Cooper Gaull spends hours tucked away in the Gum Spring Library recording studio. Every spare penny and every ounce of free time the junior has is spent following his passion- music.
Gaull is enrolled in multiple AP and honors classes, while also trying to break into the music industry.
“It can definitely be hard sometimes doing my AP classes and trying to get all my homework done on time,” said Gaull. “I usually make my music whenever I have free time.”
Gaull began writing music when he was around twelve years old, but didn’t release his first single for 3 more years.
“I was inspired because growing up I was surrounded by music,” said Gaull. “ When I was little I would write short stories, and I figured out that since I could write creative stories and I liked music I put them together.”
Gaull released his debut single, a vulnerable pop power ballad, “Defeat” on Spotify in February of 2024. It was better received than he expected, garnering hundreds of monthly listeners on Spotify alone. This unexpected success inspired him to quickly release his next singles, “Falling Leaves” in May, and “Broken Bitter Barred” in August. His newest single, “What Would It Take” was released on October 30.
Although music writing has gone generally well for Gaull, he has faced his fair share of challenges along the way.
“I always make music more in secret because I have always been a little ashamed of [my music] and I didn’t want to tell people,” said Gaull, explaining that his ache to be well liked by other people has sometimes held him back. “It was definitely nerve-wracking, putting myself out there, not knowing what other people might think.”
Gaull has goals of pursuing a music career in the future, which is now becoming more realistic as his fan base continues to grow amongst Loudoun County. He hopes to perform concerts, and become a worldwide known musician.