Claude

As a college student short on rent, Alex "Claude" Cooper was in a rut. This predicament pushed the Philadelphia native to do something he hadn't really thought of before: street performing. Playing on busy downtown Boston streets quickly became not only Cooper's source of income, but it also served as a jumping-off point for the pursuit of a career as a singer/songwriter.

"Before I started street performing, I didn't think people would respond well to me as a solo artist," Cooper reflects. The now 22 year-old had four years of professional choral ensembles under his belt, as well as performing/directing theatrical productions growing up. But the overwhelming response he garnered singing pop songs for strangers opened up an avenue he hadn't thought was possible.  The endeavor spurred Claude's love of writing and performing his own songs -- and he consequently decided to graduate college early to move to Los Angeles, diving fully into his music career.

Growing up, Claude listened to soulful singer/songwriters like Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz, and John Mayer. As the years went by, John Legend, Adele, and Amos Lee made their way into the mix. The result is an inspiration rooted in raw emotion and accessible storytelling. 

"For me, songs just flow. It's difficult for me to say to myself, 'okay -- I'm gonna sit down right now and write a song about this.' Songs have to come naturally, or it ends up sounding just as contrived as the writing process. Sometimes I know what they mean the instant they come out, and other times, months pass before songs reveal themselves to me. Writing songs is definitely the closest thing to magic that I've ever known."