The Swiss-Nigerian artist, Coco Benson is the granddaughter of Nigerian artist Bobby Benson. Coco follows in his footsteps by remixing his breakthrough hit “Taxi Driver” ?. In 2015 Coco Benson took a break to spend time with her family. At the beginning of the decade, she has made her powerful return with her Afrohouse single ‘Majesty’.
“Majesty” is written by Coco herself, award-winning producer and husband, Shizzi and Parker Ighile (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande) and is produced by Shizzi (Beyonce, Wizkid, Davido and Chris Brown). It is the perfect track to enjoy the beach and a great addition to the dance floor. The summer track is an empowering song to show appreciation to women everywhere.
Coco shares her inspiration behind her comeback single.
“Women do it all, women are the backbone to a lot of great things, and this track pays homage to women and speaks to empowering women. I wanted to create a song that every woman or girl could relate to, we are all ‘Majesty’ to someone and it’s something to embrace. This track has my two favorite elements – the house and soulful music vibes, and once Shizzi added his magic finger touches and some piano sensibilities, we knew this song would turn out to be a timeless record”.
Coco Benson
Coco took time out of her day to share her journey with us! ?
Were there ever a time you felt pressure to pursue singing professionally?
“Unfortunately, I never got to meet him. But, my mom would always play his music and show me his pictures. Some of the aunties would have videos of him. I always felt so inspired by how he used to captivate people on the stage. When I was coming up, I was learning my voice. I would say ‘You know, I am probably getting this from my grandfather.’ I was always found it important to make an impression. The most important thing for me as an artist was to be relatable.”
When did you realize that you wanted to sing professionally?
“I was a Disney girl. I would sing it like all the other girls. My favorite song was A Part of Your World. I would sing it and perfect it. When our parents used to have parties and the kids would have to stay upstairs, I would make a routine to Janet Jackson or whatever song it was at the time. I realized people are paying attention to me. I started to gain more confidence.”
There are some artists who tend to collaborate with their close friends and family. Coco shares how her husband Shizzi is a great professional partner who constantly encourages her.
How do you create boundaries when working with family and close friends?
“I’m not going to lie working in the studio with my husband is a challenge. I step in as an artist and he steps in as a producer. The chemistry is there for sure. But, he is a perfectionist. If he doesn’t hear what he needs to hear, he is going to make me redo it. Boundaries come from staying professional as much I can. I have a blessing on my side. He’s an extraordinary and gifted producer. There are artists that are begging to work with him. I always want to do my best.”
What was your writing process for “Majesty”?
“Majesty” has been in the works for about a year. It is because we don’t believe in rushing things. We believe in getting things right. Shizzi has his laptop and is going through sounds. I heard this sound and it sounded similar to the chorus. I don’t even know if it was saying what I heard. In that second I said ‘That’s the one! Stop, play that again.’ After Shizzi played the track, I had my own version. I already knew that this was going to be about women.”
Coco shared that she would like to work with various artists from various genres. Her main focus is to create quality music with artists who share similar passions.
“I can work with anybody. Can we create magic in the studio? That’s what really matters. I believe there is space for everybody to win. Unfortunately, people don’t think there’s space for everyone. I think that is something we need to overcome. We can make each other shine.”
‘Majesty’ music video is out now! Step into your regal castle of MAJESTY. ✨
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