Ashley Cooke Gets Candid About the Heartbreak, Honesty and Real-Life Moments Behind Her New Self-Titled Album

After months of anticipation, Ashley Cooke’s self-titled sophomore album, ashley cooke, arrives tomorrow, August 14, with a collection of songs that give fans a deeply personal look at the experiences, relationships and emotions that shaped the most recent chapter of her career.

The 15-track project finds Cooke leaning into every side of herself, from fiery breakup anthems to vulnerable reflections on love, heartbreak and the complicated space in between. Featuring songs including “xs,” “baby blues,” “excuses,” “the hell you are,” “when we’re 30,” “if i’m being honest” and more, the album ultimately became a reflection of the lessons Cooke learned through real-life moments.

As the release date finally approaches, the songstress recently turned to social media to answer questions from fans, admitting that it was starting to hit her that the album was actually about to come out. When asked about her favorite tracks, she revealed that while the whole record “top down” is filled with songs she loves, she’s recently found herself gravitating toward “the girl who cried wolf,” “if i’m being honest,” “Johnny ‘n June,” “dance around it,” “man behind the glass” and “excuses.”

One song in particular, “the girl who cried wolf,” holds an especially important place on the album. In fact, Cooke revealed that the track almost didn’t make the final cut yet has turned into one that she feels will make the biggest impression on listeners as it will leave them on a cliffhanger wondering “will she go back or is she actually done this time?”

The record had originally been finished with 14 songs before some ups and downs in a relationship she had been navigating at the time inspired her to return to the writing room.

She wrote, “Fun fact: this song was not supposed to be on the record. the record was finished with 14 songs, but then some stuff went down in the relationship I was in/out of for most of this era and I asked some of my favorite cowriters (Gemilyweisband Glauren hungate Gjoefoxmusic) to get together and write it out. we had about an hour of a therapy session that turned into writing this song and I somehow convinced the label to let me sneak it on.”

This song came up again when she revealed that one of her favorite lyrics on the whole record is, “when did I go from the girl who never cried to the girl who cried wolf?” During an interview with Girls in Low Places, Cooke also revealed that the song was nearly chosen as the album’s title track, but she ultimately felt her full name better represented a project that captures every side of who she is in this stage of life.

“I love it because A, it feels like the most quintessential, sonically correct to what I do, who I am. Even the visuals are all coastal. And I’m from California and Florida, so it feels like very much just me. But the whole record is really about the ins and the outs of this relationship,” she explained. “I think people are going to relate to the ins and the outs of it and find themselves in it. But it really it’s just the most honest and quintessential me that I’ve really experienced yet in music.”

While heartbreak is woven throughout the project, Cooke also explores a few different sounds and emotions. As she points out, “dance around it” leans more pop, “if i’m being honest” takes a more acoustic-country approach, while“ the hell you are” delivers a fiery, revengeful feel.

“There was a point that I was like, wait a minute, so all of this feels like me, but it’s not one specific sound. And I’m a Gemini, I’m all over the place. I’m very dual-minded. Duality is a big thing in my life. And it feels like this record has a lot of that in it. A lot of the duality and a lot of different flavors…It’s for people that feel all different kinds of ways and feel like they’re lovers, but also runners,” she noted.

The honesty that Cooke poured into these songs also meant having to revisit some experiences that aren’t necessarily easy to sing about. In fact, one of those more recent relationships that ultimately didn’t work out was with a collaborator who help Cooke write several songs for the album and even inspired some of the stories. Even though it can be hard to reopen some of those painful emotions of that relationship, she feels it’s worth it if it means helping someone else.

“I wrote a lot of it with him and about him, and now it’s no longer that…there’s a beauty in it, and I think that’s just the part of art that is complicated. But at the same time, yes, I’m making music for me that I can relate to that is therapeutic and cathartic for me. But I think people in the crowd listening to me perform, tell the stories, they see themselves in it, whether it happened to me a month ago or five years ago. And to me, that’s worth it. I’d rather be honest than make art that feels palpable for the world that I don’t relate to just for the sake of a hit because I’m like, ‘Well, then I can’t relate to it. It’s not real.’”

Back in March, she told the podcast host that her favorite song at the time was “johnny ‘n june” for its clever songwriting and how real and raw it is.

“It is one of the realest songs I’ve ever written. Every line in it is very accurate, including the name. So yeah, it’s very accurate. It’s clever, which I really love. So obviously Johnny and June. Johnny Cash. Yeah, this song has nothing to do with Johnny and June the couple. That’s why it’s clever. It’s basically talking about a man named Johnny in the month of June. And so it’s like, I’ve kissed this guy, I’ve gone here in August, I’ve done this in February or whatever, but I can’t stop thinking about Johnny in June. I was really proud of that one.”

She continued, “It’s because it is painfully real. I didn’t pull from any memories that I didn’t actually have of this specific person. And he’s heard it and he was like, ‘This is a good song.’ Yeah, it’s a very, very, very real song. And I think that’s why it’s my favorite.”

With ashley cooke arriving tomorrow, fans will finally get to hear the full collection and uncover the real emotions and personal experiences behind some of Cooke’s most vulnerable songs yet.