We need some joy here, folks. I feel like the last few articles I’ve written have been semi-bummers: Even the romantic songs I’ve covered have taken on a sour taste. It’s about high time we balance things out.
Therefore, let’s all listen to “Hold You”, the debut track from Kel Cohen, a pal and a friend who calls Miami home. This one’s a sheer, unrestrained love song all the way down. Kel wrote the original version way back in January 2020, with her husband Jake providing help with the melody. (He seems like a good guy.) By the time she got around to recording the song, she found she was pregnant, and the inspiration for the track – her love for Jake and her son Theo – grew deeper. It’s no surprise then that she’s dedicated the song to both of them.
You can hear that inspiration in Kel’s powerful voice, trained from years of practice to convey emotion and capture attention. She spent her childhood singing along to her mom’s Divas Live CD and trying to hit Mariah Carey’s high notes, which she says helped to shape her voice. A series of other ‘90s MTV inspirations followed, namely Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” and Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One”. The power and drama from those songs and many others made music a lifelong passion for Kel, a dream that’s become real with the release of her first single.
The original sketch for “Hold You” evolved into the fully produced version with help from La Fabrica de Canciones, a songwriting school led by Colombian composer and producer Ale Jimenez. The production gives the song that slow jam vibe that powered hit pop songs in the ‘90s: Powerful vocals, emotional keys, and drums crashing underneath grooving guitars and bass, with everything coming together to tug at the heartstrings.
Kel shouts out Ale, Cami, and Kathe for their help producing the track, and knows that now that she’s caught the bug for creating music, she can’t just release one song. Therefore, you might want to keep an eye on Kel Cohen wherever you stream music. You might get a surprise song release by the end of the year.
For now, take a listen to “Hold You” and let it bring a little positivity into your life. I’m telling you, you could use some. We all do.
Written by Will Sisskind
