With a love of country, pop and rock, Los Angeles and Nashville based artist Erin Cosgrove takes that mix of genres and brings it to the crowds with her incredible powerhouse vocals. Her talents have caught the eyes and ears of Big & Rich to Love & Theft to Russell Dickerson to Danielle Bradberry to A Thousand Horses and more.
This singer-songwriter released two singles in 2020, and turned the lockdowns related to COVID into a silver-lining by providing inspiration for her latest single “Time To Live.”
We caught up with Erin to talk about the past year, her new single and what’s to come in 2021.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
EC: I’m a born and raised Florida girl who moved to Los Angeles about 6 years ago to pursue acting and music and currently in the process of moving to Nashville! I’ve appeared on a few TV shows here in LA, but my focus is more on the music side of things these days. I’m always up for an adventure and a good time! I’ve traveled to 16 different countries, 40 states and have the mentality that “Sky’s the limit” or “Anything is possible.” Aside from music I enjoy doing triathlons, cooking, coin collecting (yes, I’m a nerd), horseback riding, snow skiing and photography. I like to stay busy!
CN: With everything that’s going on in the world in regards to COVID-19, we hope everyone in your circle is safe and healthy. How are you holding up?
EC: COVID has definitely been really tough for me, especially being in California through it all. The lockdowns have really prevented me from performing at all. I’ve traveled to a few places outside of CA to perform which has been nice but overall, I’ve only been focused on the song writing and social media side of things. It’s definitely been an emotional roller coaster to say the least.
CN: When did you realize that you wanted to pursue music as a career? Which artists have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
EC: I was pretty young when I realized I wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. I’d say around 5 or 6. I used to sing in all my school productions and eventually went on to joining an all star national show choir in high school. From there, I studied Opera in College and worked at theme parks as an entertainer. After school I moved to LA to pursue my dreams and so far it’s been going pretty well! I would also say I really look up to and absolutely adore Dolly Parton! She’s been such an inspiration to all female artists and it would be such an honor to just meet her!
CN: Last month you released a holiday song, and now you’re back kicking off 2021 with your latest single “Time To Live.” Can you share the background of the song?
EC: This song was solely written because of COVID. I’ve struggled a lot with the closures and other aspects of the pandemic as a whole so I needed something to bring me out of depression and help cope with my levels of anxiety. I wanted to give people as well as myself a sense of hope and inspire people to continue to live their lives rather than hide in fear. It kind of piggy backs on Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” song, just talking about quality of life. What’s the point of living if you’re not going to actually live your life to its fullest? I’m a big believer in if it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go, and I think “Time To Live” really showcases that along with a few other powerful messages about letting go of all of our hate towards others regardless of their beliefs and simply just being kind.
CN: You worked with GRAMMY award-winning producer Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, One Republic, Jason Mraz, Danielle Bradbery). This isn’t the first time you’ve worked together. What is it like to work with Mikal? How does the producer/artist relationship between you two inspire you?
EC: Mikal is awesome! Such a talented producer! We have a great relationship and work well together! Our creative efforts definitely come out of the woodwork when we get to writing and producing my music!
CN: Days before COVID hit, you released the single “The Perfect Place to Start.” You have said that “Time To Live” is a bit of a “redemption” song, showing how you have grown during this time.
EC: So it was more of a redemption song in the sense that I needed another hard hitting single since “The Perfect Place To Start” didn’t get the recognition it deserved. So I wanted to write something as inspiring as TPPTS and came up with “Time To Live.”
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
EC: That’s such a hard question because there are so many talented artists out there today! I’d say my top 5 would be Luke Bryan (just because I grew up listening to him :)), Danielle Bradberry (because she is amazing and such a sweetheart!) Carrie Underwood, and Justin Timberlake (seriously one of the most talented people in the business).
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
EC: I think it was either Brittany Spears or Maroon 5. I can’t remember lol!
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
EC: Tenacious- I don’t take no for an answer and I always look for alternative routes to achieve my goals. If there’s a road block, I go around; a door closes, I’ll find an open one; Someone says “You can’t”; I’ll find someone who welcomes me with open arms. This industry isn’t just about talent, there’s a lot of business and strategy that goes into it as well. I’ll always ask 3 people the same question before accepting the answer because there’s always going to be someone who says “YES”, you just have to find that person.
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
EC: My next single and killer music video will be released this Spring/Summer (pending on where we are in the pandemic) and hoping to take on a few tour dates across the country. I am also moving to Nashville in the Spring, so be sure to keep an eye out of me come May! In the meantime, be sure to follow me on my social media platforms for live streams, new brand partnerships and new live song writing sessions!
Listen to “Time To Live” on Spotify here.
For more information on Erin Cosgrove, visit her website at www.ErinCosgroveOfficial.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.