Cosplay US 01612

HERO IN ME Santana Cosplay and Cosplay ’ s New Nerd Anthem

TEXT BY TIFFANY PEGRAM

M usic that celebrates fandom has been around for decades, if not centuries. While these days the words “nerd rock” might immediately bring to mind artists like Kirby Krackle, Jonathan Coulton, and the Doubleclicks, there are other names you might know better that fall into that same category: They Might Be Giants, Weird Al Yankovic, and even Ben Folds Five. What really defines nerd rock, according to Kyle Stevens of Kirby Krackle in a 2013 Wired article, is “anything we are really passionate about, whether that be traditionally geeky subject matter or a song about how we’re really into tacos. In essence, they’re love songs directed to whatever we’re really passionate about.”* Santana Maynard, AKA Santana Cosplay, has now joined those ranks of musicians singing about their passion with her new album, Hero in Me. A long-time musician who has been performing since she was a child and has opened in Nashville for country music artists like Brad Paisley, Santana admits to always having had a nerdy side. “I love a lot of things. I love traveling, I love conventions, I love cosplay and anime and video games. I’m passionate about all of it,” she says. “This album is just the first time I’ve had a chance to make music about it.” Hero in Me features several songs about nerdy staples, including the titular song about finding the heroic traits in yourself and the rocking “Gamer Boy” as well as our favorite track, “Cosplaying Just For Me.” “[Cosplaying Just For Me] is all about just doing what you love and not letting anyone tell you that you can’t do it because you’re the wrong size or color or gender or whatever,” she says. “I’ve had friends who have been the target of hurtful comments like that, and it’s so toxic, I just wanted to write a song that gives people who have experienced that the boost they need to keep doing the

things they love.” Apparently that point of view is a popular one; when Santana and Flashbang Cosplay Capture decided to film the music video for the song at Katsucon 2017, everyone wanted in on the action, including well-known cosplayers like Yaya Han and Canvas Cosplay. We can’t blame them; it’s a great message of positivity. All lyrics in the album were written by Santana herself, and the music was put together by Ridgeline Productions (with special shoutouts to Jeff!) and recorded at Ocean Way studio in Nashville, TN. Check out Santana on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/SantanaCosplay, or pick up a copy of Hero in Me at www.cdbaby.com/cd/santanacosplay.

*Selinker, Mike (2013-01-08). “Geek Love: Kirby Krackle, The Doubleclicks, and the soul of nerd rock”. Wired.

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Image by: PhotosNXS