14-year-old Fredericton musician releases 1st single

Voice, keyboard, guitar and even glockenspiel — the list of instruments that Evan Cooper plays is impressive. 

But Cooper isn't a musician with decades of experience. He's a 14-year-old student at Fredericton High School. 

"Every chance I have … I'm practicing riffs, I'm just playing the piano, I'm doing the run through of my set that I would do at live performances," said Cooper.

"It's the same as anything that you have a passion for.

"No matter how much free time you [have], you [have to] be spending that free time on your passion. And music's my passion."

And just last month, the talented Cooper released his first single, Don't Come Crying Back to Me, an indie-rock song available on music streaming services. Listening to it, you'd never guess he's so young.

Cooper said he started getting into music when he was nine years old, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was looking for something to do. 

"I dug my mom's keyboard out of her closet and turned it on, and then, I guess the rest is history."

WATCH | See Evan Cooper perform:

This Fredericton teen is a multi-instrumentalist who’s written dozens of songs

18 days ago

Duration 4:05

Evan Cooper sings, plays guitar and piano and writes his own music. At just 14 years old, he’s released his first single, Don't Come Crying Back to Me.

His mom taught him his first four chords, and from there, he started going on YouTube, teaching himself new songs.

He started learning guitar almost a year ago and says he's still getting better. 

While instruments and singing are big for the young teen, Cooper said songwriting is his favourite part.

"Just the fact that I can keep writing songs, in that there's no limit to how many you can write, and there's no limit to what you can put in a song," he said.

"The possibilities of songwriting are endless. And that, to me, is what draws me to continue doing music. 

"I keep writing songs, and it's just, for me, a place that I can just get away."

He probably has at least five albums' worth of songs written, he said, but he's only just now experiencing what it's like to work with a producer and release music to the public. 

This is what he wants to do in the future and would love to tour North America someday, as a performer.

"I'm hoping that soon some more people are going to get to hear some more of my art."