Coco O.
Cecilie Maja Hastrup Karshø,[2] known professionally as Coco O., is a Danish musician best known as the singer in electronic soul duo Quadron. She released her debut album It's a Process in 2021.[3]
Coco O. | |
|---|---|
Coco O. performing with Quadron in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cecilie Maja Hastrup Karshø |
| Born | 1987/1988 (age 34–35)[1] Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Genres | Soul, electronic, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2009–present |
Early life
Cecilie Maja Hastrup Karshø was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] Her father is biracial of Tanzanian descent.[4]
Karshø began singing in kindergarten and aspired to sing professionally from childhood.[5][1] She first realized that her voice was received positively by others during a secondary school performance of a Bill Withers song.[4] She names Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill as early inspirations. Karshø's grandfather was a jazz musician.[1]
Career
Quadron
Performing under the name Coco O., she formed the duo Quadron with Robin Hannibal of Rhye in 2009.[6] The word Quadron comes from archaic Danish "kvadron", a term used to signify persons of "quarter" race, and refers to the fact that both musicians have a biracial parent.[7][6] Coco O. was the duo's singer and moved to Los Angeles after the release of their debut album.[8] Her voice was referred to by Pitchfork as "sweetly soulful."[9]
Solo work
Jay-Z selected Coco O. to contribute the song "Where the Wind Blows" to the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.[6] She has also worked with Pharrell Williams and provided featured vocals for Tyler, the Creator, Vulfpeck and Joey Dosik.[3][10][11]
In 2015 she released her first solo single, "Hardest Thing."[9] Coco O. moved back to Denmark in 2018 and released her debut solo project Dolceacqua on May 25, 2018.[12] The two-song EP has a bossa nova sound.[13] The album was written for an ex-boyfriend and named after the small Italian village where they fell in love.[1] ColorsxStudios described it as "featuring mellow, acoustic guitar accompanied by rich, cinematic strings" and noted the sound is a departure from her previous work with Quadron.[14]
On April 30, 2021, she released her first solo album It's a Process.[15] Zo of Okayplayer heralded the album as "a stunningly intimate showcase of the singer’s voice across a range of compositions pulling from all eras of r&b and soul."[16]
Other ventures
Coco O. appeared as a contestant on dancing competition TV series Vild med dans in 2019. She and her partner Morten Kjeldgaard finished in second place.[17]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| DEN [18] | ||
| It's a Process |
| 27 |
EPs
| Title | Album details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Dolceaqua |
| |
| Eternal, Pt. I |
|
with Quadron
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN [20] | US [21] | |||
| Quadron |
| 31 | — | |
| Avalanche |
| 3 | 115 | |
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | ||||
Other appearances
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Løb Stop Stå" (Boom Clap Bachelors feat. Coco O.) | 2011 | Mellem Dine Læber |
| "Hey There Lonely Boy" (The Decoders feat. Coco O.) | Non-album single | |
| "Visions" (The Internet (band) feat. Coco O.) | Purple Naked Ladies | |
| "Ode to a Dream" (The Internet feat. Kilo Kish and Coco O.) | ||
| "Skykvinden" (Grønflammeskoven feat. Coco O.) | Grønflammeskoven (Lyfbilledbog Soundtrack) | |
| "Hos Mig Igen" (When Saints Go Machine feat. Coco O.) | 2012 | Non-album single |
| "Where the Wind Blows" | 2013 | The Great Gatsby: Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film |
| "Treehome95" (Tyler the Creator feat. Coco O. and Erykah Badu) | Wolf | |
| "Through the Night" (Cedric Gervais feat. Coco O.) | 2014 | Non-album single |
| "Looking for Lovin'" (Dragonborn feat. Coco O.) | Part Of Something Bigger | |
| "Keep Da O's" (Tyler the Creator feat. Pharrell Williams and Coco O.) | 2015 | Cherry Bomb |
| "Afterglow" (Mads Langer feat. Coco O.) | 2016 | Reckless Twin |
| "Credo, Pt. II" (August Rosenbaum feat. Coco O.) | 2017 | Non-album single |
| "Credo, Pt. II" (Live) (August Rosenbaum feat. Coco O.) | ||
| "Business Casual" (Vulfpeck feat. Coco O.) | Mr Finish Line | |
| "Kerosene" (Phlake feat. Coco O.) | Weird Invitations | |
| "Slow Afternoon" (The Late Great Fitzcarraldos feat. Coco O.) | You | |
| "Don't Want It to Be Over" (Joey Dosik feat. Coco O.) | 2018 | Inside Voice |
| "Red Dragon" (CTM feat. Coco O.) | Red Dragon | |
| "Home" (Dragonborn feat. Coco O.) | Ride Upon the Storm |
References
- ^ a b c d e Stinn Kaasgard, Af (2013-08-28). "Mød Coco O: Danmarks nye superdiva". Alt. (in Danish). from the original on 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ Inger Christine, Løwe (2018-11-27). "Coco O. optræder med spritny musik på bland-selv-festival i København". Politiken (in Danish). from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ a b Fokus, Ritzau (2018-05-25). "Coco O. efter Quadron: Der opstod en lille identitetskrise". Kendte.dk. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "COCO O. ON KEEPING THE MUSIC FLOWING THROUGH THE GOOD AND THE BAD". LADYGUNN. 2018-07-27. from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ Kuypers, Melissa (8 July 2013). "Coco O. Hearts NPR". NPR. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ a b c Yi, David (2013-05-10). "Listen Up: Quadron's Coco O Performs a Live Acoustic Version of "Hey Love"". ELLE. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ "Kvadron". Ordbog over det danske sprog. Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "The Okayplayer Interview: Robin Hannibal + Coco O. Are Quadron". Okayplayer. 2013-05-07. from the original on 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ a b Torres, Eric (2015-09-18). "Coco O. Hardest Thing". Pitchfork. from the original on 2015-09-20.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher. "Joey Dosik Shares Delightfully Retro Video for New Song "Don't Want It To Be Over"". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ McElhone, Grace (2017-11-27). "Funk Me Up Vulfpeck, FUNK ME UP". widrfm. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ Danborg-Aamand, Nanna (2018-06-03). "Coco O: "Lige pludselig kommer det, når man bare lever"". ELLE (in Danish). from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ "Coco O. Derives Art From Heartbreak On 'Dolceaqua' | SoulBounce | SoulBounce". www.soulbounce.com. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
- ^ Shah, Deep (2018-08-23). "Coco O. - Dolceaqua". COLORSXSTUDIOS. from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ^ "'It's a Process': Coco O.'s solodebut er et breakup-album til den kapitalistiske musikindustri".
- ^ Zo (2021-05-01). "Quadron's Coco O. Releases Debut Solo Album 'It's A Process'". Okayplayer. from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
- ^ "Coco O. efter Vild med dans: Troede det var mere farligt at være på tv". www.bt.dk (in Danish). 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 18, 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ "Coco O. – It's A Process". Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "danishcharts.dk Quadron discography page". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
- ^ "Quadron". Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Quadron – Avalanche". Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "CERTIFICERINGER" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "Quadron – Quadron". Retrieved May 1, 2021.
External links
- Official Instagram
- Coco O. on Discogs