Edmonton, AB-based pop-rock singer-songwriter, Cole Merkosky has written the perfect proposal song with his new single, “Say Yes!”, even though he is not married yet.
“There’s something so joyful about agreeing to spend the rest of your life with someone, and I really think this song captures that,” Cole says.
Beginning with a bright organ and guitar strum, “Say Yes!” sounds like the ending to an over-the-top musical about a couple’s journey into marriage—think of a more rock n’ roll Mamma Mia with a bit of Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway.”
Cole’s powerful voice guides the song, somewhat reminiscent in tone and style to Pat Monahan of Train. Near the end of the track, a choir joins Cole, chanting “Say Yes, Say Yes.” This would be where everyone, including the crowd, sings together with the performance.
Check out “Say Yes!” below, and stay tuned for his four-song EP, Moments of a Lifetime, dropping this July. Until then, find out more about Cole via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi there! My name’s Cole Merkosky and I’m a singer/songwriter/guitar strummer from Edmonton! I’ve been playing music ever since I was young, but I got really got into writing and recording music a couple of years back!
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
I’d probably describe my music as mainly pop-rock. Most of my songs have some form of guitars on them, and I love having punchy drums as well! At the same time, I try to keep things pretty light and fun – I’m not turning up the gain knob up to 11 in most cases. I sometimes like to describe my music as “crank it up while driving down the highway” music
Lyrically, I tend to draw from experiences in my own life, and I try to keep things pretty relatable. But the biggest thing for me is that when you’re listening to a song, you’re most engaged when it’s telling a good story – and my life isn’t a movie! The stories that come from it tend to be fairly normal. Because of this, I find I work best when I use my life experiences as a jumping off point rather than direct inspiration. I can keep things relatable, while also telling a good story!
How have you been keeping creative during the Pandemic?
It’s definitely been challenging! Like I said, most of my songwriting comes from experiences in my life – and if you can’t go out and do things, there’s not much to experience! So for me, it’s challenged me to step out of my comfort zone a bit – for instance, trying to write songs that are more about internal emotions instead of external experiences – and there hasn’t been any shortage of weird and complex emotions to focus on during this period! While it certainly hasn’t been easy, and I can’t wait to start having those experiences again, it’s definitely helped me grow as a musician and songwriter!
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
“Say Yes!”, in a heartbeat. I’m certainly a bit biased, but it literally never ceases to put a smile on my face when it comes on, haha.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
In my genre, two bands that I really dig are Marianas Trench and The Faceplants! Outside of my genre, I’ve got a real soft spot for east coast music like Alan Doyle and The East Pointers!!