Artist

Alma Cook

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Alma Cook is a singer-songwriter whose work draws from pop, neosoul, folk, and spoken word traditions. Originally from Wisconsin, she spent her early career in Chicago and Los Angeles before a left-turn opportunity pulled her to Williston, North Dakota—a northern town better known for the oil and gas industry than for indie music.

Cook’s early work, including her 2014 album <a href="spotify:album:4oRFPi8lRY4ijHNFRFrQaw" data-name="Tactics">Tactics</a>, drew quiet but wide-ranging attention for its lyrical clarity and vocal command, earning airplay on several international stations. Since then, her releases have arrived sporadically but deliberately: “<a href="spotify:track:0Tkovqlph83W7lVUZGi6DO" data-name="Hearsay">Hearsay</a>” takes shots at public shaming well before a term like “cancel culture” entered the lexicon; songs like “<a href="spotify:album:2EJwpa5PQ7i5oqoICwl5gD" data-name="So Close">So Close</a>” and “<a href="spotify:album:2b3MmE6ROetUhlgaYNIDRI" data-name="Bobby">Bobby</a>” read as compact character studies about the one that got away; “<a href="spotify:album:49rgvTsjC0jme6uDGn0wTE" data-name="Long Division">Long Division</a>” lands dry jokes about an airhead girlfriend. Then, in 2022, the “<a href="spotify:album:3GxdJWndiZGWgbX6I3ZQ4g" data-name="5000 Candles">5000 Candles</a>” music video showcased real-life, everyday faces from North Dakota, attracting attention from the national press, state officials, and business leaders.

Living hundreds of miles from traditional music industry centers, Cook spends most of her time sowing into her local music scene. In Williston, she gigs often, organizes citywide pop/rock workshops, and runs an open mic for younger performers who have few all-ages outlets. This version of “making it” is not what you’d find on most singers’ vision boards, but it suits her: less noise, more room to listen, and songs that feel lived-in rather than marketed.

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