Former Nashville Artist of the Month Corook seems to be stuck in a cycle of online bullying. In 2023, they went viral for making a song in response to online trolls. And now, after announcing their tour, Corook’s anti-LGBTQI bullies are louder and more threatening than ever. Even though Corook continues to stand up to the internet haters, the gay, nonbinary artist does not welcome this fight.
A couple of years ago, Corook found themselves scrolling though the hateful, bigoted comments under a video they released. Then they did the one thing everyone tells you not to do, they responded — with the song “If I Were a Fish,” recorded with their partner and fellow singer-songwriter Olivia Barton. It was a massive success.
The radiant positivity of Corook’s response to toxic online hate launched the song into virality. It was so popular it spun off into a children’s book and a nationwide headlining tour. In November, they announced the tour with a video on Instagram that featured a clip of an unreleased song.
A post shared by corook (@hicorook)
Here’s what happened next, according to Corook and Barton.
Corook: “The song specifically is an incredibly joyful song about being nonbinary. It’s called “THEY.” The video was immediately pushed into a community of people that obviously do not subscribe to that. Who are very against the trans community and the nonbinary community. They did not like the song and they did not like me and were incredibly loud about it.
Olivia Barton: “I think you said, ‘It’s happening again.'”
Corook: “I posted it maybe in the afternoon at noon and by 6 p.m. I deleted Instagram because if I keep it on my phone I will just look at it.”
But the video kept going. Over the next few days it got over a million views and 600,000 shares. Some of it was genuine excitement from fans, but there were many comments and DMs that were threatening.
Corook: “The violence within the messages was alarming. Especially because it’s a tour announcement. I am telling them where I am going to be and when I am going to be there.”
Olivia Barton: “You cried a lot.”
But the hate did not stop them. The joy that Corook has for being themselves is the top note of their personality and it is what makes their music so genuine. That joy also can also feel threatening.
Corook: “I think I scare people. That I am excited to be nonbinary. I think that that’s…scary.”
But Corook cannot accept that the answer to their bullying is to be less joyous. So, they respond to the bullies, which starts the cycle over again. In the face of the threats, Corook decided to get back on Instagram.
Corook: “It hit me, like, nobody is advertising my tour. The only tour video that is doing anything right now is being pushed to the wrong people, so I need to get back on there and take back my power and get my audience back.”
Olivia Barton: “You keep making things out of it, which is beautiful, but I’m kind of like, when do you just not have to deal with it at all?”
Corook: “I’m just gonna say this, I’m not gonna stop being trans. I’m not going to stop being nonbinary. I’m not going to stop making music. I’m not gonna stop being online. I might take a break for my mental health, but I’m not going anywhere. They can’t hate me away.”
Corook will be at Basement East on Sunday, March 16th.