Generation ROC: 17-year-old musician shines bright on stages across Rochester
'Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves, and I really find joy and peace, happiness (when) singing and writing music,' Cora explains to News 8's Mikhaela Singleton.
Cora says her passion started young, watching The Sound of Music as a child then writing her very first song at the age of nine.
'I remember I ran downstairs to show my mom, and she was like oh my gosh! Just so excited for me and (my parents) said well we have to get her into music classes,' Cora remembers.
'The song is called 'I Was a Fool'. I didn't even spell 'dumb' write in the lyrics—that's how young I was,' she reminisces while flipping through her songbook which now holds more than 60 of her creations.
Emblazoned on the cover to 'dream big', Cora shares she looks at the front of her songbook for inspiration and jots down any feeling she has that inspires her. Sometimes finding that inspiration in the most unusual of places.
'Voice memos are my savior, I use those a lot. I remember one time, there was some construction at my school and one of the big machines was backing up and I heard the 'beep, beep'. I recorded it on my phone, then went home and played it on the piano. It gave me this kinda spooky vibe and I just let myself freestyle,' she recalls.
Once her parents enrolled her in classes at ROC Star Academy, Cora started trying a little bit of everything, including recording and stagework. The founder of the academy, world-renowned Daughtry bandmember Elvio Fernandes, and his talented staff of instructors encouraged Cora to branch out from going solo.
'Being in a band has kind of broken me out a little bit, and I was always really shy performing solo. After performing with a band behind you, it's a lot less pressure. Kind of loosening up. I've then loosened up when performing solo,' she explains. 'I also used to be very stubborn about my songs—like I wrote it this way, it has to stay this way—but I listened to their suggestions and ended up loving it.'
Joining two performance bands through ROC Star Academy—Theory of Everything and Controversy—Cora took to the stage enthusiastically with her bandmates performing at Lilac Fest and several local events. Her blossoming confidence led her to open mic nights and her name began to spread through the music scene.
It was ultimately a conversation in a grocery store between one of the open mic organizers and a local pro band performer that kickstarted Cora to be scouted for It's My Party—a 60's cover band that's been entertaining the Rochester community for more than 40 years.
'It's like the best feeling ever to be introduced to new artists because of something that I myself have achieved and allows me to work with other people,' Cora says.
True to form, she's adding even more to her repertoire by forming a professional duo with a friend titled Cora and Liam, and performing some of Cora's original songs. She says she hopes to continue entertaining anyone who will love her music.
'I know music has a really big impact on people. Music has helped me through so many hard situations. I want people to have that uplifting feeling just by listening to one of my songs. That would really just complete my life,' she concludes.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Screen Geek
02-07-2025
- Screen Geek
Rachel Zegler Reportedly In Talks For 'The Sound Of Music'
Rachel Zegler might be taking on another big role in the near future. After appearing in major films including Steven Spielberg's West Side Story and Marc Webb's Snow White , Rachel Zegler is now said to be reportedly in talks for The Sound of Music . As of this writing, these talks have yet to be officially confirmed, but according to a new report, she's in talks to play the lead role in a stage production of the iconic story. Specifically, if Zegler were chosen for the part, it's said to be the role that Julie Andrews originated. The news comes from Deadline – and while we're waiting for more concrete information, the outlet does note that Zegler does perform on stage as much as she does in film. In fact, she's currently involved with a stage production of Evita at the London Palladium, where she plays the part of Eva Peron. In fact, the outlet adds that 'she is in talks to continue her Evita work on Broadway in 2027,' so she seems to be having a great run with the stage at this time. It would make sense, then, that she'd also be wanted for The Sound of Music , so perhaps we'll have more information in the near future. Otherwise, Zegler recently came off the release of Snow White , the long-awaited live-action adaptation of Disney's animated classic. However, due to various controversies including Zegler's own involvement in the feature, it seems to have flopped at the box office. While she suffered this hiccup regarding her theatrical work, Zegler still seems eager to perform as she continues working on the stage. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Rachel Zegler and her future roles as we have them, including whether or not she receives the part for The Sound of Music as Maria von Trapp.
Cosmopolitan
30-06-2025
- Cosmopolitan
Read Christine Pride's ‘All the Men I've Loved Again' Excerpt
Love triangles have never gone out of style, but it seems like they're absolutely everywhere nowadays. Celine Song has us constantly freaking out over them thanks to Past Lives and her latest, Materialists. Then there's obviously the Challengers phenomenon last year. Oh, and who can forget one of the bigggest book debates of all time: Team Edward and Team Jacob?! But now Christine Pride coming in and changing things up by asking the question: can time really teach us what we really want? Cosmopolitan has an exclusive look at Christine Pride's All the Men I've Loved Again, set to be released on July 8, 2025. In her solo debut, we follow Cora who is getting a sense of deja-vu when the two men that she couldn't decide between back in her 20s are suddenly back and very interested 20 years later. Now in her forties, will time and second chances help her figure out what she's looking for in love? Here's some more info from our friends at Atria: Ready to jump into Cora's wild love story? Read an exclusive excerpt below! Just don't forget to pre-order All the Men I've Loved Again and check out Christine's previous releases as well! An Excerpt From All the Men I've Loved AgainBy Christine Pride but it's who you give your heart to that's going to make all the difference. Make that choice carefully, baby girl.' God, how she's trying. Lincoln. Aaron. Lincoln. Aaron. Lincoln. Aaron. 'Have you decided?' The manicurist's voice snaps Cora out of her agonizing, even if at first she thinks this stranger is demanding an answer about her love life. 'She'll have this one.' Neisha thrusts a bottle of neon-blue nail polish at the woman. The color, Gotta Do Blue, is way outside Cora's comfort zone of vari- ous shades of neutral, mauve if she's feeling wild, but she's happy—grateful even—to defer to her best friend on this decision and most things. Cora can count the times she's said no to Neisha throughout the entirety of their twenty-year friendship on two hands. So she nods, and they follow the manicurist to two plush pink chairs that face a boardwalk of sorts. Only in Los Angeles can you get your nails done in front of a bank of open floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sun-dappled expanse of the ocean and let the breeze dry your polish. Every time she visits Neisha, who moved across the country to this land of hikes and eternal sunshine and boba tea ten years ago, Cora wonders if the wildly erratic East Coast seasons she tells herself she loves are overrated. It's three days before Christmas and seventy degrees; it feels so good and so wrong. When they're settled into their chairs, and the opportunity presents itself, Cora finally spills. She tells Neisha everything. It takes six minutes, half of what it would have taken if she'd talked in a normal cadence and not a breathless rush. There was another full minute of silence while Nei- sha held her hand up in the air. 'Not another word, I need to process.' Then. 'Okay, well, I gotta say, this is a curveball I did not see coming.' Neisha sucks her teeth and then adds a shake of the head to make sure there's no question about the level of her disbelief. They both know she's referring to the fact that Cora Rose Belle is about the last person you'd expect to find in a reality-show-worthy love triangle. And twice. 'It's the déjà vu that gets me. How did you up and do this again?' Cora doesn't bother trying to summon an answer she doesn't have be- cause Neisha plows right on along, happy not to have her usual animated monologues interrupted. 'Why does everything need to keep coming back around? Chokers. These biker shorts I probably have no business being in. What's next? Shai reuniting for a comeback album? Actually, I wouldn't be mad at that. Re- member how fine that Garfield was? Too fine for that silly-ass name. Is he even alive still? Sad I have to keep googling to see if folks are dead or not. RIP, DMX. We old . . . anyhoo, back to you. I mean, who knew our little Cora could be so damn messy?' Over the top as ever, Neisha suddenly grabs a thick nail file and pre- tends it's a microphone. 'And now, on tonight's final episode of The Love Triangle, we'll find out . . . which man will win Cora Belle's heart?' She imitates a knockoff Chris Harrison (calling to mind their many Bachelor marathons over the years) and waits for Cora to laugh. Neisha is the kind of friend who routinely forces Cora to act out pivotal scenes from The Color Purple, but right now it's too much. The stakes are too high. Who will Cora choose? It's a question days, months, years, decades in the making; all the history and memories and regret and second guesses have accumulated like the infinite particles of nail dust coating the salon, everywhere you look and just as impossible to wipe clean. Cora turns to look at Neisha, whose eyes are boring into hers. The soft wrinkles sprouting around those eyes and the fullness that's crept into her friend's face often catch Cora off guard, same as the marks the years have made on her own face sometimes do, which makes for the occasional jarring moment when she catches her reflection and thinks, Wait, is that really me? But all Cora has to do is squint sideways at Neisha to see the reed-thin girl who bounded into their freshman bio study group with a purple Afro and a family-size pack of Chips Ahoy cookies tucked under her arm. She'd plopped down next to Cora, neither of them aware that two decades later, they'd still be sitting side by side, having witnessed every part of the other's journey to this point—a whole lifetime. 'Do I need to dig out a quarter? 'Cause you might as well flip a coin. But you need to do something. Like yesterday. You can't keep stringing that man along—he's about to ask you to marry him, Cora!' Leave it to Neisha to make everything seem easier than it actually is. Or maybe it's that Cora makes everything harder than it needs to be— that's entirely possible. Cora thinks of the email sitting in her drafts folder, the one she wrote and rewrote, then deleted and started again from scratch. Her heart be- gins to pound so hard, she suspects the woman applying polish with such care can feel the pulsing in her fingertips. The pounding escalates when Cora thinks of the gold floor-length dress she's already bought—well, borrowed from Rent the Runway—to wear Thursday night. She'll show up in it or she won't. She'll send the email or she won't. But time is running out either way. Finally, Neisha abandons her attempts to be glib or stern and shifts her whole body toward Cora. 'Okay, sis, real talk. What's it going to take for you to decide once and for all?' That's the problem—she doesn't know. All Cora has at her disposal is her so-called maturity. She is, after all, staring down forty, a grown-ass lady who should be able to follow her gut, make up her mind about nail polish colors, and decide who she should spend the rest of her life with. But trusting herself has never been one of Cora's strong suits, even after the self-help books and therapy, all the auditing, healing, self-care, and that one hot-yoga class that almost killed her, which did, at least, make it something of a spiritual experience. She gazes at the Pacific laid out before her like a glittery blue blanket. Watching the waves slows her heart and her breathing as if they're trying to match the rhythm of the ocean. Maybe it's the exact way the light glints against the water that pierces her with a sudden clarity. Or maybe it's the way Neisha put it: It's not who she will choose, but how. It starts to dawn on Cora that she's been going at it all wrong. To know where you're going, you have to understand where you've been. It was another well-worn piece of advice from her father—ever the history teacher. 'You know, I have all the letters Aaron wrote me back then.' 'Damn, I really hate that the early aughts was 'back then,' and I hate that word too, aughts. Who came up with that? But, yeah, no surprise you kept the letters.' 'No, I mean I have them with me. Here.' Cora looks down at the canvas tote at her feet, bulging with the past. 'You packed a pile of letters?' 'Yeah, I've been meaning to read them again. I just haven't been able to go there.' 'I hear that. Do you think Aaron kept the ones you wrote him too? Probably stored in some old Birkenstocks shoebox?' Neisha has cracked herself up and is unfazed by Cora's glare. 'What! I mean, a Black dude wearing Birkenstocks? Come on. Guess he pulled it off, though, because here we are.' 'Oh God, Neisha, I hate to think of rereading my letters. I can't even imagine how young and naive I sounded.' 'I sure can! I was there! Remember, I was the one who convinced you that you wouldn't die of toxic shock syndrome if you dared use a tampon?' The manicurist has to wait for Neisha to stop laughing or risk slathering polish all over her cuticles. 'But, hey, I'm not one to talk. We were all young and dumb. I mean, that time I broke my hand Rollerblading . . . drunk? Oh, let's not forget Kim's Lisa Bonet phase? That girl, I tell you.' A wistful somberness creeps in when Neisha says That girl, so subtle only Cora would notice it, and she does but just barely because she's lost in thought. A revelation, really. I have to go backward before I can go forward. That's how she'll get the answers she needs. She must relive it all, retrace her steps—their steps, really, hers and Aaron's and Lincoln's—and it will help her find the way. Like a turn-of-the-century explorer painstakingly cataloging miles of waterways and inlets to locate the source of a river, driven by faith that these discoveries will have broader implications and tangible applications. Her own trip down memory lane will surely reveal something important about how the world—and her heart—works. It will offer a map leading her straight to the right man, the right life, the right choice. 'You know what? What's past is prologue, Ne-ne.' Again, Cora barely registers what Neisha mumbles: 'Ah, shit, you're over here dropping some vague Shakespeare mumbo jumbo? If anything, you need to be summoning Oprah right about now . . . or Jesus.' She doesn't—can't—respond because she's already floating years and miles away. Cora Belle has gone back to the beginning. Copyright © 2025 by Christine Pride. From All the Men I've Loved Again by Christine Pride. Reprinted by permission of Atria Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All the Men I've Loved Again, by Christine Pride will be released on July 8, 2025. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice: AMAZON AUDIBLE BARNES & NOBLE BOOKS-A-MILLION BOOKSHOP APPLE BOOKS KOBO TARGET WALMART POWELL'S BOOKS HUDSON BOOKSELLERS GOOGLE PLAY
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sexual assault and drink driving – cosy crime but not as we know it
A puzzle-setter turns sleuth in a quirky British crime series. Stop me if you think you've heard this one before. Murder Most Puzzling is trying to be Ludwig, which was a hit for the BBC last year. But it's a pale imitation. While that one was a five-star treat starring David Mitchell, this one is a two-star rip-off starring Phyllis Logan. The missteps start as soon as we are introduced to her character, Cora Felton. Cora is The Puzzle Lady, a crossword compiler whose job has made her so famous that she has her own range of biscuits and TV adverts. Let's not pause to ponder how unlikely that is. She is called in to investigate the case of a young woman found murdered in a churchyard, with a mysterious crossword clue in her pocket. Unfortunately, Cora can't make head nor tail of the clue when she first sees it because she's still sozzled from the night before. When we first meet her, she is passed out at the wheel of her car after a spot of drink-driving. Drink-driving? Really? We're supposed to find this quirkily amusing, but it strikes the wrong tone right away. It's a sign that the show doesn't quite know what it's supposed to be. This is cosy crime, yet having someone at a town hall meeting ask if the murder victim was sexually assaulted belongs in a grittier police drama. At least the mystery is wrapped up in a feature-length episode rather than being dragged out. The show is based on a book series by Parnell Hall and the failings of the TV series are odd because its writer, Dominique Moloney is a veteran of Father Brown and The Sister Boniface Mysteries. Some bits do conform to the cosy crime template: jaunty music, a picturesque setting in the fictional market town of Bakerbury (it's Lisburn in Northern Ireland), and the odd silly character, such as the blustering mayor in a cravat who runs the local police force. The programme's saving graces are the three lead performances. Logan, best known as Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey, is a safe pair of hands and does her best with the material. Charlotte Hope is a bright spot as Cara's niece and right-hand-woman, Sherry. And Adam Best is, well, the best thing here as DCI Derek Hooper, who has never worked a murder case before and reluctantly turns to Cora for help. There is a twist halfway through relating to Cora's job, and if you didn't see it coming then I'm afraid your sleuthing skills are a little below par. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
