistic actually, I’m a huge anime fan. So the Kawaii was just boom- I’m gonna slap that on there. And then I really love soft baked cookies. So mashing my two favorite things together- boom, you got me.
What are your top three favorite animes?
My favorite of all time is YuYu Hakusho- that’s my favorite of all time, undefeated. The DBZ, I’m sorry it’s just a classic and I’ll spice it up with Michiko & Hatchin.
The Fox Magazine is all about inspiration, who or what inspires you the most?
Honestly, for me, I can get inspiration from music artists, or sometimes even my friends and family. I think I just pull it from whatever I’m feeling at that moment, or the time and place that I’m in. Of course, I have musical inspirations like Missy Elliott, she’s in my top. But overall, it’s just really taking inspiration from everything around you and making it your own.
In your music, you experiment with a lot of different genres. What genres do you typically pull from or experiment with when creating a song?
I feel like even now, you even said, I think there’s no really set genre that I feel like I want to just stick to, aside from making club music. Other than that, I want to always try to incorporate club with other things, whether it’s rock, pop, or r&b. I’m always trying to mesh it together so it can get different listeners to really tap in with what club music is.
Your music videos and album art feature very intricate and creative visuals. What’s your creative process like for creating your visual art to pair with your music?
Well, honestly, once I make the song, I can have 1,000 different pictures running through my head as far as how I want to shoot the video. So it’s really just pulling from the craziest place that we can think of and then going for that, or even sometimes it can be more simplistic. But either way, it’s just the music as far as what the visuals are going to be.
What’s something someone would be surprised to learn about you?
I’m pretty open and honest, especially on social media about the things that I love and the things that I don’t like. So, I don’t know. I think the only surprise that you will probably get with me is that… I guess people think that because my name sounds really sweet I’m extremely nice, but I guess I can be mean sometimes.
So I know you performed at the pride parade and that you’re also really involved in a lot of activism work. What causes do you typically like to support?
Well, for me, it was when I got out of an abusive relationship. It just triggered me to want to help other women who felt like they didn’t have a voice or they didn’t have a platform. So it was kind of easy for me to decide where to start and dive into activism and just really use my platform to help other people and tell those stories. Because I feel like with that, that’s what triggers me. That’s what makes me wanna fight for other women. Being through that abuse and knowing that you could turn that into something. Like I said, this is in the past now, look where I am right now. So it’s really a testimony, to turn that struggle into strength. That’s what really activates me to really try to give those women a voice and speak up for them.
If you could give someone who is just starting to make music advice, what would it be?
Honestly, consistency. Consistency is really just the key. I mean, and of course, being your authentic self. And I know that sounds kind of cliche, but that really is the truth to it all. You have to be consistent. You have to continually put your authentic self into your craft and the people that really rock with you are gonna relate to that. You don’t really want people who are just hopping on the bandwagon for the time being. You want people that truly, really do just f*ck with you and want to deal with your music.
Yesterday you dropped your new single You & Me. What was making this song like?
Honestly, when I made that record, we cut that over at least two years ago. It was around the time when I was really again, combining different genres, trying to figure out what I could put on my album or what I could put on upcoming projects. And I kind of hid it away because I feel like, at the time, it was, I don’t know, I won’t even say advanced, but I just felt like maybe they weren’t ready for that kind of track yet. But now seeing where club music is and just seeing that whole evolution of where club is going, I was like, okay, we can put this out now, this blends right on in. So yeah, shout out to Prince.
I know you just dropped a single yesterday but are you planning on dropping anything else sometime soon?
Yes, I have a new single with RyRy that’s dropping. Shout out to her- club queen. It’s called Drop It Down. So that’s gonna be dropping later this month. I just dropped like… that’s going to be my third single of this month. Just pumping them out for the summer!
So I see you narrated US Open Tennis Championship and they used your song Violin, which also went viral on TikTok. How did you feel when they used your song?
I mean, it was crazy. Because the opportunity came to me and I was like “US Open??” I’m just like, “How did that even come to me?” And then, of course, I wasn’t gonna deny them. I think that’s super dope. And I was at a studio, I had to record a whole bunch of vocals for the voiceover. I actually had to do it three times, three different studio sessions. So they’re really trying to get the exact emotion expression and it’s out now and it’s amazing. Super dope, and I want to do more voiceover work so, hit me up!
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