Cooke takes a "shot in the dark'

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 – Big Loud's Ashley Cooke announces the release of her debut album, "shot in the dark," on July 21.

Cooke made the announcement at the Grand Ole Opry this evening. The disc will have 24 songs.

Cooke also treated fans to the first live performance of the closing track "state i'm in." Cooke will release three songs this Friday: "tastes like," "shot in the dark" and "mean girl (featuring Colbie Caillat)."

"The last year of my life has been crazy and wonderful in so many ways, but I think the next year might be even better," said Cooke at the Opry. "It's been full of bucket list moments for me. I made my Opry debut, signed my first deals, went on tours with my heroes and lived a lot of life in the moments in between. This album is about all of that, and it's about the magic that can come if you really take risks in life and love. It's a huge honor to announce my debut album at a place that means so much to me. So, without further ado on July 21st, I'll release my first album, 'shot in the dark,' and I can't wait for each of you to hear it. Thank you to everyone who helped get me here, and thank you for making me feel so safe to take a shot in the dark."

Nate Smith, Jackson Dean and Brett Young guest on the release with collaborations.

Since her first release in late 2020, Cooke kicked off 2023 strong with her first overseas performance at C2C, followed by tours with Cole Swindell, Jordan Davis and Young. She joins Luke Bryan's Country On Tour this fall.

The track list is:
1. "tastes like" (Ashley Cooke, Jordan Minton, Emily Weisband, Corey Crowder)
2. "it's been a year" (Ashley Cooke, Will Weatherly, Brett Tyler)
3. "see you around" (featuring Nate Smith) (Ashley Cooke, Brett Tyler, Will Bundy)
4. "shot in the dark" (Ashley Cooke, Jordan Minton, Emily Weisband, Corey Crowder)
5. "moving on with grace" (Ashley Cooke, Rocky Block, Jake Mitchell)
6. "getting into" (Ashley Cooke, Emily Weisband, Will Weatherly)
7. "enough to leave" (Ashley Cooke, Matt Roy, Lauren Weintraub)
8. "i almost do" (Ashley Cooke, Trevor Rosen, Josh Osborne) 9. "mean girl" (featuring Colbie Caillat) (Ashley Cooke, Colbie Caillat, Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins)
10. "running back" (Ashley Cooke, Emily Weisband, Will Weatherly)
11. "good thing going" (Ashley Cooke, Matt Dragstrem, Brett Tyler, Geoff Warburton)
12. "next to you" (Ashley Cooke)
13. "good to be back" (Ashley Cooke, Hunter Phelps, Jameson Rodgers, Alysa Vanderheym)
14. "what are you on fire about" (featuring Jackson Dean) (Lainey Wilson, Jason Nix, Luke Dick)
15. "say no more" (Devin Dawson, Donovan Woods, Travis Wood)
16. "tryin' to love you" (Ashley Cooke, Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill, Jimmy Robbins)
17. "back in the saddle" (Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Jordan Minton)
18. "your place" (Ashley Cooke, Jordan Minton, Mark Trussell)
19. "dirt on 'em" (Ashley Cooke, Jessi Alexander, Aysa Vanderheym)
20. "build a bridge" (Sasha Sloan, Ryan Hurd, Geoff Warburton, Henry Agincourt Allen)
21. "get you" (Ashley Cooke, Jacob Durrett, John Byron)
22. "never til now" (featuring Brett Young) (Ashley Cooke, Matt Roy)
23. "gonna get" (Ashley Cooke, Sasha Sloan, Blake Pendergrass, David Garcia)
24. "state i'm in" (Ashley Cooke, Emily Weisband, Jordan Reynolds)

Hailing from Parkland, Fla. and influenced by Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Kelly Clarkson, Cooke mixes pop and country. Cooke moved to Nashville at 18 and attended the Belmont University, but did not study music. After entering the schools Country Showcase on a whim and winning, Cooke decided to pursue music for a year. Cooke went to TikTok where she built a fanbase, writing and sharing country music.