Country singer Cooper Alan has independently built a fanbase of over 8.5 million followers and has earned over 80 million streams on his music. How you ask? TikTok, the video-focused social networking app. Alan says, "It's wild. I'd been writing songs and developing my sound for a while. Then the pandemic hit and it gave me the opportunity to get on social media since there was really nothing to do! My girlfriend told me to get on TikTok, but I thought it was just kids dancing. But then things just started to work. I got more followers in a day from a viral video than I have from anything else. And it gives me the opportunity for a direct connection to fans."
He explains, "The way it works for me is to drop singles. This year I will drop an album's worth of songs, but I do it one at a time with two-weeks to a month in between. I let each song breathe. It's the nature of my platform. I like to get the fans super involved in every single song. I ask if they like a song. If they say yes, I put it out. If they say no, we'll throw it away for a little while."
Well, it's working. Alan adds that he writes stuff that's real. "It has to speak to me. I like not taking myself too seriously and having fun with it," which is definitely a big part of his appeal.
Originally from Winston-Salem, NC and now residing in Nashville, Alan loves to spend time in Franklin. He says he and his girlfriend, who most of his songs are about, are "suckers for Franklin."
Copper is on tour all year. TikTok: cooperalan1