Recently, I was impressed by a pop duo who were the opening act for Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx at a local festival. When I found out one of the members is a former resident of our small town, I was even more intrigued. I reached out to them, and they were gracious enough to agree to an interview. I’m pleased to welcome She’s Alaska to my blog today.
Cooper and Eleanor, first tell us your full names and a little about yourselves.
Eleanor: My name is Eleanor Lieder, and I’m from Saint Paul, Minnesota. I’m currently a senior at Middle Tennessee State University, and I’m double majoring in songwriting and marketing. I’ve been writing music for nearly a decade (although I don’t know that you could call the first songs I wrote music… they were pretty awful). I’m a Tennessee transplant, but so far I love it and I LOVE the warmer winters!
Cooper: My full name is Cooper Moss Gilliam, and I am the guitarist, co-vocalist, and co-writer for She’s Alaska. I’m currently in my last semester at Middle Tennessee State University, majoring in Songwriting and minoring in Classical Guitar. I’m originally from Martin, Tennessee, and actually attended Westview High School before deciding to make my move to the Nashville Area.
How did She’s Alaska come to be, and what prompted the name?
Cooper: Eleanor and I met through a mutual friend during our first week at college. We attended a meeting for a songwriting club together that, funny enough, ended up being a membership-only club. We were greeted with very confused looks after knocking on the door of a member’s apartment and were promptly asked of our membership of the club, but we were kindly let in and initiated our membership for the club immediately after. In the coming weeks we began writing and performing together more and more, until we ultimately decided to start a songwriting/artist duo together.
The name She’s Alaska came about through my interested in the book Looking for Alaskaby John Green (author of The Fault in Our Stars) in which there is a character named Alaska. The main character’s (Miles) curiosity and fascination with this character reminded me a great deal of my experience with Eleanor, for I felt as though I had met someone who had altered my world view and opened my horizons in the same as Alaska had done for Miles. From there we tossed around with names until we found She’s Alaska, and since its inception we felt a spark in it.
Describe your musical backgrounds. For example, did you take lessons growing up, study music, have family influence, etc.?
Eleanor: I come from the Twin Cities in Minnesota where there are a lot of really different musical styles represented. My mom was a really big fan of country music, and my dad listened to The Beatles, The Doors, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. When I was 13, I went to a Girls Rock and Roll Retreat (camp) that is aimed at inspiring girls to play music and improve confidence. It was the first time I realized that maybe writing songs was what I wanted to do in my life. After that I wrote songs as often as I could, but I was really afraid to perform and didn’t really start performing until I got to college.
Cooper: I became a self-taught guitarist when I was 10, which was actually driven by my parents refusing to buy the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for me. In hindsight, it was for the best, but my ten-year-old self would beg to differ. From there I picked up my dad’s dusty Washburn acoustic guitar, asked him (a guitar player as well) to teach me some chords, and away I went. Following some years of talent shows and trying out singing was my entrance into a four-year-stint of musical theatre at the Masquerade Theatre in Union City, Tennessee. There I learned how much I loved singing and performing which prepared me well for my future as an artist.
Describe the process of breaking into the music business. What should someone expect to have to do?
Eleanor: I think breaking into the music business is a very different experience for each person. Especially in the new market, a lot of breaking into the music business involves the business side. Being a musician is a lot like being an entrepreneur, so it’s important to have a strong sound and vision. A lot of it is just about consistency. Consistently writing, consistently playing shows, and consistently getting out there and meeting people.
Cooper: Still being novices ourselves, I’d say that learning to take criticism and rejection is the first thing. When I was growing up, I always took “no’s” and losses at talent shows personally and often felt embarrassed at myself, but being in the music industry will teach you that rejection is a fact of life. You have to learn to process them without losing your self-confidence and use them as a drive to improve even further in your craft. I’d also say a huge aspect of the music industry is networking and getting to know people. At first I feared it, thinking that networking was strictly cold business conversations consisting of elevator pitches and “what can I do for you’s,” but with time I realized it was about making friends and showing people that you are a nice, competent member of the industry.
I would love to know what a recording session is like. Can you give us a general picture of what is involved and how long it takes?
Eleanor: Most of the recording that we do is actually in home studios. The entire industry has started shifting towards more home studio recording, even for major recording artists. As an artist, it’s really exciting to be able to turn your music into a recording and there’s a lot of things that you can do in the studio that you can’t replicate during a live show. Recording sessions can take a really long time or no time at all, it all just depends on the song and what we’re doing in the recording process. The most important thing I’ve learned from recording in the studio is to be relaxed and let the song speak for itself.
Tell us about what you’ve released so far.
Cooper: So far we have released two singles! The first being a pop/country track about what happens to a high school romance when graduation hits called “All-American Dream.” Our second single was a slower, ballad-style song about the aftermath of a straight-laced girl getting mixed up with a troubled boy called “Nicotine.”
If an organization is interested in booking you for an event, how can a representative contact you?
Cooper: They can easily contact us at shesalaska@gmail.com!
Please share your website and social media sites below so readers can keep up with you.
Eleanor: Our website is shesalaska.com
Social Media: facebook.com/shesalaska
Instagram.com/shesalaska
What song and video would you most like to share? I’ll post the YouTube link so readers can enjoy it.
Cooper: We’d most like to share the music video to our song “All-American Dream.” We had an amazing time filming it at the Minnesota State Fair (Eleanor’s home state) and think we really captured the spirit of the song in it!
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Eleanor: If you’d like to stay tuned in to all of our releases/shows/lives, following us on our social platforms is a great way to!
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Best of luck in your music careers, and I look forward to seeing you perform again in the future!
Life As I know it 
Really enjoyed the video/song.
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