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<\/p>\nFor a composer who has been active as a recording artist for less than a decade, Cuco is incredibly prolific. On his own and with other artists, the 26 year old multi-instrumentalist has carved out an impressive and unique niche on the musical landscape.<\/p>\n
Born Omar Banos in 1998, Cuco grew up in Hawthorne, California. That city in metropolitan Los Angeles has given the world some of its most significant musical artists (Brian Wilson, Tyler the Creator) as well as celebrated cult sensations (Emitt Rhodes, Redd Kross). Like many of those artists, Cuco makes original music that draws from a variety of styles, combining those inspirations in a way that creates something new and unique.<\/p>\n
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A musical prodigy, Cuco became proficient on a number of instruments before age 15; shortly after graduating high school he became a minor YouTube sensation thanks to his reading of the Santo & Johnny instrumental classic \u201cSleep Walk.\u201d By 2016 the teenage autodidact had mastered the intricacies of Ableton Live software; with those skills under his belt, he made his first mixtape, Wannabewithu<\/i>. By the following year he was playing live gigs.<\/p>\n
Signed to Interscope, Cuco released his debut long-player Para Mi<\/i> in 2019; Fantasy Gateway<\/i> followed in 2022. In between album projects, he has released five EPs to date; 2023\u2019s Hitchhiker<\/i> is his most accomplished work so far. At age 26, Cuco has plenty of creative momentum. And he\u2019s been in the game long enough to be able to look back and see how his approach has changed since his start.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started off doing a bunch of cute chords and loops in my bedroom,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I knew I wanted to keep advancing.\u201d He says that he likes to push himself, to \u201cget really uncomfortable\u201d and explore things he hasn\u2019t done before. That restless, inquisitive nature has yielded compelling and accessible music. \u201cIt comes naturally to me to do all this genre-bending and experimentation,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s really about locking down and finishing songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cuco always starts with the instrumental side of the equation. \u201cI\u2019ll record a demo by myself,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd if I feel that there can be a better version of the instrumental, I\u2019ll recut it.\u201d He says that it\u2019s not uncommon for him to record an instrumental bed multiple times, \u201cand I\u2019ll probably re-cut the vocal track five or six more times until it sounds right to me.\u201d Though he comes from the bedsit-musician tradition, Cuco says that he makes music for discerning listeners who are \u201cbig consumers of music.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cuco\u2019s earliest efforts often found him doing all of the singing and playing himself, today he makes effective use of the skills and talents of other players as well. Looking back at his earlier works, he stands behind even his earliest recordings. Given another crack at those tracks, he says he wouldn\u2019t change a thing. \u201cI would critique<\/i>,\u201d he says with a chuckle, \u201cbut I wouldn\u2019t change<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lest he get pegged as a studio rat, Cuco emphasizes that he loves playing live. In fact, live performance often serves as a laboratory for his creative endeavors. Nearly every song that ends up on his albums or EPs has been road-tested, and the music changes and develops along the way. \u201cSometimes,\u201d Cuco says, \u201cbecause I like them so much, I even play tracks onstage that are never going to come out. I just like the vibe of how they sound live.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he\u2019s building songs in the studio, Cuco considers how they\u2019ll work onstage. \u201cSometimes I\u2019m like, \u2018This is perfect for live [performance],\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cOther songs, I\u2019ll think, \u2018I don\u2019t know how this is going to work live\u2026 but we\u2019ll figure it out.\u2019 And we always<\/i> figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his albums, EPs, singles and live dates, Cuco channels a great deal of energy into collaborations. In the first half of 2024, he\u2019s applied his talents to no less than three singles: \u201cSilence STArEs me Down\u201d with Asian hip hop collective 1999 Write The Future, \u201cBetter\u201d with British-Jamaican musical polymath Lava La Rue, and \u201cHow\u2019s That Working Out\u201d with Panamanian singer-songwriter Sofia Vald\u00e9s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always feel very lucky when my friends tell me, \u2018I want you on this track,\u2019\u201d Cuco says. And he\u2019s careful to respect boundaries. \u201cI try to get into their world, bring them into mine a little bit, and cater to what they need,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t ever want to take over their song.\u201d<\/p>\n
With his own music, Cuco regularly displays his love of bossa nova, electronica and romantic pop. And on tracks like \u201cJunkies and Rarities\u201d a highlight of the Hitchhiker<\/i> EP, he delves into shimmering, jangle-pop with a hazy psychedelic vibe that recalls Tame Impala, one of his favorite artists.<\/p>\n
And while one might not readily detect their influence upon Cuco\u2019s music, he names progressive metal quartet System of a Down as a primary inspiration. \u201cI got really good at guitar when I started learning their songs,\u201d he explains. But the Armenian-American band\u2019s influence on his music extends well beyond guitar work. \u201cI finally got to see them live for the first time this year,\u201d Cuco says. Seeing them onstage, Cuco was moved by the band\u2019s ability to bring forth emotion from the audience. \u201cAnd I thought, \u2018I want to do that when people hear me<\/i> play live,\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
On the whole, though, Cuco\u2019s music is likely to elicit its own set of feelings and emotions. \u201cWhen people hear my music, I want it to cheer them up,\u201d he says. \u201cI want people to feel that they\u2019re not alone. Because I\u2019ve always loved music that makes me feel that way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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