Coco Hames

Coco Hames released her self-titled debut on Merge Records on March 31, 2016.

As the singer, songwriter, frontwoman, and indomitable force behind beloved garage-pop combo The Ettes, Coco Hames blazed a memorable trail across the ’00s underground. The proverbial “little band that could,” the group would record five critically acclaimed albums, establish a fervent international fan base, and tour extensively with everyone from Kings of Leon to the Go-Go’s, the Black Keys to the Dead Weather. Leading a gypsy existence, the Ettes variously called Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Madrid home, before finally settling in Nashville in 2008.

A Florida native and once-aspiring Disney kid, Hames had found salvation and what should’ve been a satisfying success in rock ’n’ roll: packed concerts, TV appearances, and soundtrack placements. But after nearly a decade together, the idealized notion of the band was crumbling around her. Her marriage to Ettes bassist Jem Cohen ended in divorce (though their songwriting partnership would survive). Her own health had suffered—after years of battling confounding symptoms on tour, Hames was finally diagnosed with Ménière’s disease, a rare inner-ear disorder (which she now manages successfully).

Though well-ensconced in her new life and seeming retirement from the stage, Hames eventually, perhaps inevitably, was pulled towards music again. It was songwriting—the creative wellspring that had hooked her initially—that brought her back to the business. Her ballad “My Baby Tonight” was selected to soundtrack a key scene during the first season of ABC’s country drama Nashville. Soon after, she was asked to pen a girl-power rock anthem for Disney’s animated series Wander Over Yonder.