We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrian Cohen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrian, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I have mixed feelings about that. While I always loved music and couldn’t see myself doing anything other than that for a job, I don’t feel I can make a living from just being an artist/songwriter. I’ve never actually had a typical 9-5 job though, if you want to call it that, but I have been trying to find a job, meaning in addition to making music. I feel having a regular job like that would be kind of stressful, but depending on the scenario, it might be worth looking into if I want to make a living. That situation changed a little bit recently, however, when I joined a Doors cover band, and they play at big music venues. Since The Doors are one of my favorite bands, and because I love playing music for people, this certainly isn’t to say I’m not enjoying what I do for music. It’s just that it would be nice to have an actual well-paying job in the near future.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always had a great love for music and have been playing piano since the age of seven. I also have many musical talents, which include having perfect pitch, sight reading, playing music by ear. One thing that I feel makes myself stand out from others is my ability to read sheet music (as well as sightreading) AND play by ear, whereas most people can only do one or the other. Although it seems like a hard job to find now due to how technology has aged, my private piano teacher used to say that I could make a good session musician because of my ability to read music quickly. Other music-related things I feel proud of being able to do is analyzing music, since I also know a lot about music theory, which is something I do all the time even when it’s not required. To get an idea of what I mean by that, I can often identify not only what key songs are in, but also often in just a few seconds, I could identify whether or not a cover and/or live version of a song is done in the same key as the original. I’ve also made a bunch of lists of songs that do certain things in them, including ones that go from a minor key to its parallel major, ones that have long intros, pairs (and sometimes trios) of songs that have similar-sounding melodies (aside from ones everybody knows about, such as “Ice Ice Baby” ripping off you-know-what-Queen song), songs without a pre-chorus, songs that don’t bring the chorus in during the first minute, and much more! Therefore, curating music is also something I can see myself doing for at least a part-time job.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel the most rewarding aspects of being an artist are listening back at it and getting a feel of how polished it sounds, and also when other people listen to my music and compliment on it, and when I make some money (even if it’s not that much) from it. In particular, I feel the best example of that was when one of my songs appeared in The Young and the Restless a couple times.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to hope to get more famous from my music someday, but it’s impossible to tell when, if ever, that is going to happen. I feel now the only way to (somewhat) make a living from music is to have it licensed, which I have tried to do like, ever since I started making music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adriancohenmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriancohenmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdrianCohenMusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-cohen-17397416a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdrianCohenMusic100