We Meet JP Cooper, The 'Annoying Kid' Turned Top 10 Hit Maker

Get to know the 'September Song' singer and Brand New For 2017 nominee here...

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 - 09:30

JP Cooper first got his first taste of chart success last year, featuring on Jonas Blue's summer smash and nearly-number one (thanks, Drake) 'Perfect Strangers'. Now he's back in the Top 10 with his similarly feel-good solo single 'September Song'.

As the voting for MTV Brand New For 2017 nears the end, we check in with our final nominee on the road to breakthrough success and taking a leaf out of Albert Einstein's book...

"I’m over the moon to be part of MTV’s Brand New list," he told us. "I didn’t have cable or Sky TV when I was younger but I can remember going to my friend’s house and watching MTV videos and aspiring to be ever involved with MTV, so I’m a very, very happy boy."

On how he got started in music, Cooper revealed: "there wasn’t really a defining moment where I was like ‘this is what I want to do’. I think as soon as I started singing and, you know, formed little bands in school with my friends I was always quite head strong. I was the annoying kid moaning at the drummer for not practising. I think I was always, if we’re doing this, let’s do it."

And he did it. "2016 has...been amazing," he continued, "I didn’t expect to have seen so many of things that I’ve seen this year, from supporting Stevie Wonder at Hyde Park to performing with Jonas Blue at MTV Crashes, you know, crazy crowds and amazing memories and I’m just really looking forward to hitting the ground running in 2017 now."

WATCH OUR EXCLUSIVE SPOTLIGHT WITH JP COOPER HERE:

On his current chart earworm 'September Song', Cooper told us: "it’s basically a kind of nostalgia look back at a simpler time when the biggest problems you had were missing your high school crush over the summer holidays and looking forward to getting back to that. And also, you know, looking back now and wondering what those people are doing now and how it would be if we bumped into them. It’s just quite a sweet, simple, innocent song really."

WATCH JP COOPER'S 'SEPTEMBER SONG' HERE:

View the lyrics

Our love is as strong as a lion
Soft as the cuts on you lying
Times we got hot like an iron
You and I
Our hearts have never been broken
We were so innocent darling
Used to talk till the morning
You and I

We had that mixtape on every weekend
Had it repeating
Had it repeating

You were my September song
Summer lasted too long
Time moves so slowly
When you're only fifteen
You were my September song
Tell me where have you gone?
Do you remember me?
We were only fifteen
And I, I remember the chorus
They were singing it for us
You were my September song
Tell me where have you gone?
Do you remember me?
We were only fifteen

Sometimes I think that I see your
Face in the strangest of places
Down on the underground station passing by

I get a mad sense of danger
Feel like my heart couldn't take it
Cause if we met we'd be strangers
You and I

Still I play that mixtape every weekend
Got it repeating
Got it repeating

You were my September song
Summer lasted too long
Time moves so slowly
When you're only fifteen
You were my September song
Tell me where have you gone?
Do you remember me?
We were only fifteen
And I, I I remember the chorus
They were singing it for us
I hear that September song
That I'm singing along
Thinking about you and me
Oh what a melody

And as the years go by
You will still be my, be my
(September song)
You are my
(September song)

You were my September song
Summer lasted too long
Time moves so slowly
When you're only fifteen
You were my September song
Tell me where have you gone?
Do you remember me?
We were only fifteen
And I, I remember the chorus
They were singing it for us
You were my September song
I remember the chorus
They were singing it for us

Writer(s): Jon Hume, BEN HUDSON, JP Cooper Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com

When asked about his future ambitions, he added: "the most exciting thing is thinking, 'what will I be doing in twelve months time?' I’m just hopeful and grateful and excited.

"It was Albert Einstein that said ‘play is the greatest form of research’, so I’m kind of living by that."

To vote for JP Cooper to win Brand New For 2017, like/heart the Instagram image here:

https://instagram.com/p/BPdBvYoAKhi/

See JP Cooper Live:

25th May - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London

9 Things You Need To Know About JP Cooper

John Paul Cooper, better known as JP Cooper, was born in Manchester in 1983.

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JP Cooper has released five EPs to date. His first, EP1, was self-released in 2012.

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Stormzy's a massive fan, going as far to say JP is "one of the greatest musicians to ever come out of this country."

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JP Cooper featured on Jonas Blue’s ‘Perfect Strangers’, which was a Number 2 hit in the UK Charts.

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Later in 2016, JP Cooper released his own track ‘September Song’, which broke into the Top 10 on the UK Charts.

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Before he signed to Island Records, JP used to work in a bar, making music in his spare time.

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The first kind of music JP really fell in love with was Grunge. “I used to love Pearl Jam and Sound Guard,” he said. “A lot of the Seattle scene.”

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His dream collaboration would be with Bill Withers, who won three Grammys and sang “Ain’t No Sunshine”, amongst many more. “I’d pick his brains and just listen to what he’s got to say about life,” said JP.

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He promises that his debut album will be coming soon!

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