Artist Interview: Captivating emotional folk singer songwriter Cole Swensen

If you’ve been around the site for the past year, you’ve seen Cole Swensen’s name several times. I think I’ve approved everything he has sent us in recent memory. If you listened to his songs “Things We Don’t Talk About” or “Julia,” you’ll completely know why I couldn’t wait to interview him. Swensen is an incredibly talented artist who does all of the parts of the process from writing, to performance, and with a degree in audio engineering, he also does the majority of the production work. He’s exceptional at all phases of the process. When I got a chance to sit down for a chat with him, I was so pleased to get to know this kind soul.

In some ways, introducing a person like Cole Swensen with resume-like accomplishments is a disservice because it’s his energy that is so wonderfully important. Swensen approaches songwriting with a spirit of love and connection. As we talked about his process, it was easy to see why his music comes out the way that it does; he pours his soul into it.

My first question was about how he got his start in music, which is a complex mix of family influences and his own journey of self discovery. His parents are both accomplished musicians (his father on violin, mother on cello), so he grew up with classical music all around. He started piano lessons as a child, eventually switching to classical guitar at age 12. Those skills and theory background certainly inform his work today. It’s easy to hear that Swensen is more than a “three chords and the truth” type of folk artist; he includes some delightfully complex elements from classical, folk, and even jazz influences. He describes a “pressure” to be proficient in music due to his family, but he expresses that pressure in a way that makes it feel like a positive thing. It helped him discover his potential.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t the piano or classical guitar that really make his spirit sing, though; it was when he started playing guitar and ukulele chords in his room. He told me it made him feel, “free,” that the process was “amazing.” It’s out of that wellspring of creative joy that we get to hear some of his early original music and uniquely characteristic covers. Around this same time he credits attending a theater camp working with a vocal coach as a “turning point,” learning to write more about feelings to find true meaning behind his songwriting.

One of the consistent compliments I’ve given Swensen’s music in song reviews is his excellent phrasing, so I had to ask about that and his overall songwriting process. He described putting the emotion at the forefront, finding a melody that feels natural, then speaking the words into that melody. The two have to mesh. One of my favorite quotes from the interview was when Cole said that the lyrics need to be so right that “no other words could do it.” Amen and amen. He quoted this fascinating story from Calvin Harris (the dance DJ) who said he wanted his music to “become part of people’s memories.” Similarly, Swensen desires to capture moments for people, but rather than summer parties, he focuses on “moments of transition.” They are “songs I wish I had in certain moments,” which can be grief, sadness, falling in and out of love… deeply human, expressive moments.

As a blogger, it’s my job to ask annoying questions about genre and influences. While some will rattle off a dozen artists with minimal depth, Swensen gave me an in-depth response about a few artists. He mentioned Joni Mitchell and Phoebe Bridgers, but we collectively gushed about Lizzy McAlpine. It was a comical moment hearing two grown men talk so sincerely about our love for Lizzy’s impactful music and songwriting. The funny this is, despite talking about her for several minutes, I got the sense that we could have talked the entire interview about her music. It was a moment and I’m really glad we got to have it. But back to the story here, the other influence that he mentioned was a Portuguese artist named Maro, specifically her EP titled It’s OK. If you do like I did and check out this EP, you will find in less than a minute why Cole loves it. I definitely plan to put this in my own rotation. In his words, she sings like she’s “connected to God” and her voice is the expression of “the most beautiful parts of consciousness.” It’s hard to disagree.

One of my favorite parts of these conversations is asking about my most-liked song from an artist. I enjoy several of Cole’s but I wanted to know more about the story behind, “Great Big Life.” His face lit up when I asked and he was eager to tell me more. It was a song about a specific person that he hoped will “learn to love people right.” It’s a breakup song about wishing that the other person is able to find a better version of themselves. The process, though, allowed Swensen to learn to love himself enough to realize he was not okay. The breakup gave him this feeling of being completely alone, but writing songs out of that experience was key to his development. As he said, “This feels like me expressing myself.”

These songs that are born out of deep emotion – whether it’s familial love on “Julia” or breakup sentiments on other songs – can be quite captivating for those of us who appreciate this style of emotionally driven folk music. However, Cole Swensen acknowledges, “I know that my music is not for everyone – but that doesn’t hurt my feelings.” As he poignantly and wisely explained, “you can’t do your best work if you’re not willing to be vulnerable.”

It was such a spirited conversation discussing some personal stories, but the main thing I want to convey about Cole Swensen is what a genuine artist he truly is. He wears his heart on his sleeve in his songwriting, which is unbelievably refreshing. Beyond his lyrics, though, his melodies and vocal performance are also wonderful. The songwriting is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. You’ll notice I don’t have a long “sounds like” section any time I write about Swensen’s music; there’s really no one like him in folk music today. His first album Dear Sadie is full of expressive songwriting that captures a transition in his life in school through the end of a relationship. His new project, which he’s currently finishing, is an EP that’s going to represent this new stage of his life after that relationship and into this process of giving his music a serious chance for success. His latest track “Weaving” is an early release from that EP and it’s absolutely magical. (I’ll be covering it on here soon!)

I asked him about touring and promotion, to which he replied with characteristic humility. We talked about places he could tour and his heart behind sharing his music. He said honestly, “There’s no way I can’t deliver these stories in person.” Amen to that. I know that if there’s any chance he’s nearby where we are in northeast Ohio I will certainly go hear this music live. As I wait for his EP to release soon, I’ll be following Cole’s music on Instagram and those of you who are a generation younger than me can check him out on TikTok. He fits the description of an “emerging artist” exactly and I’m so glad we got to feature him here. The conversation we shared for this interview was one of the highlights of my entire year and I am excited to watch his career flourish. Join me in supporting Cole Swensen’s music.