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Photo: Harv Pearson

Like the upcoming solar eclipse, Cordelia blotted out the internet with her smash single “Little Life,” a virtuoso confessional of a song, that swept TikTok by storm and became a sensation overnight. With a soft cooing delivery that feels immensely conversational in the beginning, building into a harmonized chorus that carries a positivity that is ever so relatable, it's not too difficult to see why the track found a foothold online. Imminent eclipse or not, we wanted to shed more light on this mysterious talent, so we reached out to deep dive into who this emerging talent really is. 

Ones To Watch: Who is Cordelia?  

Cordelia: I’m a singer-songwriter from a town called Stroud in the South-West of England, now based in South-East London. I play the electric guitar and sing and have been doing so since I was in my mid-teens, before going to study English Literature and Music at the University of Sheffield. I was working as a composer and songwriter in theatre for a while after Uni, but began properly focusing on my own music after the COVID years, and released my debut EP Caramel last year. And now here we are. 

What is "Little Life" all about? 

“Little Life” is about coming to terms with life being unpredictable and strange, and finding the beauty and joy in the smaller moments that are around us all the time. I wrote it while working at, and eventually managing, a very busy café in East London, where for a period of time I was enjoying being there with a great group of people and not putting loads of pressure on myself to achieve some massive creative endeavor outside of that. When you’re pursuing something creative in London or any expensive city you need to work full time to just fund your existence, so the time outside of that is often quite pressurized and constrained, pushing yourself to your limit to keep that part of your life going. I briefly took the pressure off that and thought maybe this is enough, maybe I can be fulfilled by this kind of people-focused, fast-paced job and just enjoy my life around it, which for a time I really did. However this moment did pass I must admit, and I eventually got sick of hospitality and the grueling work we were doing (getting up at 5 am to work 12-hour shifts 4-5 days a week) and began living the extreme double life again to pursue music and the release of this debut EP. But in that sweet spot, I wrote “Little Life,” which I’m glad about because it cemented a very specific moment in time for me. And the sentiment still stands! I’m just extremely glad I don’t have to make people coffee anymore. 

We love your understated, intimate sound. What's your writing process like?  

I write mostly alone, mostly on guitar. I’ll probably be at home and just pick up the guitar and start playing and singing gibberish until something jumps out at me and I start moving in a specific direction. That’s how I wrote all the songs on the Caramel EP. In the last few months, I’ve started working with other producers in their studios which has been fun, and I’ve written some stuff in those settings which I love. But still, the majority of my new stuff was written, or at least started, at home on my own. I’ve been writing songs for over 10 years now, and that’s just how I’ve always done it.

Any collaborations on the record? Who produced it? 

My good friend Fraser Frengley produced the Caramel EP. We produced and recorded it together mostly in his bedroom in North London on and off for about a year. It was a really wonderful experience as it was the first time I’ve ever properly recorded my music, adding whatever elements we wanted, not really being constrained by anything. I had no expectations for what would happen with the music after it came out so there was no pressure on it to be anything other than something we loved the sound of. It was just really fun. 

Will you win any “most enthusiastic” awards in music? 

Oh dear maybe with my Logic Pro skills. I have a very unorthodox and inefficient way of using anything techy because I have no interest in it and find it very frustrating, so just bash buttons until whatever I want to happen happens. I have probably wasted a lot of time in my life by not just learning how to do something properly first time round, but I’m probably stuck in my ways now. A premature grandma.

How does the success of "Little Life" affect your future compositions, if at all? 

I think the only thing that’s happened is it’s made me excited to make more, and excited to see where my next songs are going to go sonically. I tend to write and release chronologically, and “Little Life” was written a couple of years ago now, so my sound has already started to evolve a bit which has been really enjoyable and fulfilling. I’m still just focused on not putting any pressure on that creative process and having fun and experimenting, I think that’s the way you get the best out of yourself.

Besides this excellent record, what else should we be on the lookout for? 

Lots of new music this year, and lots of new visuals. Also live shows! Playing live is maybe my favorite part of the whole process. And for the existing record, I made three music videos myself at home in Peckham, so check them out. One involves me cycling in front of a green screen with various bizarre things behind me, and another involves me making my friends get drunk and sing one of the songs at Karaoke. Again I’m very glad I made those because it cements a specific moment in time where I was doing literally everything myself. I’m working with more people now which is really great and a lot more manageable, but that time was really fun and very creatively fulfilling. 

What's inspiring you right now outside of music? 

Inspiration always in other art forms like books and films/TV. I always start the day reading something at the kitchen table. Equally, I just have a running note on my phone of phrases or words that I hear or see when I’m out and about, so take a lot of inspiration from them every day. I swim a lot also and find that the repetition of swimming up and down the pool is a great space to just think about things and ideas. 

Food or drink best suited to enjoying your work? 

A nice chilled glass of wine for the Caramel EP for sure. And some hula hoops. For the next music who knows. A Fanta? Three-course meal? Pint of Absinthe? 

Who are your Ones To Watch?

Big fan of Aby Coulibaly, an Irish singer-songwriter making great R&B/90’s hip-hop-inspired tunes. And not quite under the radar but loving the new Mk.gee album, he’s really in his own lane.