artist you should know: cor.ece talks about the creative process behind his ep, “i,tried”

I recently had a chance to connect with singer/songwriter from St Louis, Cor.ece, following the release of his recent project “I,Tried”, a collaborative effort with producer Saedi. The seven-track ep is an impressive memoir of self-introspection, where Cor.ece is acknowledging his shortcomings, but not letting them define who he is. Earlier this year, Cor.ece released the single “Please, Sir”, a song about how music fans always expect artists to sing on demand in order for them to feel better, no matter what the artist is going through at the time.  We caught up with Cor.ece to find out a bit more about him and the process behind, “I, Tried”.

Can you tell us more about you and what your journey has been so far?

I’ve been an artist since I was a kid, particularly because I’ve always had something to say. My parents had me when they were 16 so that’s a story within itself; having young parents learning as they went along. Eventually, that evolved into me being intentional about my work and what I was expressing. I have a lot of childhood poems and songs about desiring love, feeling abandoned, and locating my own confidence. I’ve always had a knack for storytelling and I love when people can relate to what I’m saying; using the most effective words is important to me. I  became classically trained in voice, played in bands in high school, but, get this, went to film school as an act of rebellion, abandoning music for many years. I started from the ground up as a singer and performer about 7 years ago and it has paid off. Once I declared out loud that I would do nothing else except for music, a slit in the multiverse opened up for me. I joined a music collective with some talented friends – who are all either signed or soaring in different ways now – got my first feature in 2017, put out my first EP in 2018, album in 2019; behind the scenes, I’ve been doing creative work and writing for labels like Classic Music and Defected Records – one of those things has resulted in a charting dance track ‘Unleash’- released exclusively on Apple Music – by producer Honey Dijon feat. Cor.ece. Lastly, the most exciting piece of this is I just signed a record deal with the amazing Brooklyn-based label Razor-N-Tape (exclusive knowledge by the way) last week. My journey has been fun and rewarding among the very hard days and patience-testing moments.

What was the process of making “I, Tried”, and what does it mean at this point in your career?

“I,Tried” is a 7-track EP by myself (vocalist and writer on project) and producer Saedi that’s tremendously intimate in its creation and content. With all of the solitude over the last year, I was able to really look in the mirror to ask: why am I doing this? Does this still serve me and the greater good? That’s what I’m exploring in the song ‘Please, Sir’ Or ‘9 Lives’ where I really expose my own shortcomings. I’ve heart people and I’ve stumbled a lot, but I’m still kind to myself as I try again; whereas my album HIM – I talk a bit more externally or asking what has been done to me.  In “I, Tried” is acknowledging that we all have looming shadows that aren’t so scary when we either shine the light on them or remember the sun will be out tomorrow so use it wisely; at least try.  At this point in my career, I feel more ok with being vulnerable and willing to reveal as much as I possibly can because the world is filled with so many people who want something they can rock to and think about. I’m also hellbent on doing things my way because what’s the point of doing this if it isn’t coming from a real place?  On a technical level, every song sounded like how I wanted it to sound. What I heard, and saw, in my head came to life here which gives many meanings to an EP titled,  “I, Tried.”  The photoshoot with Jaelse Ayana was in my home – and neighborhood – in Los Angeles where she wanted to capture in my purest setting in light and shadows; in my quirky yet honest way of being. I love wearing flowers in my hair and on my clothes. Maybe because they remind me how important it is to see the beauty in who we are exactly as we show up. The photos are a mix of film and digital.

Make sure to listen to “I, Tried” and connect with Cor.ece on www.corece.net.