Singled Out: Vikki Minor's COOL

Award winning Canadian music star Vikki Minor just released her new nostalgic single and video "COOL", and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

The new crush anthem! "COOL" is a 90s-referencing, unabashedly fun-loving, rad track listing all of the cool things about a person I'm crushing on from afar. I wrote the chorus first and fell in love with the hook, then wrote the verses listing the coolest things about a person I could think of and got a bit cheeky in the bridge about how this crush may not last forever, but it's "worth a shot!" L.A.-based producer Zack Burke emailed me last summer saying how much he loved my song "Miss You the Most" and that he wanted to collaborate. I dug his vibe immediately and knew it would be fun making this track with him. I wanted to emulate 90s alternative like Elastica and New Republic, and also bring in classic pop-punk/pop-rock music I grew up with. Songs like "Connection" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous" have this charisma that I just adore, so I hoped to embody the same feeling with "COOL".

We worked remotely together a few times on zoom and went through the song, going through each section's build up and resolve, then recorded separately. I recorded all of my vocals at home in my mom's bedroom. Most of my songs have been recorded this way since my other producer, Ryan Stewart, is Vancouver-based and I have my own recording equipment. Also due to my earlier releases being during the pandemic, I became used to this method and late to the party when it came to playing live. Since playing more live shows, festivals, and showcases, I've been able to hone my rock sound in front of numerous audiences and realised how much I love jumping on amps and belting out bridges. I took that fun-loving, edgy aspect of myself in a live setting and brought it to the recording booth, which is also derived from my 90s band influences. This song was a perfect intro to my live approach, both vocally and aesthetically.

When it came to mixing and mastering the song, I was fortunate enough to have Dean Maher, a pupil of THE Garth Richardson, help me find the sound the song needed. There's a line in the song about my crush having "every R.E.M. album on vinyl", and while Dean and I were chatting on the phone, he asked me, "Did you know that I've mixed for R.E.M. a bunch?" Ummmm NO!!! What a crazy coincidence! "COOL" became the short, sweet, rockin' song I'd wanted it to be since I wrote it.

I partnered with Saskatoon's own RAKK Productions for the music video, wanting to create a nostalgic '00s music video that played on the silly aspects already in the song. We filmed it in a weekend at various Saskatoon locations with a small but amazing team. The tongue-and-cheek aspects of the song came through with the music video Ryley (filmographer) and I co-directed. Depicting a comedic love story in various retro spots in my home city, and a skatepark backdrop where I'm jamming with my band and some sk8ers, the late 90s vibes were set!
I was once told that I'm what you'd get "if 90s pop culture had a kid" and I think "COOL" shows that off in the best way.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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