We were lucky to catch up with Cole Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
Hello. My name is, Cole Adams. I’m an ftm transgender, singer-songwriter, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. When I started to play and perform my music in public for other people, I quickly realized the challenges of not only being transgender and putting myself in the spotlight as a solo performer/singer, but also as a trans person who chose to not physically transition. I am a transgender male, with a female voice, and body. It’s been a challenging experience to be misgendered regularly, but it’s also been an interesting learning experience.
I’ve learned a lot about myself. I find comfort in knowing that I can transition if I choose, but twenty years ago, in 2004, I decided to not physically transition as a trans male. The main reason for this is that I didn’t want to change my singing voice.
I love singing and felt that I didn’t want to risk losing my ability to sing, although, I better understand now, all these years later, that if I had chosen to take testosterone HRT therapy, I might still be able to sing but with a much deeper voice.
I’m at peace now with my choices, but it took a lot of inner work, self-care, and self-love to find this inner peace.
When I began playing in bars and restaurants at 21 in 2005, I dressed as the male I knew myself to be, and some people had issues with this along my journey. There were also always people who supported me in my authenticity. I noticed this polarity of opinion and over the years came to terms with the fact that I have the right to decide for myself, who I’m going to be, and how I’m going to show up in this world. I’d spent my much younger years in the closet, pretending to be someone I wasn’t because I was afraid of what others would think of me. Playing music and performing as a solo artist helped me to gain the courage to present myself to the world, as authentically as possible. I was often misunderstood. I sounded like a woman but told everyone that I was a man. There has been a constant stream of confusion amongst my audiences over the years, but within my life experiences, I’ve noticed that there are always people along the way who open their hearts, respect you, and see you for who you are. Even when your outer appearance doesn’t match your inner appearance.
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.
My name is, Cole Adams. I’m an ftm transgender, singer-songwriter, and entertainer, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I’ve happily played the troubadour role in this lifetime, enjoying travel, and living in/playing music in different parts of California and Nevada, as well as St. Louis. I began playing rhythm guitar, singing, and writing songs as a young teen but officially started performing in front of audiences at restaurants and bars when I turned 21. I stepped into the music industry with a passion for songwriting, and sharing my songs with different audiences. One of the most special things about songwriting and performing, for me, has been the gift of connecting with others, sparking emotions, and sharing through song.
I write songs from my heart. I’ve been fortunate to work through a lot of life’s issues, via music.
Music has always been there for me, it’s been a form of therapy in one way or another.
Music is how I connected with my parents at an early age when my dad put an acoustic guitar in my hands when I was two.
Through the combination of the love I have for my family and music, it’s become a life goal for me to intentionally share that love with others. I do this by sharing my songs and providing positive energy to help motivate and inspire others to live their best, most authentic lives, and to be the best version of themselves. I believe in the power of setting positive intentions and the power of our words. Creating music can be a powerful tool when it comes to healing and growing along life’s journey.
I am proud to be a part of that magic. The magic of making music, and intentionally putting positive energy out into the world for others. A smile and/or song can go a long way, creating a positive ripple effect. :-)
I plan to continue creating different styles and genres of music, but most importantly, it’s become an extra big passion of mine to create positive, uplifting music to help people, the way that the music helps me.
Over the years I’ve played in many different types of venues in St. Louis, Missouri, different parts of San Diego, California,
the Los Angeles area, and Reno, Nevada. Playing cover songs and performing original music for different audiences has been a fantastic, learning experience. It’s quite thrilling to get a crowd going via the energy you’re putting into your performance. Connecting with a crowd of people through song, especially on a lively Friday night, is an excitement like no other. Not to mention a more quiet, intimate experience with a smaller crowd on a Sunday brunch gig. All the different types of gigs have been an overall rewarding experience. I consider it to be a privilege to have the opportunity to entertain a room of people. It makes sense, considering I was the kid trying to get my family’s attention with another “skit” or song I made up. So I guess you could say, I’ve always loved entertaining a crowd. It’s the energy exchange that fascinates me most.
I realized years ago, that I could help to lift the mood of a room of people, via playing music. This excites me to no end. I love being able to set loving, positive intentions to the music, all while sharing with a room of people.
These days I’m focusing more so on songwriting and recording, although I plan to gig again in the future.
Creating videos for social media has also been an adventure for me. I share a lot of my original music as well as cover songs via different social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram.
Today, my mission is to be of service to other human beings, by creating music that uplifts and empowers them.
Just like the energy exchange of playing for a live audience, it’s also my mission to send the same loving, empowering energy out through the music I record in the studio and share with the world.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Yes! Two books immediately come to mind. They are very different but I believe create a balance in knowledge when it comes to the topic of money as an entrepreneur. Reading these books positively changed my perspective on money and creating a business. I believe that the information in these two books can help to transform anyone’s relationship with money for the better, regardless of where they are on their journey.
The first book is, ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad,’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki.
The second book is, ‘Creating Money Attracting Abundance.’ by Sanaya Roman & Duane Packer.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Over the last few years especially, it’s become a mission of mine to share the benefits of daily affirmations and habitual positive thinking through music. I’ve had positive experiences with my health and overall mindset, which has piqued my interest in helping others by creating music containing positive affirmations for people to repeat to themselves. There are other creatives out there with the same message who have greatly inspired me, such as the talented artists/musicians, Chris-And-Teeb.
It’s become a goal of mine to help people better understand the science behind reprogramming the subconscious mind for positivity through positive affirmations and music. It’s my mission to create music that contains positive affirmations that empower and uplift people. We can rewire our thoughts and create great significant changes in our lives when we feel stuck. I’ve always written songs from the heart. Positive affirmation music is a new avenue for me that I’m just now embarking on, but after personally experiencing the benefits of daily affirmations, it’s become a part of my mission to make different styles/genres of music, including tracks considered to be, “positive affirmation” music, to help others experience the same benefits in their lives. I look forward to where this new adventure will take me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.coleadamsmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cole.adams.music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coleadamslike
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-adams-352815189
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColeAdams1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0QZbmACAsUF6HylXnalByg
- Other: https://coleadams.bandcamp.com/ (BANDCAMP) https://www.tiktok.com/@coleadamsmusic?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc (TIKTOK) https://soundcloud.com/cbgenerations (SOUNDCLOUD)
Image Credits
Image credits go to Jessica Weidhass