Cooper Alan Introduces Dual-Sided Album ‘Winston-Salem,’ Pairing Raw Emotion With Rowdy Fun [Exclusive]

Cooper Alan has spent years building a catalog of singles and EPs, and now he’s ready to show fans an even deeper look into his life with his full-length debut album, Winston-Salem.

Speaking to Country Now about the new collection, Alan explained that the timing of dropping a debut album today just “felt right.” He’s been working hard writing over the past year and finally reached the point where he had a batch of songs that made sense together and described where he’s at in life.

“When you got 20 songs or so that you think can fit together some way, somehow it sort of felt right and I felt like as much fan support as we’ve gotten over the past couple years and people showing up to shows and all that stuff, it makes sense to give those people more than just singles.”

The long-anticipated project comes to life between two halves, each highlighting a different side of Cooper Alan through some of his most personal stories yet. “Winston” includes the more reflective, personal tracks inspired by Alan’s own life, while “Salem” leans into his signature high-energy, feel-good songs. Together, the two sides create a full picture of Cooper Alan as an artist, as a husband and as a soon-to-be father.

The full title, Winston-Salem, was fittingly named after his hometown in North Carolina, which he deems to be the “best city in the world.” His decision to divide it into two parts came naturally once he realized that his catalog is already made up of a mix of “really out of the box” tracks and deep, emotional narratives.

“It sort of made sense to have both those sides of me on this project. I couldn’t think of doing a debut project without both these sides being here. So it just naturally kind of split up that way. ‘Winston’ is kind of reflective and emotional and just really true to what I’m going through. And then ‘Salem’ is just the crazy kind of off the wall drinking songs, party songs and all the above. So kind of fits together into one cool thing.”

Themes of family, love and milestones runs deep throughout the entire collection as Cooper reflects on his new chapter of preparing to become a dad for the first time with his wife, Hally. This major step has also inspired him to reflect on his own childhood and the people who raised him.

The Tennessee native’s latest release, “Hard Acre” gives listeners a taste of his “good old fashioned” country music storytelling as it carries tremendous weight, documenting his emotions leading up to the start of his dad era.

“I wrote it with Zach Kale, Derek Bahr, and Joseph Patton, three awesome writers. And we just kind of stumbled on that title and took it in the direction of an older man passing down a house to somebody who’s just kind, starting his adult life, starting his family. And it just kind sums up, I think sort of the stage of life I’m in,” Alan shared.

Fans will hear songs dedicated to Cooper’s parents, like “Better Dad,” “Good Mama,” as well as his “hard working” grandfather on the personal “La-Z-Boy.”

“I love singing about my family,” he admitted before diving into the inspiration behind “La-Z-Boy.” “I was born in ‘96 and in ‘96 my grandpa had his first really bad heart attack. And so from then on, his mind was always super sharp, but he was just in pretty bad health for most of my life until he passed in 2018 and he would have to spend a lot of his time in a La-Z-Boy chair. He had this chair that he loved and it reclined and it was awesome and it was right in front of the tv. Some of my favorite memories were sitting there just talking to him or watching Carolina basketball games and just hanging with him.”

He continued, “I thought ‘Hardworking man in a La-Z-Boy’ was a cool way to describe him because he was the hardest working dude. Just worked on the farm all the time. He was a cancer doctor that gave his life to the hospital and patients he never really stopped. I thought it was a cool tribute to him.”

Whether its these emotive tunes or his rowdy party anthems like “Greener Grass,” “Take Bobby Home,” or “Drunk Drink,” this collection captures a more mature perspective while still delivering the upbeat energy fans expect.

Winston-Salem Track List:

1.   Roots 

2.   Fourth of July 

3.   La-Z-Boy

4.   5X7

5.   Holy Ghost 

6.   Starting To Show

7.   Better Dad

8.   Good Mama 

9.   Hard Acre 

10.Take A Life 

11.Devil In My Mind 

12.Plead The Fifth

13.Damn In Me

14.Dale Dickens (RIP)

15.BOS 

16.Crazy Shady Uncle 

17.Alive 

18.Greener Grass

19.Take Bobby Home 

20.Drunk Drink 

With his debut album out now and a baby set to arrive next month, Cooper Alan is taking the rest of the year off from touring to settle into his next stage of life. He will return to the road in a big way when he makes his headline debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on March 26.

The following month, he will launch his To The Pub Tour. Produced by Live Nation, the trek kicks off on April 17 in Dublin and continues with stops in Dublin, Belfast, London, Manchester, and more before wrapping in Glasgow.