User:V. H. Berkov/sandbox

Chase Cohl (born November 3, 1987) is a Canadian poet, singer, songwriter and fashion designer. Her songwriting is noted for being authentic, vulnerable and heartfelt with theatrical and retro elements inspired by the music of the 1960s and 1970s.

Life and career
Cohl, the Canadian native, multifaceted artist, was born into a family with deep roots in the music industry and grew up on tour with legendary bands such as the Rolling Stones. With both her parents working in the music business; her father, Michael Cohl, being a renowned concert promoter and producer while her mother was employed at a multitude of record labels; Cohl obtained a unique perspective and broad knowledge of said industry. Already at the young age of 8 she saw Bob Dylan open for the Rolling Stones in South America and considers some of world's most creative musicians as part of her extended family. She recounts the experience of growing up on tour as amazing yet sometimes isolating. Cohl even goes as far as to describe it as what she imagines growing up as part of a circus troupe would be like.

Her own creative journey began in 2009 with her debut collection for LittleDoe's headpieces when she sold her very first piece to the singer Fergie following an encounter at a NYC restaurant. As she worked on LittleDoe, which eventually became a Vogue-endorsed staple piece of the Boho movement of the time and was often spotted on fellow artists such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga, Cohl started on songwriting and wrote countless pieces. Those first songs would be later uploaded to her Soundcloud profile. Cohl released her first singles Windsong and Blue Eyes between performing live with musicians Cory Chisel and Cameron Avery. On January 19th, 2018, she released her single Love Is a Prison with the next single Stay Down following shortly after on March 10th, 2018. On March 14th, 2018, Cohl released her first studio album Far Away and Gone which included the two singles released prior that year and 11 more songs. A year later, on May 8th, 2019, she released her single Still Crying. Cohl's next single Take It Like A Man got released on March 9th, 2021, and is featured on her EP Dear Dear: Volume 1 which was released March 19th, 2021.

Cohl also continuously maintained her involvement in the fashion industry; launching collaborations with brands such as & Other Stories and J. Crew whilst coming out with a new collection of high-end, ethically-made cashmere headscarves for her brand BESA.

Artistry
Cohl's style in both fashion and music is inspired by eras such as the 1960s and 1970s. She views artists like Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood as her style icons. Regarding her day-to-day style, her close friends even go as far as to compare hers to George Harrison's. 60s girl groups reigning their times also have a major influence on Cohl's music as she says, "I was raised on the important girl groups, Darlene Love, The Crystals, The Ronettes, [...] Those are some of the greatest records ever made, yet the female character in it is incredibly problematic and outdated. I wanted to approach making something in that vein stylistically, almost a retro-fetishist, but introduce a deeply empowered feminist perspective for a fresh change."

On storytelling; she characterizes writing as a safe place for her and would always write 'stream of consciousness' letters which would later be used for her songwriting and storytelling. Cohl says, "Storytelling is the most powerful way to connect us as beings. We are all telling stories all day long in our lives, to our partners, friends, on a first date, a job interview, you share your story. Storytelling is the fabric of the human experience, I just put it to music." Cohl also frequently returns to the native poetry book Shaking the Pumpkin for inspiration.

However, one of Cohl's biggest musical influences is the Canadian singer-songwriter and painter Joni Mitchell as she explains, "[T]he album that really gets to me the most these days is For The Roses. That’s the album that gets me and that I come back to as reference to my own music and reference to songwriting, because she wrote it after Blue, and there’s something that’s more vulnerable about the songwriting. It’s sort of like on Blue she gave away everything, and so on For The Roses she has nothing left to give. There’s something really vulnerable in that desperation that I find myself really attracted to in songwriting because it’s sort of like the calm after the storm."

Discography
Albums
 * Far Away and Gone (2018)

Singles and EPs


 * Love Is a Prison (2018)
 * Stay Down (2018)
 * Still Crying (2019)
 * Take It Like A Man (2021)
 * Dear Dear: Volume 1 (2021)