While co-hosting Backstage Country with Elaina Smith, guest co-host Ashley Cooke shares some details about her latest self-titled debut album, including the lead single “baby blues.” Cooke also recalls the story about a concertgoer who got upset with her during a performance of the track.
“baby blues”
Cooke described the journey with her album’s lead single "baby blues” as “crazy” since teasing the track on social media last year. “It's been crazy, I won't lie. I first teased that song on social media back, like, gosh, top of last year, I want to say. So it's been a minute. And fans were so in love with it.”
The 29-year-old singer revealed that fans requested the song’s release. Due to the demand, she got an idea to make it a whole thing during live shows. “They were begging for the song, really wanting it. I made this whole moment in my show because of it. And it's one of those songs that just feels easy because it was easy to write, it's easy to listen to,” she explained. “It's flirty, it's fun, which I feel like a lot of my music up to this point, just because of the nature of the relationships that I've been in, has been sassy or sad or heartbreaking. And so this is one of those songs that is a different chapter for me.”
Fans React
Cooke shared how fans have been reacting during live shows, with some even bringing signs requesting that she serenade their blue-eyed partners. “I go to these shows, and people are holding up signs asking me to serenade their husbands or their wives or whatever, and I'm like, ‘This is so fun.’ It's been so fun to get to see how it's kind of taken on a life of its own.”
The Florida native also shared that the fans' reaction to “baby blues” has been similar to that of “your place,” both tracks she first teased on social media. “I remember with ‘Your Place,’ a similar thing happened where I started teasing it online before it was even recorded. It was just the demo that I started teasing. Same thing with ‘baby blues.’”
Ashley Cooke Serenades Fans
Smith asked Cooke if there were any memorable instances when she serenades fans with “baby blues.” Cooke replied, “I'm happy to say that normally, it's pretty chill, and it's pretty fun, and everybody's supportive and having a good time. I'm super respectful... I would never want to step on toes.”
She chuckled, “So I've always been afraid in the beginning, like, “Am I going to upset somebody? What if they're there with their person? Is that going to be weird?’ I'm very respectful with it. I'm never touching anybody. The whole purpose of the moment was just to make somebody in the crowd feel special for a second, even if they have brown eyes. I just want to make somebody feel a part of the show.”
Still, the singer revealed there was a case when a concertgoer got upset with her.
I remember. I forget where I was, but there was one that I serenaded, a guy in the front row, really tall, very blue eyes, and I think his girlfriend was a couple people behind him and apparently got really mad about it.”
Cooke laughed, “I had no idea when this was happening, obviously, but afterwards, it was like, I don't even know how it ended up being a whole thing, but it was like, it was a thing.”
She added, “I think he left, and she was in the front kind of staring me down the whole show. And I was like, ‘Girl, come on.’ Again, I never want to be disrespectful, but I could also acknowledge. I'm not asking for their number. I'm just making them feel special in that moment as best as they possibly can. Everybody has their own right to feel however they want to feel, but I was just like, ‘Okay, come on.’”
Listen to “baby blues” now.
Ashley Cooke - baby blues (official music video)
