Executive Voice
How Josh Bishop, AKA COBRA., Blew Up His Career Producing Beats On YouTube
Born and raised in Dover, New Hampshire, Josh Bishop, known professionally as COBRA. is a multi-genre artist, producer, and songwriter. Characterized by his emotion-evoking sounds, Bishop got his start in production at the age of 18 by posting “Type beats” (or beats that sound similar to current artists or popular sounds) on YouTube.
Growing Into a Powerhouse Producer
Following Bishop’s start on Youtube, his channel gained immediate tracking by amassing over 97K subscribers to date. Bishop’s career took another leap when he met the artist Shaker and they began to create music together. They have now gained 10’s of millions of views over the course of 2 years.
Behind The Beats
Bishop contributes his passion for music to his upbringing, which exposed him to a variety of sounds “whether it was Celine Dion that my mom was listening to or my dad’s 80s rock/metal. I always knew I had an ear for music from a young age and it was only a matter of time before I tried making some myself”.
This young artist hopes that those listening to his music will “feel something when they listen to my music. Whether it’s happy, sad, energetic or just some music to vibe to. I think giving someone an emotional attachment to a song keeps the listener coming back time after time”.
Trials and Tribulations
Additionally, Bishop spoke on some of the challenges of being an artist in a personal interview where he related, “I’d say the most challenging thing I’ve had to overcome is the ‘success’ aspect of making music. I believe that if you truly think you can do something, ‘success’ shouldn’t matter. Over the 5-year course of my producing, I never looked at it as any more than a hobby. It’s always been something I’ve been obsessed with and never cared about who was listening or streaming. Just as long as I liked it, I knew someone else would”.
Looking to the Future
As an independent artist, COBRA. produces his own work and he holds strongly that “Creating something from scratch is always the best feeling when it’s all said and done.” However, he does work with various up and coming artist and producers. New music is expected in the coming months and into next year with his close artist friend Shaker as well as some originals and remixes. The journey that started by working on a MacBook with Garageband has led to success and the opportunities to make real waves in the music industry for this 22-year-old artist.
Find the COBRA. YouTube channel here.
