Coby comes to Britain courtesy of Boy George

By Lauren Krotosky - Thursday 22nd 2009f October 2009


Singer hailed as 'male Amy Winehouse'

When Coby Koehl sent Boy George a friend request on Facebook, he could never have predicted what would happen next. In a bid to garner some much needed publicity for himself with some constructive criticism on the side, the rising star contacted the Culture Club singer in the hope that he would reply. And not only did Boy George - real name George O'Dowd - respond, he liked New Yorker Coby's sound so much that he's now brought him over to the UK so that those on British shores can get a taste of his talent.

The gig in question will take place at the Proud Gallery in Camden on Tuesday and Coby couldn't be more excited about the pair's collaborative effort. "I think that it is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me," he enthuses. "I am thrilled to be sharing the stage with Boy George - he's such an icon."

Coby, 37, who lives on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, has even been compared to his idol. "People say I sound similar to him vocally, which is a huge compliment," he says. "I sent him some of my music and he emailed me back with his comments. He's been an incredible supporter of me."

He's also been described by some as 'the male Amy Winehouse'. "It is incredible," he says of the remark. "There could be worse people to be compared to! It is an amazing compliment and I would love to sing with her one day."

Already, he has seen his popularity sky-rocket, something he attributes to Boy George's influence in the music industry. "The feedback has been phenomenal, just incredible," he says as if he can't quite believe his luck. "Boy George has said some amazing things about me and my You Tube hits have gone up a hundred percent since then. He's such an amazing person, and didn't really know me but has done so much for me."

Coby says that he's been singing since the day he was born. "My parents said that I was singing before I even spoke!" he laughs. "I did a high school diploma in classical music, and that experience totally changed my life. I love jazz - Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald were a huge influence on me." However, his musical career almost took a different turn. "In my younger years, my mother wanted me to become a cantor and I did some training for it, but decided that it wasn't the path I wanted to take. But although not religious, I am very spiritual and I do sing about God in my songs. I feel blessed and I thank God for it every day."

By his own admission, he's not really a jazz singer. "I do soul, R&B and jazz," he clarifies. "I think that everything really starts from jazz and gospel. Pop, especially right now, is very jazz and gospel-inspired."

The nice thing about Coby is that he's refreshing. He has attitude and a strong sense of who he is. He's also extremely thankful to everyone who has helped him along the way so far, something that can be seen when I ask him about his musical inspirations and he's quick to mention his mentor. "Boy George's writing skills are just impeccable," he says. "I am also inspired by Marvin Gaye, Barbra Streisand and Shirley Bassey - believe it or not when I was four-years-old I used to stand in front of the mirror pretending to be Shirley!"

Now that Coby has come over to Blighty, he and Boy George will be working on an album together and he also has a song out on iTunes at the end of this month (the name of which can't be printed due to it being a profanity). "It is a dance record, and it has a great hook. It is basically venting your anger to someone who did you wrong. In my show, people always ask me to perform it twice. When I go back to New York, I have a whole bunch of gigs. I have had a lot of opportunities presented to me."

Coby plays the Proud Gallery, Camden, on 27 October. For details, call 020 7482 3867