Vancouver Multi-Threat Entertainer Cory Lee To Release New Album

Youthink chats with Degrassi actress/songwriter Cory Lee about her upcoming album.

Vancouver singer/actress Cory Lee is perhaps best known for her acting talents, starring as Karma in the TV series Instant Star and as teacher Ms. Oh in Degrassi. But that doesn’t mean her musical resumé isn’t loaded with accomplishments as well! Since her hit The Naughy Song back in 2005, Lee’s music career has also been on a steady rise. And her third album will showcase her latest hit single, Best Shot, featuring international reggae-rapper Shaggy. Youthink recently got the chance to catch up with Lee about her career – past, present and future.
 
YT: You've been singing since you were eight years old. When did it occur to you that you wanted to perform as a career?
CL: I started singing in musical theatre and a couple years after I started singing, I had the opportunity to be in a pretty big musical: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat… Donny Osmond was the star at the time. And it just really resonated with me, like performing every night at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre [in Vancouver] for thousands of people, it was amazing. And I just [thought], “I can't do anything else with my life. This is where I belong.”
 
YT: Since your first single, The Naughty Song, in 2005, how would you say your music has evolved and how will that evolution be reflected on your new album?
CL: I feel like every album that I've done is kind of like a snapshot of where I was in my life at the time. And the first album, it was like I was just kinda running the ropes, figuring out my songwriting skills. So even though I love The Naughty Song, and it obviously has a special place in my heart because it really opened the doors for me, I definitely feel like my writing has gotten a lot stronger.
 
YT: How have you been able to improve your songwriting?
CL: I've definitely been blessed to work with a lot of big songwriters, and I feel like when you're given those opportunities, you try and suck it up, like a sponge. And just like anything, practice makes perfect - not that you can ever be perfect at songwriting - but the more you do it, the more you use that muscle, it gets better. I just came back from New York and I was working with a really big songwriter there, her name's Angela Hunte. She wrote Empire State of Mind for… Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, and that was a really cool experience.
 
YT:  For your single, Best Shot, you worked with Shaggy. What was that experience like?
CL: You know what? I honestly never got to meet Shaggy because he is currently promoting an album and he's so busy. So we sent him the song, he said he loved it and wanted to jump on. And then he literally did his part in - I think it was Jamaica 'cause he has a bunch of houses and studios - so I never got to work with him, but I have to say he was very fast. I think we sent it to him on like a Friday and then on Monday morning he sent us back the vocals.
 
YT:  Have you ever met him before?
CL: No, I never have! I never have met him, but right now there's a video in the works and he's agreed to be in the video, so I'm hoping schedules work out because he's crazy busy and I'm crazy busy, but right now that's what we're aiming for.
 
YT: When deciding to collaborate with another artist on a song, what sorts of things do you consider to ensure that you are choosing the right artist?
CL: Oh, that's an interesting question. For me, honestly it's a, “Do I like the artist?" I feel like that's really what it should all boil down to, you know? And, “Do I think the people that like Cory Lee would enjoy that collaboration?”

YT: You’re described as a multi-threat. How do you balance the singing/songwriting/acting/dancing?
CL: You can't do everything, all the time, at once – like one has to take the lead. Like when I'm onset on Degrassi, I'm obviously fully there, all my attention is there. But at lunchtime, I'll probably make some music calls or whatever, maybe at night I'll have to go to an event. Some days I'll concentrate more on acting, and some days I'll concentrate more on music. Right now we're on a little bit of a break from Degrassi so I'm focusing on promoting Best Shot and the upcoming album, so it's perfect timing.

YT: Speaking of Degrassi, how are you enjoying working on the show?
CL: I had done another series, Instant Star, with the same [television production] company and that was just such an amazing experience. And when that was done I was really sad. So when I found out I got the role on Degrassi, not only was it an awesome role in an awesome show, but it was going back to work with all the same people that I knew and loved from before. So I probably cried for like a day. Like, honestly, going there is such a joy, everyone is so nice, down to like the crew and everyone is handpicked to be a team player, which is not always the case onset.
 
YT: Where would you like to see your acting career in the future?
CL: I mean, I definitely would like to do some American features – that would be on the top of my acting list. But I love Degrassi! It's going strong – we're already renewed for another season so I'm super intrigued because the writers are so good, always coming up with cool, different storylines. Right now I'm super pumped to see where they're going to take my character next season.
 
YT:  What is your ultimate goal in the entertainment industry?
CL: I'm so lucky that currently I'm living my goal. I wanted to be acting with awesome people on an awesome show and be promoting another album so from here obviously I want the album to do really well, that would be the cherry on the top. But making a living at what I really love to do is my ultimate goal.
 
YT:  What have been some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned over the years about what it takes to succeed in the music industry?
CL: Hard work. Perseverance. If I had a dollar for everyone that didn't believe in me, I would be rich. So I say keep going. Knock on every door, do whatever you can and just keep going. In Vancouver, I knew some amazing, amazing singers that wanted to be recording artists, but they lacked the drive. So keep going, keep working hard, that's the biggest and most important thing. And then I would say get people involved in your career that you believe in and trust, that can help elevate you because you can't do everything yourself, you really can't. As an artist you need a team around you, for sure. You need either a label that really wants to push you or a manager. People don't realize that with every artist, there's a huge team behind them, pushing them, helping them.