Championed by the likes of MusicRadar, Parade Magazine and Digital Journal, Cody Fry has achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic, and he’s recently become a TikTok sensation thanks to his track “I Hear a Symphony.” On Friday, he’ll drop his new album Symphony Sessions and ahead of its release, PopWrapped caught up with Cody to find out more about the collection, his future tour and performance plans and his advice for upcoming artists.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with you and your music, how would you describe yourself and your sound in a few words? 

Recently I’ve been describing my sound as “orchestral pop.” I make pop music but in its most truly cinematic form.

Has music always been the career path for you or did you have other dreams and ambitions before you thought: “No, I want to make music and share it with the world?”

Well the truth is, I’ve never really been good at anything else. Music was always plans A through Z for me, and I’m glad it’s worked out at least so far. I also want to add that I have wonderful parents who have always supported me in my pursuit of music, and my father is a musician, so I’ve never had the experience of not feeling support in my musical journey, which I think is like winning the lottery as a kid. It’s just an amazing, fortunate thing to have had such encouragement growing up.

Your track “I Hear a Symphony”, released in 2017, became a viral sensation this year, and has now racked up close to 70M streams on Spotify alone. Were you surprised to see it explode like it has and what do you think it is about the song people like so much?

To say I was surprised would be a pretty epic understatement. It was like being struck by lightning. It felt so insane and random. I had just released an album a month or so earlier and then suddenly people on the internet were just like, “Cool new album but hold that thought, what about this song from 3 years ago?” It’s sort of the last thing you expect when you’re promoting a new album. I didn’t even have a TikTok account when this all happened, so it truly shocked me in the most incredible way. And I love seeing how people have incorporated “I Hear a Symphony” into their lives… it’s incredible.

I think what people like about the song is that it expresses something that we all want to be true. That the world is a more beautiful place when there is more diversity in it. To me, one of the lines in the second verse, perfection is so quick to bore, is saying that if we were all perfect, then the world would be such a boring place.

You’ve got a new record dropping on Jan 21st, Symphony Sessions, which is a collection of covers and originals. Without giving too much away, how did you decide which songs to include on the collection and how did you find the creative and recording process? Who or what most influenced the record?

Following the explosion of “I Hear a Symphony” I had the immediate thought of, “Ok, I have to deliver more music like this to these new fans.” I wanted to capitalize on what was going on and bring them more of that orchestral music that people seem to really resonate with. That was the genesis of the project. I knew I had to create it quickly which meant I wouldn’t have time to write a bunch of new songs, so I decided to choose a cover, a collaboration with my friend Ben Rector, a couple of my older songs, and then one new song. I tried to choose songs I could really make something special with in quick fashion. All of the songs on Symphony Sessions are special to me as songs I’ve wanted to revisit, or put my own spin on in the case of “Eleanor Rigby,” so I was very excited to have this excuse to make a quick album and put my spin on some of these songs in the orchestral way that I love.

One of the tracks, your rendition of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” which you shared back in September, is up for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals at the Grammys. which take place in April. How does it feel to be nominated for such a high accolade and how do you think you might celebrate should you win? 

When I found out I was nominated for a GRAMMY… I was beside myself. Believe it or not I was actually on the way to the airport watching the nominations ceremony, found out in the car, had to hold on for dear life, nearly crashed, and then I was just going through the TSA checkpoint on a cloud. I didn’t know what was happening to me, I just got nominated for GRAMMY and now some guy is searching through my bag. This category in particular is so special to me since I pride myself on being an arranger. So to be able to get some sort of recognition for that, even though it’s not necessary for me to continue making music because I love it… I don’t know… it’s hard to find the words. I think I will celebrate by making more music.

With Symphony Sessions coming out tomorrow, have you started thinking about tour and performance plans?  Which venue would you most like to play and why? 

Something cool that’s been happening recently is that orchestras have been reaching out to me directly, so I’m really excited about the possibility of partnering with different city and civic orchestras around the country and internationally to put on really compelling shows. I have my eyes on venues like the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, but we’ll have to get there. It will probably be a process. But I do have plans for touring, hopefully to be announced soon!

Throughout your career, you’ve received acclaim from outlets and critics on both sides of the Atlantic, but do you actually pay much attention to what is said or written about you? What’s the nicest thing anyone’s printed or said about you and how do you handle any negative comments etc. that come your way? 

I love this question. The truth is, I try not to read things on the internet. Sometimes it’s impossible not to, but I really do try. It’s hard for me to remember anything extraordinarily positive that someone has said about me. Truly, I’ve received so many negative comments over the years, I’ve just become a bit immune to it. When I receive a negative comment, especially from some random person on the internet, I think to myself, “what is this person doing?” Why do they have the time to do this? Go out and make something, go out and contribute to the world. I just find it funny that anyone would take the time to write something negative about someone on the internet. It just seems like such a colossal waste of time. And if someone thinks my stuff is bad, then I challenge that person to show us what they can do! The hard part is making things, criticizing them is easy.

Social media is a vital tool for bands and artists today, perhaps especially independent ones like yourself, but how do you personally feel about it? Do you think it is at all possible for a musician, or anyone in the entertainment world, to achieve success without being constantly connected via the likes of Twitter and Facebook? 

I love this question, too. Social media is amazing for artists, particularly independent artists. It allows me to bypass traditional gatekeepers of media, and go directly to people. Fans of mine don’t have to rely on the radio or something like that to hear my music. It’s unbelievable. I think the short answer to your question is… I don’t think it is possible for someone in the industry to find success without using social media. It’s just so vital. However, I don’t think you have to be on it all day, every day. For example, I have a 30 minute limit on my phone for all social media. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, all of it. I find it allows me to remember that social media works for me, no the other way around.

Finally then – as an independent artist, you’ve very much proven that it’s possible for such people to be huge successes, even against the bigger more established, mainstream label names around. With that in mind, what advice would you give to any band or artist just starting out, and, having already achieved so much, what’s next for you to tick off your bucket list? Where is 2022 going to take you, personally and professionally?

My advice for musicians starting out today is that no one is coming to help you. Do not make music and wait for someone to come around and make it successful for you. You just have to figure it out. I think it’s sad because it’s going to take a lot of work, but it’s also incredible because the ability to find success is in your hands now, not in the hands of some record label executive. You can do it! You really can! In my opinion, there’s never been a more exciting time to be in the music industry.

In terms of what’s next for me, I think what’s next is probably more music. Hoping to just keep growing and make more music with orchestras. I have some new ideas already that I’m anxious to get working on, so gotta get Symphony Sessions released first and then on to bigger and better things, I hope.

Check out the live video for “I Hear a Symphony” above and for more information on Cody Fry, visit his website, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.