Better known (for now) as Alexander Beggins, half of the duo Wild Child, CoCo Zandi makes music inspired by an acute love of the sound and vibe of 1950s Hawaiian and exotica records, chased with a modern twist. Armed with his trusty baritone ukulele, an irrepressible crooning swagger, a tablespoon of steel drums plus a pinch of electro 808s, and his trio of backup sirens known as The Coquettes, CoCo Zandi’s forthcoming debut album As Simple As A Dream explores themes of love and loss and all that jazz, but always with a smirk on the lips and a half-empty (half-full!) piña colada in hand.
The first single, Time To Get Away, will be released on July 15th.
Zandi says, "We all felt it deep in our bones, bubbling up like a rush of blood to the head, an indescribable angst to skip dodge, get out of town, and break away from the shackles of our respective quarantine lives. I'm used to being on the move. After a decade of shows on the road I found myself struggling to stay still. Time To Get Away is an ode to that unforgettable moment in time. Sometimes simplicity in writing can convey the loudest message. I think it is, indeed, time to get away. "
He continues:
“Kelsey [Wilson] and I have been writing music together for almost a decade, which completely blows my mind,” says Beggins. “We've been writing songs together for a third of my entire life. Ever since the first song we wrote together, there was magic and palpable chemistry. We both bring something unique to the song writing equation. And we both have very different tastes in music, which I think makes our music unique. We pull from such different inspirations and listen to very different music so when we sit down to write together we create something new. If there was a Kelsey and Alexander venn diagram the overlap is Wild Child. But now, with our new projects we can give the other sides names: Sir Woman and CoCo Zandi. Listening to each of the projects, you get a sense of how Wild Child was born with both of our musical DNA. We will always have Wild Child, and we'll be making records together until we're old and wrinkly, but I think we've found how important it is to have separate outlets as well. It's refreshing and makes us better musicians and people.”
CoCo Zandi started out as a byproduct of an identity crisis. It was 2019, and Wild Child had just finished an arduous tour for their fourth LP Expectations and their souls were tired. They'd been grinding for a decade and they were feeling it. It was clear they needed a break.
Zandi says, "I had always wanted to make a solo record but it never felt like the right time. In some ways it felt too daunting. I was too comfortable and complacent but all the sudden I found myself with a lot of time and a lot to say. As Simple As A Dream is a record about finding my own voice, written from a place of trying to understand my place in the world. I like records that have a good narrative. Records where you feel a full spectrum of emotions, like watching a really good flick where you find yourself smiling and before you know it, crying. As Simple As A Dream should take you on an excellent roller coaster ride of emotions. And if nothing else, it's good music for a beach/pool day."
As Simple As A Dream, Zandi's debut solo album, was produced by Walker Lukens and recorded at Public Hi-Fi in Austin TX.
