take emotions that are so generic and make them sound so specific.”Ĭooke certainly follows their example on shot in the dark. “That’d be a huge honor to be compared to those people. “I hope that you see some of that on this record,” Cooke says. These artists, Cooke feels, secure hit singles without compromising an ounce of their truth. “For me, was like stepping into the shoes of my old self.”Ĭooke says she has always been inspired by “emotional hitmakers”-the Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, and Colbie Caillats of the world. “I remember those days very fondly,” Weisband says. Weisband, who recently got married, says writing this song brought her back to her younger self. Yeah these wheels still got miles left to spinĪnd there’s some green eyes that’d do anything “That is the journey that I’m on right now,” Cooke continues. I can’t wait to be a bridesmaid or an aunt but, I’m in a van going to play a fair somewhere in Ohio.” They are all in such amazing phases in their life. “I was scrolling through Instagram seeing all of my friends getting engaged, having babies, and getting married. “I was in a van, traveling around the country,” Cooke says. The song is the perfect thesis statement for the season of life Cooke is in currently. “I would rather connect with the artist or the other writers in the room than try to bring my ego into it,” Weisband adds.Īnother one of their co-writes, “ state i’m in,” is a stand-out on the record. “If somebody is already on a lyric, she thinks of a melody that could go with it.” “If somebody is already on a really cool melody, Emily’s like ‘Okay cool, I’m going to think of some really dope lyrics,’” Cooke continues. “Putting out your debut album is like the biggest shot in the dark you could take,” Weisband says. For the songwriter, naming the album shot in the dark, mirrors the inherent risk that comes with putting your art out into the world.

“I was tickled when I learned ,” she says. So here’s to two strangers in the back of a barįor Weisband the song holds dual meaning. Who knew two straight tequilas on a debit card Last call, first kiss, a little bit drunk The lyrics evolved into a play on words of sorts about two strangers taking a shot in the dark of a crowded bar together.

“, ‘It’s like a shot in the dark.’ We immediately thought, ‘That’s the song we’re writing.'” “We started talking about TikTok and how it’s so volatile,” Cooke explains of the track. The title track came out of a conversation Cooke, Weisband, Jordan Minton, and Corey Crowder had while on the retreat. Judging by the rapport they had together during the interview, it’s no surprise they delivered the gems they did on Cooke’s debut. “Shot in the dark” and many of their other co-writes, were written on a writer’s retreat at Weisband’s parent’s house. Their collaborative efforts secured five cuts on shot in the dark, including the title track. “I remember thinking, ‘This girl has got her lane and she’s owning it.'” “Everyone in town was talking about Ashley Cooke,” Weisband adds. After running in the same circles for a while, the pair decided to hop in the writer’s room together. “I was so in love with her writing.”Ĭooke and Weisband both attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee-a breeding ground for future country heavyweights. “I’d always dreamed of getting to write with Emily,” Cooke says.

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