Coco O.

Cecilie Maja Hastrup Karshøj,[2] known professionally as Coco O., is a Danish musician best known as the singer in electronic soul duo Quadron. She released her debut album It's a Process in 2021.[3]

Coco O.
Coco O. is on-stage singing into a microphone and has blonde hair. She wearing a long jacket with feathered fringe.
Coco O. performing with Quadron in 2010
Background information
Birth nameCecilie Maja Hastrup Karshøj
Born1987 or 1988 (age 35–36)[1]
Copenhagen, Denmark
GenresSoul, electronic, pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2009–present

Early life

Cecilie Maja Hastrup Karshøj was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] Her father is biracial of Tanzanian descent.[4]

Karshøj began singing in kindergarten and aspired to sing professionally from childhood.[5][1] She first realized that her voice was received positively by others during a secondary school performance of a Bill Withers song.[4] She names Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill as early inspirations. Karshøj's grandfather was a jazz musician.[1]

Career

Quadron

Performing under the name Coco O., she formed the duo Quadron with Robin Hannibal of Rhye in 2009.[6] The word Quadron comes from archaic Danish "kvadron", a term used to signify persons of "quarter" race, and refers to the fact that both musicians have a biracial parent.[7][6] Coco O. was the duo's singer and moved to Los Angeles after the release of their debut album.[8] Her voice was referred to by Pitchfork as "sweetly soulful."[9]

Solo work

Jay-Z selected Coco O. to contribute the song "Where the Wind Blows" to the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.[6] She has also worked with Pharrell Williams and provided featured vocals for Tyler, the Creator, Vulfpeck and Joey Dosik.[3][10][11]

In 2015 she released her first solo single, "Hardest Thing."[9] Coco O. moved back to Denmark in 2018 and released her debut solo project Dolceacqua on May 25, 2018.[12] The two-song EP has a bossa nova sound.[13] The album was written for an ex-boyfriend and named after the small Italian village where they fell in love.[1] ColorsxStudios described it as "featuring mellow, acoustic guitar accompanied by rich, cinematic strings" and noted the sound is a departure from her previous work with Quadron.[14]

On April 30, 2021, she released her first solo album It's a Process.[15] Zo of Okayplayer heralded the album as "a stunningly intimate showcase of the singer’s voice across a range of compositions pulling from all eras of r&b and soul."[16]

Other ventures

Coco O. appeared as a contestant on dancing competition TV series Vild med dans in 2019. She and her partner Morten Kjeldgaard finished in second place.[17]

Discography

Albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions
DEN
[18]
It's a Process 27

EPs
Title Album details Ref.
Dolceaqua
  • Release: 25 May 2018
  • Label: Coco O. Productions
  • Format: Digital download
  • Tracklist:
    • "Bled For You"
    • "A Minor Detail"
Eternal, Pt. I
  • Release: 26 October 2018
  • Label: Coco O. Productions
  • Format: Digital download
  • Tracklist:
    • "1000 Times
    • "Know It"
    • "Hardest Thing"

with Quadron
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
DEN
[20]		 US
[21]
Quadron 31 —
Avalanche
  • Released: 31 May 2013
  • Label: Vested In Culture, Epic, Sony Music
  • Formats: Digital download, CD, LP
 3 115
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Other appearances
List of other appearances
Title Year Album
"Løb Stop Stå" (Boom Clap Bachelors feat. Coco O.) 2011 Mellem Dine Læber
"Hey There Lonely Boy" (The Decoders feat. Coco O.) Non-album single
"Visions" (The Internet (band) feat. Coco O.) Purple Naked Ladies
"Ode to a Dream" (The Internet feat. Kilo Kish and Coco O.)
"Skykvinden" (Grønflammeskoven feat. Coco O.) Grønflammeskoven (Lyfbilledbog Soundtrack)
"Hos Mig Igen" (When Saints Go Machine feat. Coco O.) 2012 Non-album single
"Where the Wind Blows" 2013 The Great Gatsby: Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film
"Treehome95" (Tyler the Creator feat. Coco O. and Erykah Badu) Wolf
"Through the Night" (Cedric Gervais feat. Coco O.) 2014 Non-album single
"Looking for Lovin'" (Dragonborn feat. Coco O.) Part Of Something Bigger
"Keep Da O's" (Tyler the Creator feat. Pharrell Williams and Coco O.) 2015 Cherry Bomb
"Afterglow" (Mads Langer feat. Coco O.) 2016 Reckless Twin
"Credo, Pt. II" (August Rosenbaum feat. Coco O.) 2017 Non-album single
"Credo, Pt. II" (Live) (August Rosenbaum feat. Coco O.)
"Business Casual" (Vulfpeck feat. Coco O.) Mr Finish Line
"Kerosene" (Phlake feat. Coco O.) Weird Invitations
"Slow Afternoon" (The Late Great Fitzcarraldos feat. Coco O.) You
"Don't Want It to Be Over" (Joey Dosik feat. Coco O.) 2018 Inside Voice
"Red Dragon" (CTM feat. Coco O.) Red Dragon
"Home" (Dragonborn feat. Coco O.) Ride Upon the Storm

References
  1. Stinn Kaasgard, Af (2013-08-28). "Mød Coco O: Danmarks nye superdiva". Alt. (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  2. Inger Christine, Løwe (2018-11-27). "Coco O. optræder med spritny musik på bland-selv-festival i København". Politiken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  3. Fokus, Ritzau (2018-05-25). "Coco O. efter Quadron: Der opstod en lille identitetskrise". Kendte.dk. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  4. "COCO O. ON KEEPING THE MUSIC FLOWING THROUGH THE GOOD AND THE BAD". LADYGUNN. 2018-07-27. Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  5. Kuypers, Melissa (8 July 2013). "Coco O. Hearts NPR". NPR. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  6. Yi, David (2013-05-10). "Listen Up: Quadron's Coco O Performs a Live Acoustic Version of "Hey Love"". ELLE. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  7. "Kvadron". Ordbog over det danske sprog. Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  8. "The Okayplayer Interview: Robin Hannibal + Coco O. Are Quadron". Okayplayer. 2013-05-07. Archived from the original on 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  9. Torres, Eric (2015-09-18). "Coco O. Hardest Thing". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20.
  10. Roberts, Christopher. "Joey Dosik Shares Delightfully Retro Video for New Song "Don't Want It To Be Over"". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  11. McElhone, Grace (2017-11-27). "Funk Me Up Vulfpeck, FUNK ME UP". widrfm. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  12. Danborg-Aamand, Nanna (2018-06-03). "Coco O: "Lige pludselig kommer det, når man bare lever"". ELLE (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  13. "Coco O. Derives Art From Heartbreak On 'Dolceaqua' | SoulBounce | SoulBounce". www.soulbounce.com. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  14. Shah, Deep (2018-08-23). "Coco O. - Dolceaqua". COLORSXSTUDIOS. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  15. "'It's a Process': Coco O.'s solodebut er et breakup-album til den kapitalistiske musikindustri".
  16. Zo (2021-05-01). "Quadron's Coco O. Releases Debut Solo Album 'It's A Process'". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  17. "Coco O. efter Vild med dans: Troede det var mere farligt at være på tv". www.bt.dk (in Danish). 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  18. "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 18, 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  19. "Coco O. – It's A Process". Discogs. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  20. "danishcharts.dk Quadron discography page". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  21. "Quadron". Billboard. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  22. "Quadron – Avalanche". Discogs. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  23. "CERTIFICERINGER" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  24. "Quadron – Quadron". Discogs. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
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