Cozi Anda Flounder is a self-described cosmic country / Americana-ish outfit. The father (Ezra) and daughter (Cozi) songwriting duo surround themselves with a group of lifelong music friends.

NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?

Cozi: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, Lenard Cohen, Norah Jones etc. A lot of ’60s -’70s folk/Americana 

Ezra: Basically the same artists. That was my parent’s music that became my music, then Cozi’s … minus Norah 

What inspired you to become a songwriter?

Cozi: I had grown up watching my dad write songs. I would often wake up to him excited to show me and my mom a new song he had written that morning. I didn’t put much thought into becoming a songwriter it just came naturally. 

Ezra: The same, my Mom and Dad (Cozi’s grandparents) are also songwriters, so I grew up listening to them behind the walls as I went to sleep. They wrestled with songs late into the night. And when I woke up, they would play them all morning. The process was mesmerizing; like some kind of magic. I wanted to be that kind of magician. What is the first song you wrote that you were really proud of?

Cozi: I wrote my first real song when I was 11 years old on the ukulele. I was going through some troubles so I decided to play around on my ukulele, and the melody and words just came. My dad helped me finish it. I was so proud and wanted to show everyone. 

Ezra: I was grim in early songwriting. I pretty much hated all my songs until I got much older and kinder to myself. They never turned out the way I imagined they could. So, my first song I was proud of was much later in life. The first one that I remember thinking, “You finally wrote a real damn song,” was in my late 30s. It was called “Song Before I Go,” and oddly, I never officially released it. I’m just happy it exists. It’s somewhere on YouTube. 

If you could partner with another living songwriter to co-write a song, who would it be?

Cozi: Most definitely Bob Dylan! He is the greatest songwriter that has ever walked the earth in my opinion. He is one of my biggest musical idols next to Dad.

Ezra: This is a total cop out, but true. At this time, I wouldn’t want to write with anyone but Cozi. We now have a mountain of songs we’re trying to finish and I’m starting to sound like a Dad, I guess.

What attracted you to submit your song(s) to the NewSong Competition?

Ezra: I don’t submit to many contests, but NewSong music seemed like something very different than the ones we have been part of. It felt, from what I have seen over the years in newsletters, that it could be a more intimate musical experience that we would remember for years to come.

Do you have any recent or forthcoming projects to tell us about?

Ezra: We do. We have a new EP that is almost complete with the same producer, Aaron Thomas. The debut EP, The Place, was recorded almost live in a few weekends, whereas on this new recording, we got to sit in our studio and play with the ideas, so it’s a little bit of an experiment for us. An exploration.