The week Skillet’s new album “Rise” is released, frontman John Cooper will be keeping an eye on the self-titled debut from We As Human, which also arrives June 25. Cooper discovered the band and signed it to Hear It Loud, an imprint he launched with manager Zach Kelm and attorney Todd Rubenstein in partnership with Atlantic/Word Records.
“We covered two Skillet songs at our very first show,” We As Human frontman Justin Cordle says, adding that he “never thought in my craziest dreams” that the label to sign his band would be Cooper’s.
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For his part, Cooper confesses he never thought he’d start a label. “What I wanted to do is get my manager to manage them. I never wanted to be a label owner. I don’t really know what I’m doing,” he says with a laugh. “But I loved the band. Zach said, ‘I’ll do it if you’ll do it with me.’ He dragged me into this and I’m thrilled.”
Howard Benson produced the band’s debut album, which features guest vocals from Cooper and former Flyleaf singer Lacey Sturm. The singles “Strike Back” and “We Fall Apart” are being worked at rock and mainstream/adult top 40 radio formats, respectively.
“We’ll never be able to repay all of the things they have done for us,” Cordle says. “We’re looking forward to doing our third tour with them, the Carnival of Madness tour, and hope we keep touring together for years to come.”