Corinne Savage (born January 24, 1995),[6] known professionally as Corook, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville, Tennessee.[7]

Corook
Birth nameCorinne Savage
Born (1995-01-24) January 24, 1995 (age 29)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
OriginNashville, Tennessee
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Years active2021–present
LabelsAtlantic
PartnerOlivia Barton (2018–present)
Websitecorook.com
TikTok information
Page
Followers920.6K
Likes16.4M

Last updated: Aug 6, 2023

Active since 2021, their debut EP, achoo!, was released on April 1, 2022, via Atlantic Records, and they have toured with K. Flay, JP Saxe, and Jukebox the Ghost. Corook is also active on TikTok, having gone viral with the songs "It's OK!" in 2022,[8][9][10] and "If I Were a Fish" in 2023.[11]

Early life

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Corook grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[12] Their musical interests began in middle school, when their mother overheard them singing Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" and encouraged them to audition for the school talent show.[13] Corook attended Berklee College of Music, where they studied songwriting and contemporary writing and production, and played in the alt-pop band, luhx.[14][15] They graduated in 2017 with a dual degree.[16][17] Their parents are divorced.[18]

Career

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Corook's stage name came from their girlfriend, fellow musician Olivia Barton, who had jokingly nicknamed them "Corook Skoovage".[18] Their first tour as Corook was in early 2022, supporting K.Flay, followed by touring with JP Saxe.[19][20][21] On April 1, 2022, Corook released their debut EP, achoo! through Atlantic Records, which they produced largely by themself.[22][23][4] In June 2022, Corook performed at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the same year they released their first single.[24][4] Later in the year, they opened for X Ambassadors' "A Night Benefitting Reproductive Rights" at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, toured with Jukebox the Ghost, and performed at Mexico City's Corona Capital festival.[25][26] They appeared at South by Southwest in 2022 and 2023[27][28] and were announced to play at the 2023 Nashville Pride in June.[29]

"If I Were a Fish"

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In April 2023, Corook posted a TikTok video of them and Barton performing a song titled "If I Were a Fish".[30] The video subsequently went viral on the platform, receiving reaching 1 million views in two hours[11] and 16 million by the following month.[31] Various users made duet videos adding harmonies, dancing, and additional instruments to the song;[32] among these were musician Chloe Moriondo, Broadway star Kevin Chamberlin, and the Texas Girls' Choir, all of whom posted cover versions.[33][34] Illustrator and Robby Novak collaborator Brad Montague created a hand-illustrated mini music video for the song,[35] and Hank Green, Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Dodie, and Tori Kelly were among those who praised it on social media.[11][35]

Corook and Barton released a full version of the song on April 21 via Atlantic.[32][36] The following week, Corook held an impromptu singalong of the song at Washington Square Park; while they expected a small turnout, an estimated 300 people attended the performance.[37][38] Upon release, the song became a BBC Radio 1 Top Pop Pick[11] and was chosen as a Staff Pick by Allie Gregory of Exclaim!, who wrote "While its initial 50-second clip bordered on too-cute, the subsequently released full recording adds depth in its ensuing verses, switching up its imagery to skipping rocks that are the "perfect shape" and coupled-up socks, spreading a subtle message of queer love and acceptance."[39] The song also marked both Corook and Barton's debut on the Billboard charts, premiering at No. 16 on Hot Alternative Songs, No. 19 on Hot Rock Songs, No. 22 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, No. 6 on Alternative Digital Song Sales, No.7 on Rock Digital Song Sales, and No. 36 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales, and reaching 1.9 million official US streams and 3,000 downloads in the April 21–27 tracking week according to Luminate.[36] Additionally, Corook themself debuted at No. 46 on the Billboard Twitter Real-Time Emerging Artists chart.[36]

A second EP, Serious Person (Part 1), which featured "If I Were a Fish", was released by Atlantic on June 2, 2023.

Artistry

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Corook's music has been primarily identified as alternative pop,[40] as well as indie pop[3][4][11] and pop rock,[5] and has drawn comparisons to the songwriting of Phoebe Bridgers and Stephen Sondheim.[41][22] Their lyrics have been described as a "mix of lighthearted and humorous while being simultaneously devastating".[3] Their single "CGI" employed elements of funk.[42][43] Corook has self-described their sound as "2000's Gwen Stefani does acid and decides to write a Broadway musical about the Beatles starring Timbaland",[18] and has cited Drake, Stefani, Linkin Park, Robert Glasper, Tierra Whack, Anderson .Paak, Muna, Robyn, and Mac Miller as influences.[44][45] They are a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, and synthesizer.[22]

Personal life

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Corook and fellow musician Olivia Barton have been in a relationship since 2018; they met at Berklee College after Corook heard Barton performing with the school's a cappella group.[46][40] They adopted a dog, Cubby, in 2021.[6]

Corook was raised in the Catholic Church, and has said of their upbringing, "There's a lot of religious trauma" and "There’s a lot of stuff that I had to deal with, especially coming out and even getting into my adulthood and looking back and in everyday life, realizing all of the beliefs that I still have as somebody that grew up Catholic. And then I will judge myself, or other people, and be like, 'I don’t actually even believe this. Why is this still with me?'".[45]

Corook identifies as queer and non-binary.[37][31] In a February 2023 video posted to Instagram, they publicly discussed using they/them pronouns, having begun doing so on a recent tour, and described themself as "in the middle" of exploring their gender identity.[47] They told ABC News in May 2023, "I just write about my experience as a queer, non-binary, twenty-something year old trying to stay positive in this really really scary, difficult world."[31]

They have struggled with anxiety since childhood, and have often used music and humor to manage their mental health and cope with difficult family moments.[23][44][24]

Discography

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Extended plays

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Extended play, with selected details
Title EP details
Achoo!
Serious Person (Part 1)

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US
Digital
US
Hot Alt.
US Hot Rock US Hot Rock
& Alt.
2021 "Sims"[49]
Achoo!
2022 "Bad Friend"[50]
"Degree"[51]
"IDK God"[52]
"BDSM"[25]
non-album singles
"It's OK!"[53]
"Hell Yeah"[54]
"Your Mom"[55]
"Smoothie"[56]
"Realistic"[18]
"Stacy's Mom" (Fountains of Wayne cover)[57]
2023 "The Dog"[6]
"I'm Not Doing Well"[58]
Serious Person (Part 1)
"CGI"[46]
"If I Were a Fish" (featuring Olivia Barton)[32]
36
16
19
22
"Serious Person"

Music videos

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List of music videos
Year Title Director
2021 "Sims" Luke Harvey
2022 "Bad Friend"
"Degree"
"Hell Yeah" Corook
"It's OK!" Luke Harvey
"Your Mom"
"Realistic" Jacob Cummings
2023 "The Dog" Luke Harvey
"If I Were a Fish"

References

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  1. ^ Ragusa, Paolo (December 9, 2022). "Song of the Week: SZA Goes Grunge on "F2F"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Corook Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Gardner, Andrew (April 2, 2022). "Glasse Factory - corook Releases Debut EP, "achoo!"". Glasse Factory. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Obenschain, Philip (May 4, 2022). "Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: corook". No Country For New Nashville. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Daw, Stephen (October 28, 2022). "First Out: New Music From Dove Cameron, Cat Burns, Cakes Da Killa & More". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Vigil, Dom (January 24, 2023). "corook Shares Bittersweet New Single, "the dog"". Prelude Press. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Staff (November 8, 2021). "Check Out New Queer Nashville-Based Alt-Pop Artist, Corook". OutVoices. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Alper, Eric (November 30, 2022). "corook Is Being "realistic"". That Eric Alper. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Nordhof, Erin (October 2, 2022). "corook's Music Video For "it's ok!" Perfectly Captures The Song's Message of Balance and Self-Care". Glasse Factory. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  10. ^ May, Emily (July 27, 2022). "Comedic alt-pop artist corook reminds us "it's ok!", creates adult lullaby for when life is just too much; Supporting X Ambassadors for "a night benefiting reproductive rights" at The Troubadour on 8.22 ; Debut achoo! EP out now". Stitched Sound. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e Jones, CT (April 21, 2023). "They Wrote a Song to Help Them Stop Crying. Now All of TikTok Is Singing Along". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  12. ^ Philips, Lilah (April 1, 2022). "Q&A: Degrees, College Debt & Friendships on Corook's Debut EP 'achoo!'". The Luna Collective. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "Play With Pride | corook, Girlpool & Hurray for the Riff Raff". Guitar Center. June 20, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "Corinne Savage of Pittsburgh to Perform at Osheaga Festival". Pittsburgh, PA Patch. August 2, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  15. ^ "Corinne Savage". July 25, 2019.
  16. ^ Annear, Steve (April 27, 2023). "'If I were a fish': These two Berklee College grads wrote the hit song that's taken over social media - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Parys, Bryan (April 28, 2023). "Viral TikTok Song 'If I Were a Fish' Is a Joyous Call for Acceptance". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d Irvin, Jack (December 6, 2022). "Rising Pop Singer Corook Questions the Existence of 'True Love' on New Single 'Realistic'". People. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  19. ^ Kizer, Felton (April 20, 2022). "A Moment with corook". Off-Kilter. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  20. ^ Cornell, Scott Allen (February 26, 2022). "Spill Live Review: K.Flay, Upsahl & Corook @ First Avenue, Minneapolis (MN)". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  21. ^ Fanelli, Laurie (February 27, 2022). "Photos: K.Flay, UPSAHL, corook Rock a Packed Park West in Chicago". Rebellious Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Edwards, Jordan (April 4, 2022). "Get to Know corook". Popdust. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  23. ^ a b White, Caitlin (February 11, 2022). "These Queer Female Songwriters Are Reshaping Pop In Their Image". Uproxx. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Lecca, Sacha (June 17, 2022). "Bonnaroo 2022: See Photos of Jack Antonoff's All-Star SuperJam, Flume and More". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Lopez, Rich (July 9, 2022). "Queer Music News: New music and concert dates by Killboy and Corook". Dallas Voice. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  26. ^ Vigil, Dom (October 6, 2022). "corook Shares Video for New Single, "your mom"". Prelude Press. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Pearis, Bill (October 20, 2021). "SXSW 2022 initial artist lineup announced". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  28. ^ Pearis, Bill (December 7, 2022). "SXSW adds 301 artists to 2023 lineup (The Zombies, OSEES, Be Your Own Pet, more)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  29. ^ Vigil, Dom (April 21, 2023). "corook Shares New Track, "if i were a fish" Featuring Olivia Barton". Prelude Press. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  30. ^ Social Awareness with Brad: 'If I Were a Fish' song going viral on TikTok, retrieved May 8, 2023
  31. ^ a b c Ganss, Will (May 4, 2023). "Musicians Corook and Olivia Barton on their self-acceptance anthem". ABC News (video). Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c Clarendon, Dan (April 14, 2023). "This "If I Were a Fish" Song Is an Argument Not to Ban TikTok". Distractify. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  33. ^ Munro, Daniel (April 14, 2023). "TikTok's latest hit 'If I Were A Fish' is the cutest trend to hit the app this year". HITC. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  34. ^ Giandurco, Jillian (May 1, 2023). "This Wholesome Song About Being A Fish Is Taking Over TikTok". Bustle. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Viral 'If I Were A Fish' is TikTok's New Mental Health Anthem". Good Good Good. April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  36. ^ a b c Zellner, Xander (May 3, 2023). "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: Corook, Olivia Barton, Chinchilla, Jasiel Nunez & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  37. ^ a b Kircher, Madison Malone (April 28, 2023). "Farewell to Twitter's 'Stinking Badge'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  38. ^ "Feel-good TikTok song goes viral". BBC News. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  39. ^ Gregory, Allie (May 5, 2023). "Exclaim!'s Staff Picks: corook and Olivia Barton's "if i were a fish" Finds Depth in the Twee". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  40. ^ a b c Rude, Mey (September 27, 2022). "7 Queer Artists for Your Fall Playlist". The Advocate. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  41. ^ D'Souza, Shaad (January 27, 2023). "Sound Off: 10 New Songs You Need to Hear Now". Paper.
  42. ^ Daw, Stephen (April 7, 2023). "Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Ashnikko, Yaeji, Cub Sport & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  43. ^ Lipshutz, Jason; Bowenbank, Starr (April 10, 2023). "10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through the Week: Ellie Goulding, NewJeans, JP Saxe & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  44. ^ a b Staff (November 28, 2022). "Artist Corook Gets Candid on Healing Mental Health Through Music". Out. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  45. ^ a b Wilkins, Jason Moon (June 30, 2022). "Record of the Week: Corook's 'Ahchoo! EP'". WNXP. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  46. ^ a b Teitz, Alex (April 4, 2023). "Corook – CGI". FEMMUSIC.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  47. ^ Corook [@hicorook] (February 18, 2023). "orook is in the middle of a they/them journey! thx for being here 🤓" – via Instagram.
  48. ^ Barglowski, Becca (April 13, 2022). "Corook's "Achoo" Will Make You Laugh, Cry, and Curse Your Student Loans". Into. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  49. ^ PlNKWIFI (November 5, 2021). "corook's debut single "sims" will leave you shook! - PlNKWIFI". Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  50. ^ Moseley, Rebekah (January 14, 2022). "Glasse Factory - Cutie Pie corook Releases Thoughtful Single "bad friend"". Glasse Factory. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  51. ^ PlNKWIFI (February 14, 2022). "pause the adulting and play corook's new single "degree"! - PlNKWIFI". Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  52. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 11, 2022). "First Out: New Music From Chloe Moriondo, Corook, Awfultune & More". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  53. ^ Daw, Stephen (July 22, 2022). "First Out: New Music From Fletcher, Doechii, Lucy Dacus & More". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  54. ^ Romeo, ToniAnn (September 24, 2022). "Time for Self-Love with corook's single 'hell yeah". Glasse Factory. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  55. ^ Ermac, Raffy (October 5, 2022). "Watch a Queer Coming-of-Age Love Story Unfold in Corook's 'Your Mom'". Out. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  56. ^ Davenport, Wes (October 31, 2022). "The Wldlfe, corook, Namir Blade, Brian Brown, Tim Gent, Virghost, Elke, The Sewing Club & More On This Week's Playlis". No Country For New Nashville. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  57. ^ Vigil, Dom (December 7, 2022). "corook Covers "Stacy's Mom" & Shares Video for "realistic"". Prelude Press. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  58. ^ Pagani, Ben (March 10, 2023). "New Music Friday: March 10, 2023". Beyond The Stage. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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