With Release of 'Shot In the Dark' Critics & Fans Agree Cooke Is Next Woman to Watch in Country Music

Jeff Walker, Entertainment Writer

Country music fans and Nashville insiders agree, Ashley Cooke is one of Music City's most promising rising talents. Although she's been using social media and online formats to advance her career since 2020, her first full scale album 'Shot In the Dark' was just released this past summer and was met with favorable reviews. 

26 years old Cooke has been charting her own path since graduating from Belmont University in 2019 where she studied communications and marketing, using YouTube, Spotify, and TikTok to build her fanbase. Just as she was about to embark on a career using her degree, Cooke entered the school's annual Country Showcase on a whim.

Singing two original numbers and one cover Cooke walked away the overall winner and began to rethink her calling. "I was actually interviewing for a marketing position when this new career path presented itself." Past winners of the showcase include Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line) and Brad Paisley.

Cooke adds she felt heavenly inspiration. "My senior year at Belmont was a pivotal year for me. I kept telling myself 'what do I want to do'. And then the showcase happens and I won. Of course Belmont is a Christian college so I feel like it's been divine intervention. My family is very Christian, and my faith is very important to me, so I sense God has had a hand in shaping my career."

Much like one of her earlier influences Taylor Swift, Cooke said the passion began at an early age. "I've always loved music. I started writing poetry and lyrics around 11 years old." However, Cooke's love of music wasn't necessarily genetic. "I love my parents, but neither could carry a tune. They didn't really listen to music much. They had a few favorites songs, but I guess they had other things that kept their interest."

Cooke goes on to say that she and her sister who are just 18 months apart naturally gravitated to country music. "That's when Taylor (Swift) was beginning to dominate radio. Of course at the same time I was drawn to groups like Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line. It was just something in the songs or the melodies."

Having written dozens of songs over the past several years, Cooke wants to pass the same sentiment to her followers as she did when she first started listening to her early influencers. "Growing up listening to Taylor and Rascal Flatts, I felt a connection to the songs. They became a soundtrack to my life, and now I hope and pray my music will become a soundtrack to someone's life."

Kickstarting a new and uncertain musical career during the pandemic had its challenges. Cooke utilized social media to promote herself. Building a strong base in the digital and viral community caught the attention of Nashville. Since 2022 Cooke admits it's been somewhat of a whirlwind. "It's been really really cool. More so, it's kind of taken me by surprise."

She's been able to open for Brett Young, Jordan Davis, and Cole Swindell which has helped introduce Cooke to unfamiliar fans. Since her debut album 'Shot In the Dark' was released in July Cooke has managed to perform solo dates as well, selling out 500 to 900 seat auditoriums in Chicago, New York, and Nashville. "Doing my own headlining tour is crazy. It's fun and exciting, and definitely fast paced. I'm learning something new everyday."

A couple of Music City venues have been both daunting and challenging for Cooke. "I've performed on the Bridgestone Arena now, and I can recall not long ago when I was out in the audience dreaming what it would be like to be on that stage."

The second venue is not only a national treasure but a country music right of passage. "I've performed a couple of times at the Grand Ole Opry. It was thrilling and nerve racking all at the same time. When you're in that circle you feel the weight of all the iconic artists that have come before you. It's a little terrifying, especially the first time, but hopefully as a performer you stay in the moment."

As a new artist and an opening act Cooke often gets roughly 30 minutes to play. Doing intimate shows allows her to perform closer to 90 minutes, allowing Cooke to showcase more of her catalog. "I love to perform live, and I've grown comfortable on stage."

While 'Shot In the Dark' is her official first record label (Big Loud) release, Cooke has been uploading singles since 2021. Songs such as 'Sunday Morning Kinda Saturday Night' became an instant chart topper on iTunes Country and was added to SiriusXM's Highways on the Horizon program.

Follow up releases 'Never til Now' (duet with Brett Young) and 'Between You and Me' further garnered continued success with the latter earning 25 million streams on Spotify. Those and six other tracks can be found on her 2021 Spotify album 'Already Drank That Beer'. 

However, 'Shot In the Dark' has really broadened her appeal to traditional radio. The 24 songs included on the album might just be a record for tracks on an official label release. To some that might seem like a huge undertaking, but to Cooke it was just part of the process. "It was and it wasn't."

She explains, "Songwriting is my core. That's the one area of my life where I get to pour my heart out. Honestly we had written close to 70 songs, and when we got down to 24 I said there's no song I want to sacrifice for the album, so we recorded them all."

20 of the 24 tracks she wrote and or co-wrote. "That's where my strengths lie. I've been writing since I was 11. I tend to write from an acoustic level and build out the song from there. I have to admit, I'm a lyric freak." '

Shot In The Dark' includes a handful of previous released tracks such as 'It’s been a Year', 'Tastes Like', as well as several new songs including 'Moving on with Grace', and 'Good Thing Going'. She's tapped a few established country stars for duets, including Colbie Caillat on 'Mean Girl', 'What Are You on Fire About' with Jackson Dean, adding 'Never til Now' her hit single with Brett Young.

Cooke has easily solidified her position in country music. Spotify named her 'Hot Country Artist to Watch' in 2022. Her debut release has been well received. Earlier this year she took part in the annual Country to Country (C2C) music festival in Europe, and has a 2024 UK tour planned. Earlier this year CMT (Country Music Television named her 'Next Woman of Country'.  "I'm honored. I believe women have become bad asses in country music and we deserve all the attention we're getting. 

However, in the here and now Cooke continues to forge her career and gain new fans as part of Luke Bryan's Country On Tour. The 36 city tour kicked off in June and brings the Five-time entertainer of the Year to Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island Saturday October 28th. Cooke, as well as American Idol season 19 winner Chayce Beckham, Hailey Whitters & DJ Rock are listed as special guests.

Opening for Bryan comes with a bit of deja-vu. "I can remember back in high school in southern Florida going with a friend to see Luke and Jason Aldean in concert. I said to myself, whatever he's doing I want to do."

Fast forward a decade and she's living her dream out. "Luke is a lot of fun. I've opened for a lot of great artists, but Luke is so chill. He's definitely a 'go with the flow' kind of guy. He pulls me up on stage and sometimes we'll do 'Levitating' by Dua Lipa or '9 to 5' by Dolly Parton. I love those moments on stage with him and the fans go wild."

For more on Ashley Cooke and her music visit her website at https://ashleycooke.com/ and for Luke Bryan's Daniel Island concert at Credit One Stadium check out https://creditonestadium.com/event/luke-bryan-country-on-tour-2023-with-special-guests-chayce-beckham-ashley-cooke-hailey-whitters-dj-rock/