SHREDnews

By: Mike

Even at their peak, very few musicians exhibit as much musicality and maturity as young singer/songwriter Chase Coy. An Indiana-native, Coy began writing music at sixteen, and soon after found an audience on MySpace. After releasing numerous LP’s, EP’s, and singles, he managed to rake in over eighteen million plays on Myspace. He regularly appears on the iTunes top 100 singer/songwriter chart, and he’s coming out with his first studio album for Universal Republic early this summer.

Chase Coy is close to mastering his craft at such a young age. Backed up by an acoustic guitar, piano, and strings, Coy reflects on the joys and hardships of relationships and self-realization.  His beautiful, pentatonic melodies are memorable and his honest lyrics are delivered by his soft voice. Some of his more upbeat songs are cute and romantic, but they pale in comparison to the slower, more contemplative songs. He’ll easily win you over with disarmingly relatable lines like “If I was honest about what the problem is, I’d have to admit that it’s me.”

When he performs, Coy looks focused, but may come off a little stiff. With his guitar in hand and the strings behind him, I can’t help but think this is what Damien Rice must have looked like as a teenager. As he sings his choruses, he is accompanied by the swooning girls in the crowd who are snapping pictures of him on their phone cameras.

His main audience, of course, is that influential 13-16 year old female crowd. This is both a blessing and a curse for Coy. The depth and passion in his songs demand the attention of mature audiences, but his youthful voice and good looks are far too distracting, and older crowds will inevitably dismiss him as part of the “tweenie boppers.” What a shame that someone so mature for his age is confined to the young demographic. It’s okay though, because in the end, Coy is selling his albums and t-shirts to arguably the most powerful demographic of them all.

Chase Coy’s talent at his age is a rare find. Don’t be turned off by his appeal to young audiences. His lyrics are penetrating and his voice is sincere. Take a moment and listen to what he has to say; you’ll surely be moved by Chase Coy.

For Fans Of: Backseat Goodbye, Jon Foreman, (the acoustic side of) Dashboard Confessional