On the road with JP Cooper

If you’re not familiar with his name (or his magnificent dreadlocks), you’ll definitely be familiar with his music. English singer-songwriter JP Cooper is the man behind internationally successful singles such as ‘Perfect Stranger’ and ‘September Song’. Having climbed high up the charts with both songs in the last 14 months, Cooper has been raising his profile by supporting The Script on their UK & Irish tour.

“We just met them all today!” smiles JP, talking backstage at the National Stadium, Dublin, where he’s getting ready to open for the band in a few hours. “Danny came in right away and said, ‘Listen, it’s an open house here. If you need anything just take it. If you have any issues, just ask one of us.’ He’s a cool guy, and it’s always really nice when you’re touring with someone who’s like that.”

Cooper’s increased profile coincides with the release of his debut album, Raised Under Grey Skies.

“Everything’s nicely set up,” enthuses Cooper. “It’s out in September. Then I have my own UK tour in October, followed by Europe in November. After that, I’ll hopefully get some time off during Christmas, before I head to the States for a two-month tour.”

It’s been a fruitful summer for JP already, with the singer keeping busy on the festival circuit both at home and abroad.

“I’ve loved being given the opportunity to play at so many festivals,” he beams, “and I love that I’ve gotten the chance to come to Ireland. Irish crowds are mental. I played at the Whelan’s Stage at Longitude festival and couldn’t believe the reception I got. The guards had to create a human chain at the back to stop people getting in. That was definitely one of the live highlights of my career. But as good as the festival season has been for us, it’s always nice to get back into proper venues and do a thorough sound check. So this tour is going to be a treat.”

JP’s popularity has snowballed in a remarkably short space of time, but the singer admits that success wasn’t always a sure thing.

“I was working in bars and cafes and warehouses up until I signed with Island Records,” he notes, “which was three years ago. When I signed with them, that was the first point when I thought, ‘Do you know what? I can quit my job.’ I mean I was making peanuts, but I was able to make my rent and focus on music. And yeah, it was a very slow build-up for the first two years, then the last 12/18 months it’s picked up loads. I’m at a more comfortable stage now, because I can say that I’ve been delivering more than what the record company have expected of me at this point. I must be doing something right if The Script are asking me to play with them.”

Did JP have an idea of how successful his songs were going to be when they were first released?

“It’s funny,” he says, “because with ‘Perfect Strangers’, I wrote that for someone else and had no intention of singing it. Then ‘September Song’, I very nearly gave it away. The Voice Australia wanted it as their winning single. Luckily we pulled it back. So the most successful things I’ve done, I knew they were good, but I wasn’t doing them for myself. I’m glad I kept them though, cause they’ve taught me a lot about writing and they’ve opened a lot of doors for me.”

Noting that success seems to have happened so quickly, I ask JP does if he sees music as a long-term vocation.

Chewing on it, he says: “Throughout my twenties, it was a vocation. Even though it wasn’t making me any money, it was something I pursued and something that I was working to get better at. I’ll always be doing music. And for the foreseeable future, I’ll be out touring. But I dream of a period when I can spend a bit more time at home. I’m in my thirties now and I’ve got a kid at home.

“I want to reach a point where I can afford to spend more time with my family. So I’d like to think that in the future, I’d do a lot more writing for other people and go into production. But I’ll still always go out and play to audiences.”

Raised Under Grey Skies is released on September 22 on Universal.