INTERVIEW: Cuco Adjusts to Life in the Spotlight
The 21-year-old singer electrifies Spark 19
Editors Note: "Cuco Adjusts to Life in the Spotlight" was originally written for UIC Radio's old website on September 30, 2019
By Tara Bolar and Lissi Nunez
Watching TV, napping, and trying to go to the gym (emphasis on trying) are all typical things in the life of a 21-year-old. What’s not so typical at 21 — gaining over 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, having a large base of dedicated fans, and producing a full-length album. Bilingual cantante Cuco shared with UIC Radio that he’s tackling all of the above, just before he launched his new world tour at Spark 19, UIC’s annual concert.
Cuco began his performance at 7:00 p.m. The sun had just begun to set and the crowd was buzzing with excitement. As soon as Cuco’s sound wafted through the speakers, the audience began to sway and shout to the beat. The vibe of the performance was the perfect blend of lofi chill peppered with moments of hype.
Near the end of his set, Cuco asked the audience to put their phones down as he prepared for his final act of the night: a classic stage dive into the crowd. Unfortunately, the aftermath of Cuco’s attempt to work the room created a brief moment of pandemonium. The audience began mosh-pitting, which some experienced concert-goers were prepared for but others... not so much.
Cuco has since apologized on Twitter for the chaotic moment, sharing that he hoped everyone was ok.
When Cuco, a first-generation Mexican-American singer from Hawthorne, Calif., sat down with us, he shared how excited he was to be the first Latinx singer at Spark.
“It’s cool to be able to create a platform for LatinX artists,” Cuco said.
Cuco believes in using his platform to support art in general. The cover of his newest album, Para Mi, is a portrait of Cuco made by one of his friends, Lili.
“I always liked her art and I thought it was natural that, being artists that support each other, I was going to have her paint my art.”
Recently, Cuco’s career has been taking off. Aside from launching his world tour at Spark 19, Cuco also released his much anticipated major-label debut, Para Mi, and he has amassed over 3.5 million streams. Though he’s busier than ever he doesn’t let the extra attention get to him.
“I don’t even notice it, I don’t pay attention to how my music grows. I just make the music and put it up,” Cuco said.
Cuco advised aspiring artists to “love what you do. If you manifest it, it’s going to happen. Don’t try to push for more than you can.”
Cuco went on to say, “I can’t give anybody advice on what to do because my advice is probably not going to work for somebody else. It’s literally them doing whatever they’re best at doing and that’s it.”
