The Cookout

I wrote The Cookout because I was feeling nostalgic thinking about my family’s cookouts. The food, the music, everybody talking, laughing, dancing, and just being together. Those are memories that stay with you.

I didn’t want to just make a song about a cookout. I wanted to make the song you actually play at the cookout, where somebody says, “Come on, let’s dance,” and everybody starts moving. I encourage you to check it out. Who knows, it just might make it to your cookout.

The Cookout is really about family, community, and those moments when everybody comes together. You have multiple generations and different personalities all in the same place, everybody doing their own thing, but somehow the food and the music bring everybody together.

For me, the song is about holding on to that feeling and sharing that energy with you. You don’t have to know every step or be the best dancer. Just get up, catch the energy, and enjoy the moment.

I wanted The Cookout to feel fast, soulful, and made to move to. It sits around 134 BPM with a strong dance groove, line-dance movement, disco energy, and percussion influenced by African and Latin rhythms.

This is my version of the cookout dance. The steps are there to pull you in and get you moving, but the music still has room to breathe and let everybody bring their own energy to it.