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EXCLUSIVE: Coko Talks Lost Music And Recording Her Next Album

Jerry Smith — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:00:27 +0000

Last week, I had the pleasure of talking with R&B and gospel singer Coko about her newest album The Winner In Me which is packed with energetic party starters, uplifting worship anthems, and guest turns from Israel Houghton, Kelly Price, Youthful Praise, and Canton Jones. If you missed the first part of the interview, “Coko Explains Why Fame And BlackBerrys Are Both Bad News,” you can catch up on it here.

Our chat continues below. Check out what she has to say about the entire album she lost when her record label closed down before it could ever be released to the public.

ELEV8: I have to ask you about my favorite song on the new album. What was it like recording “Rescue Me”?

Coko: “Rescue Me.” That song? It was great recording that song. It was funny. [When] I heard that song, I was standing outside a studio. Dave Caton played it and I went in there like, “please tell me that’s for me.” He was like, “Yeah! You can have it! Yeah!” I love that song as well. That’s a great song.

ELEV8: Most artists always record more songs than actually make the album. What songs or collaborations were supposed to be on The Winner In Me that just didn’t make it in time?

Coko: Oh, we didn’t do that this time. It wasn’t up to me. The label wanted me to record enough songs for the record. And that’s what we did. It just so happened that songs that we did record [were] really great songs. So we didn’t have any leftovers.

“#worstfeelingever working hard on music that goes unnoticed!”

– a recent tweet from @CokoClemons

ELEV8: Speaking of sophomore albums, in your last ELEV8 interview with Sheeri Mitchell, she said that RCA Black Music closed down just as your sophomore album was about to come out. There’s a sophomore album we didn’t know about?

Coko: Yeah! There’s a whole record! It was titled Music Doll that was comin’ out. Yes! And I have it!

ELEV8: Is there any chance that we’ll ever be able to buy it on iTunes?

Coko: Probably not.

ELEV8: Oh you’re kidding me. You gotta be kiddin’ me.

Coko: And I had a nice duet on there with Dave Hollister. It was hot. It was gonna be a really great record. But they closed and I didn’t want them to place me just anywhere, so I asked for a release.

ELEV8: So I’m listening to The Winner in Me right now, but what are you listening to on repeat these days?

Coko: I’m old school, so I’m listening to 80’s music, but one gospel song that I really like right now that I had to stop playing is Vanessa Bell’s new song “Good News.” Ohhhh I LOVE that song! And Sheri Moffett-Jones’ album is beautiful. Both stay on repeat in my car.

ELEV8: I be wearin’ songs out too. Makin’ the people around me mad playing “Rescue Me” over and over again.

Coko: (laughs)

Coko's gospel debut "Grateful" contains a cover of the Clark Sisters classic "Endow Me" featuring Fantasia, Faith Evans, and Lil' Mo.

ELEV8: By the way. I know you’re a fan. What was your favorite Clark Sisters album?

Coko: Oooooh. I was young, so I don’t remember the name of the album, but my favorite cut was “Endow Me” and I’ve always wanted to remake that song. I just needed the right people at the right time. And the timing was great for that.

ELEV8: As a gospel artist coming in the door with an army of people who already love your voice, has it still been hard to get audiences to fully embrace you?

Coko: I mean, it’s like some people do and some people don’t, but if I sit there and I worry about everybody that doesn’t wanna embrace me, I’ll go crazy. And I don’t have time for that. Either you like me or you don’t and that’s where it is!

ELEV8: Can’t disagree with that. The flipside though is I saw when you did the Sheryl Lee Ralph benefit Divas Simply Singing. And you smashed the medley of hymns. I’m like, “this girl’s performance is flawless!”

Coko: Awww!

ELEV8: But the audience was acting like they didn’t want to acknowledge it. I think it’s because you were singing gospel. [Secular artists on the bill got a much different response.] So how do you reach out to people that don’t like gospel, don’t like God, or only want to hear you sing R&B and can’t get used to anything else?

Coko: Well I think I did pretty good at Sheryl Lee’s thing, ‘cause when I finished, they were on their feet!

ELEV8: Finally!!

Coko: (laughs) Well I did somethin’ right and I guess if they was tryin’ to fight it, they couldn’t fight it anymore! With that kind of crowd, when they see me, they wanna hear “Weak” and things like that. ‘Cause I really wasn’t supposed to sing that song. I was supposed to sing “If Only You Knew,” but I didn’t know what Miss Patti LaBelle was singin’, so I didn’t wanna go there. [Patti LaBelle was headlining the Divas benefit that night.] I ended up doin’ the hymns song. I think it was better for me to do the hymn song ‘cause it really turned out good.

ELEV8: Hey, how did Patti’s standard end up in your show? You cover it with SWV and you did a great job on the Mo’Nique show recently.

Coko: Well, Patti LaBelle is somebody that I’ve grown up listening to and loving and just always wantin’ to be like her. You know.. hit those soprano notes! SWV has actually been singing that song for some years now. It’s just now starting to get out there. I do it with SWV, but I do it by myself as well.

ELEV8: Speaking of which, I know you guys are recording a new album. You talked about working with 9th Wonder. Is there a label and a release date yet?

Coko: No.

ELEV8: And now, when you tour with them, you don’t want to perform songs like “Downtown” and “Can We”. So when people ask you for an old version of Coko, is it weird?

Coko: I mean, you can ask!

ELEV8: (laughs)

Coko: …but it’s up to me. I don’t wanna do it? I’m not gonna do it! But we have a lot of other songs that they can get with and rock out to.

ELEV8: The Winner in Me just came out last year, but are you making plans for a new album yet? I almost can’t wait.

Coko: I really wanna get started on the new record. I have some ideas, my husband has some ideas, it’s just right now it’s so much goin’ on. You got the SWV stuff, but then on this side, I still have a lot of other things that I wanna do on this next gospel record, you know, comin’ up with some ideas and stuff. So, you know. I really wanna get started soon though.

ELEV8: Okay, then you’re forgiven for the whole iPhone thing. I can let that go now.

Coko: (laughs)

ELEV8: So with everything you’ve got going on now, how do you keep up with it all while taking care of your kids? It’s a lot for people who don’t have kids. How do you manage?

Coko: It’s a lot, but everybody knows my kids come first. Family comes first.

ELEV8: Do you have family support too?

Coko: Yeah, my mom is here, and she helps me out a lot. ‘Cause you know my husband plays for Israel & New Breed. He’s always on the go. I actually just dropped him off at the airport! So we’re always in and out. We make sure that the kids are straight before we do anything!

ELEV8: Well look. I think we’re out of time and James is probably givin’ me looks over there, but I’ll holler at him later.

Coko: (laughs)

ELEV8: It’s been really great talking to you. And I hope I catch you again.

Coko: Alright then, say hello and I’ll shout you out on Twitter!

So head on over to wherever you like to buy music and pick up a great album if you don’t have it already. And people, please stop bootleggin’, ‘cause it’s a recession for everybody and Coko needs to keep her job too.

You can purchase The Winner In Me online at iTunes, Amazon.com, and other digital retailers, as well as anywhere gospel music is sold. For more info, visit her official website www.cokosplace.com or follow @CokoClemons on Twitter.

Written by Mark Chappelle Coston for Elev8.com.
Add him on MySpace or follow @MarkChappelle on Twitter.

EXCLUSIVE: Coko Explains Why Fame And BlackBerrys Are Both Bad News

Jerry Smith — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:53 +0000

To a government official, she would be Mrs. Cheryl Clemons, but to anybody else, she’d really rather you just call her Coko.

Coko took a permanent place in the hearts and CD players of legions of R&B fans as lead singer of the 90′s female hip-hop soul trio SWV. Her street savvy style had many a young lady attempting (with varying degrees of success) to mimic her soprano prowess on genre-defining hits like “Weak” and “Right Here.”

Fast forward to the present day and Ms. Coko is now a wife, a mother, and a Grammy-nominated singer who last year released her second gospel album The Winner In Me. Recently filming a music video for the title track and latest single from the album, Coko took some time to chat with me on a Thursday afternoon.

ELEV8: First question… I heard you switched to the iPhone and were bashing BlackBerry. Please tell me that’s not true.

Coko: (laughs) Ahh… yes it IS true!

ELEV8: Why you gotta be like that?

Coko: ‘Cause Wackberry gets on my nerves!

ELEV8: You just called it a Wackberry. I don’t know if I can do this interview now. I need to talk to my manager.

Coko: (laughs) Sometimes it just freezes up on me. And I’ve had it for a while, but it always gives me problems! I haven’t had any real problems with my iPhone yet.

ELEV8: Okay, okay. That’s fair, but you know, once you go Black, you never go back.

Coko: Oh stop it! (laughs)

ELEV8: Hey, you tweet faithfully as @CokoClemons. Was it easier to tweet from iPhone or from BlackBerry?

Coko: iPhone.

ELEV8: Fine. I’ll get over it, take a minute, breathe… We’ll be good.

Coko: (laughs) Uh huh!

ELEV8: So I worked with my friend James Robinson for years. And now he’s the VP of A&R at Light Records. He told me he convinced you to start your career at Light. What did he say that sealed the deal?

Coko: A lot of times in the industry, you meet people that do a whole lot of talking and they’re not talking about nothing! I saw him one day and he was like, “If I ever get in that position to sign you, I will.” I really didn’t think much of it because I’ve had a lot of people that say they wanna do stuff and then they never do it.

ELEV8: I’m sure of it.

Coko: I got a call saying, “James Robinson is lookin’ for you.” I was like, “For me?!” So I got in touch with him and he said, “I wanna sign you.” I was like “Whaaaaaat? Wow!”

ELEV8: How you gon’ say it like you’re surprised though?

Coko: I was surprised! People say that they wanna do things and then opportunity opens for them and they just forget about everybody. But he didn’t forget. He really came back and he just was like, “When we gon’ do it?” I was like, “okay, cool!” You know what I mean? He was a man of his word and I really appreciate that in this day and time. A lot of people are not like that. So I’m always grateful to him.

ELEV8: I might be brand new, but why weren’t gospel and secular labels bangin’ down your door like, “Okay, Coko is not attached? Somebody get her. Put some headphones on her. Quick!!”

Coko: I don’t know! (laughs) But I think things happen for a reason. I wasn’t supposed to be with nobody else. I look at it like I was supposed to be at Light.

ELEV8: Weren’t both of you guys in Hezekiah Walker’s choir?

Coko: Who? Me and James?

ELEV8: Yeah. James probably gon’ cut me, but I know he used to sing. Tell the truth and shame the devil.

Coko: No. I did. I don’t think James was in Love Fellowship. I think he was in Restoration Choir. James was singin’ somewhere!

(James Robinson breaks in on the interview)

James: I WAS IN TRI-BROTHER MASS CHOIR! THAT’S WHERE I WAS AT!!

Coko: (in the background laughing)

ELEV8: (laughs) What’s up, kid!

James: Hey Mark! Won’t you interview Coko and stop [name] droppin’, hear? It ain’t even about James! It’s about COKO!

ELEV8: (laughing)

James: I’m only playin’! A’ight, man. So you talk to Coko. I’ll holler at you!

Coko: (in the background still laughing)

ELEV8: I love that dude! I really do! (laughs) So I gotta talk about the album, which is easy. You hit #4 first week on the Billboard charts. You gotta be happy about that.

Coko: I’m excited about everything good that happens with this record!

ELEV8: The sound changed on this one from Grateful. It brought in some pop and rock elements. What inspired you for this new evolution?

Coko: I just like to be different. I don’t always wanna do what everybody else is doin’. I march to my own beat. Sometimes that gets me in trouble! I’m happy that Light just allowed me to be myself and to do what it was that I wanted to do, and it worked!

ELEV8: You went with a ballad for your new single and video “The Winner in Me.” It’s a beautiful clip. But who’s the pretty little girl who gets the autograph at the end?

Coko: Everybody asks me that! I don’t know her!

ELEV8: What?! You’re supposed to lie and say it’s your baby cousin or your niece or something.

Coko: (laughs) No, you won’t get no lies here! I don’t know her. She was a little girl that, I guess they hired in Chicago. She was very pretty. She was soooo sweet!

ELEV8: The video sort of portrays an unhappy side to fame. Watching American Idol, it seems everybody’s competing to get what you already have. So how much of a downside could there possibly be to having thousands of people love you and think you’re the absolute best?

Coko: I mean, that’s great to have people lovin’ you, but then there’s a flipside. You have people always in your business. Your privacy is gone. You never know who is being your friend for you. It’s always some kind of ulterior motive for why somebody wants to be cool with you, and a lot of other things that you have to worry about. You have to worry about topping the next record and just stayin’ on point. So, you know, while it’s always good to have all the fans lovin’ you, there’s still a flipside with a whole lot of negative to it.

ELEV8: So now that you have this status, how do you pick your friends?

Coko: I don’t have a lot of friends!

ELEV8: Awww, but that’s no way to be.

Coko: It’s a GREAT way to be! That way I keep people out my business! The people I do have as friends, they’re not in the industry. They’re people that I’ve had in my life for years. And honestly, I talk to a lot of people, but I keep a lot of people at a distance as well.

ELEV8: The title song “The Winner In Me” seems autobiographical. Was it written specifically for you?

Coko: Actually, “The Winner In Me” was not written for me. My pastor actually wrote that song for his wife. We were having a function and he had my mother singing it. She was in the house rehearsing and I heard it. I was like “That’s my song! I need that song!” I asked him about it and he said “Of course!” But it wasn’t written specifically for me.

ELEV8: Well, you sing it like it was.

Coko: Yeah, I felt that thing!

ELEV8: Wait. What about the lyric “the pleasing of my fans and friends still had demands on me”?

Coko: Okay, I did change that. Yeah!

ELEV8: But you sold it. I’m tellin’ you.

Coko: Thank you!

Stay tuned… there’s a part two to this interview where Coko gives some more behind-the-scenes insight on her latest album The Winner In Me. Plus, Coko tells the story behind the R&B album that almost was but never got a chance to be.

You can purchase The Winner In Me online at iTunes, Amazon.com, and other digital retailers, as well as anywhere gospel music is sold. For more info, visit her official website www.cokosplace.com or follow @CokoClemons on Twitter.

Written by Mark Chappelle Coston for Elev8.com.
Add him on MySpace or follow @MarkChappelle on Twitter.

The interview continues here:

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — Part Two:
Coko Talks Lost Music And Recording Her New Album