Texas-based singer, Latoya Cooper, is a soul musician to watch.
The singer, whose influences include Anita Baker, Nancy Wilson and Mary J. Blige, released her solo debut project Eclectic Soul in 2015 and has returned with a powerful ode to music, “Love Affair.”
ESSENCE spoke to the singer who says the song came during a “moment of self-reflection.” “I was at a moment of self-reflection and humbleness in life and I was just saying, ‘music, you have always been there from day one,’ the singer said.
At one point, Cooper says she actually took a break from music pursuing three degrees, an associates and bachelor’s in political science as well as an MBA in management. “I took a ten-year break from music,” Cooper said, adding that she had been singing since she was a child.
“You know how it happens, where there’s a lot of pressure and you’re hearing that music can’t pay bills,” she added, “or, you need to get an 8-to-5 and all these things. I didn’t really have anyone to guide me through my journey. And, I ended up putting music down to pursue these things people tell you to do.”
Thankfully, Cooper has returned. The singer is booked and busy for the first half of 2018 and, hopefully, there’s more on the horizon.