Photo by: Tom Cottrell

The Clarion recently sat down with DU senior and singer/songwriter Molly Cottrell to discuss her life, her music and her thoughts on DU.  She will be speaking at TED x DU on April 14th.

 

How would you describe music?

I hate genres so it’s really hard, but I would probably say soul pop, kind of like Adele. 

 

Who have been the biggest influences in your music?

I’m very inspired by soul music of the 60s, like Otis Redding,  Ray Charles and Sam Cook. For modern musicians, Adele and Joss Stone.  I feel that their whole sound is what inspires me and influences me.

 

How old were you when you started performing?

I started piano when I was 10 and then I took lessons till I was 16 and then stopped lessons but kept playing and writing on my own.  I’ve always wanted to do this.  I was in children’s choirs and musicals and talent shows from the time I was really young. So I’ve kind of been performing my whole life.

 

What is the ultimate goal that you have for yourself and your music?

I want to be a recording and performing artist. I want to win a Grammy and have my music be mainstream and well known and be able to write and have my music be my career.

 

How do you feel about today’s music scene?

I feel like it’s at a really big crossroad in terms of the industries.  It’s really hard to stand out because the scene is so saturated, but I feel it’s beneficial because it gives everyone a chance to get out there. It’s steep competition. I feel right now artists are being really creative and have stopped repeating what’s been done before and are forging their own paths.

 

What are your immediate plans for your music career?

I’m moving to LA after I graduate this year.  I just recorded my album and I’m really going to be pushing that.  I want to do all I can to get myself out there.  I need to work on some management stuff, like finding a band.  For now, I’m going to continue writing and move to where it’s happening.

 

How long does it take you to write a song, and how would you describe your writing process?

It varies a lot.  I don’t know exactly what my process is.  I don’t do lyrics first or music first, they usually come at the same time.  I’ll write music and lyrics simultaneously.  The best songs seem to come out of nowhere, as if the song was already there and it just came out in 20 minutes.  But sometimes I sit down and nothing happens.  It’s harder for me to write when I’m really happy, though.

 

How has DU played a role in developing your music and your career?

DU has helped me with my interaction with other musicians by having a band play my songs and translating my music to a band because before it was always just me with a piano.  It has helped a lot with my networking and my communication skills with other musicians.

 

What would be your advice to other aspiring musicians?

I think that you have to know without a doubt that you can make it in the industry. Obviously you know there will be tough times but you just have to know that you can make it.  I think you need to keep writing continuously so you can keep up with yourself and you can watch yourself change.  It’s very important to keep writing.  And being social and networking is a huge part of it.  You can write as much as you want in your room, but if you don’t put yourself out there and promote yourself nothing is going to happen either.

 

Any ideas about what you are going to say at your TED x DU speech?

I’ll probably talk about the beginnings of when I established that this is what I want to do with my life, and where those goals have taken me in the last four years and where I plan to go with them in the near and distant future.  Basically, a quick overview of everything inside my head.  But if you’re asking if I’ve written anything, then no, nothing specific yet.

 

How did you establish beginnings as you put it?

I remember in elementary school deciding that I was going to be a singer and that was that  It was always what I wanted to do.  I remember writing songs for the first time, and I hated them because they didn’t reflect me as a musician.  It took a couple of years of writing before I found my voice and my style, where I felt I was really communicating who I am in my songs, and that gave me another burst of confidence that I could do something with this because I was able to communicate.  From here on out I don’t want to waste any time with a plan B.  I don’t want to let myself off easy.  I’m only 22 and I know this is what I want to do so I’m going to dive right in and probably break some bones, but I have to.

 

Are you glad you came to DU?

I do think I could have gone right in, but I really do feel like these four years were worth it, regardless of what the school itself has taught me.  I have learned a lot about myself as a musician here, and I don’t regret it.  I’m glad it gave me more time to develop myself.  I’m 180 degrees different as a musician than I was when I started.  I didn’t have the confidence or knowledge at 18 to get as far as I can now that I’ve been here for four years.