Amber Otto but known as Cookie when performing her music, is a singer/songwriter from Spring Creek Pennsylvania that currently resides in Erie Pennsylvania. She has been singing since the tender age of 5, and began focusing more on songwriting at the age of 25 although she had written previous to this.
She has performed in various regional talent showcases/contests and cover bands throughout her music career. She has also gotten opportunities to open for famous acts such as Aaron Tippin, Lil’ Scrappy, and Kool and the Gang. She has also showcased her vocal talent by singing our country’s national anthem at venues such as Monster Jam and Nascar, and just this past August made it through four rounds of the Opening Act competition which would have given her the opportunity to open for the Hollywood Bowl had she adavanced further in the competition. She is currently in the Masterpiece Sound Cover Song Contest and is currently one of the 78 contestants selected out of 300 to move forward in the competition. The top 20 will be announced this month. To vote for her in this competition go to https://soundcaterer.com/contest/index.cfm?page=3.
Within more recent years Cookie has recorded and produced her own music. Four original songs she wrote were ranked number one on N1m music charts for local music. Her latest single “I Just Can’t Give it Away,” (one of which was mixed by Sean Geary and written by Cookie and Mary Shephard) is currently number one on N1m charts. On Reverbnation she is also currently ranked number one for regional and local country music. Her music can be found on music platforms such as Apple music, Amazon music, Napster, Deezer, SoundCloud, Spotify, N1m, reverbnation, Youtube, iheart radio, and many more.
Besides her avid love for singing and songwriting, Cookie has self-published two children’s poetry books as well as published a superhero novel.
Where are you based?
Erie Pennsylvania
How long have you been making music?
Singing for 30 years making my own music for about 4 years
What genre would you consider your music to be?
Country/folk/soul
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
The way singing and performing made me feel from a young age was a feeling I always wanted to have. So to keep that wholeness going for myself and spreading it to others, a path with music in it is exactly where I knew I had to be.
What are your biggest musical influences?
Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Chubby Checker, Sam Cooke,
Are you signed to a label or are you an independent artist?
I’m am independent artist
What have been the biggest challenges in your music career?
Getting and keeping support as a singer/songwriter and being stereotyped to only fit in a certain brand of music because of what I look like. Where I’m from it’s a pretty small area/city. Most people here want to hear music that is familiar to them. There’s a lot of people who want to dance, hear 80’s funk/soul/ r&b or rock music and listen to covers. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a pretty tough market when you have your own music and message you’re trying to promote but that’s not what your audience cares about. I’ve also found the support comes intermittently. If I’m in a contest and get attention from that, then the support is there. But when promoting my original material outside of a contest or even when trying to promote livestream shows to an audience via social media platforms, not so much. Also within recent months both my Instagram and Facebook accounts were hacked which caused me to start from ground zero with building up my following again but it gives me a chance to see where the true supporters are. If they truly support me, they’ll find me and always come back no matter where I’m at.
How many songs or albums have you released to date?
I have released 7 songs to date
Can you tell us a few things about your latest release?
I Just Can’t Give it Away is about me paying homeage to my late Grandparents and my country upbringing. Although different people I’ve come across in a lifetime try to diminish the fact that I have or come from a country background, no one can take those memories I have from my family’s farm away from me or better yet how I was raised. That side of me will always be a part of who I am and come shining through always. The title speaks for itself. I just can’t give that part of myself away. When immature and unsure of who I was and where I fit in musically or just as a person, there was a time I didn’t embrace it, but now that I removed the stone out of my own eye, looked in the mirror and found myself, those are parts of myself I just can’t give away nor would I want to.
Any plans for new music or upcoming projects we should know about?
Yes. I’ve recently written a couple more songs that I would like to record and produce.
FOLLOW ON: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE
