cozy you
A 22-year-old who learned to hold a room by playing Frank Sinatra for retirement homes, recorded his debut EP as a college final project, and invented a genre called cozy pop. aron! is not like anything else out right now — and that is entirely the point.
aron! is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and producer whose debut EP cozy you (and other nice songs) arrived on Verve Records — a label with deep jazz roots and a legacy that could swallow a lesser artist whole. He did not flinch. The EP is a warm, witty, and genuinely moving collection of songs that pulls from 1940s jazz without sounding like a museum piece, blending vintage chord voicings and classic romantic storytelling with the kind of self-aware, emotionally honest lyricism that belongs entirely to right now.
He calls his sound “cozy pop.” The name is disarmingly simple and completely accurate. These are songs for staying in, for feeling something, for the kind of quiet evening that turns out to be memorable. Lead single “table for two” — a playful, gently vulnerable track about wondering if you’re being stood up — became an introduction to an artist who knows how to hold humor and heartbreak in the same breath without either one canceling the other out.
The EP was recorded at the University of Miami studios with his classmates and submitted as his senior final project. He has since followed it with a cozy christmas, a three-track holiday EP featuring original material, a lush arrangement of Frank Sinatra’s “mistletoe and holly,” and a duet with fellow artist Hohnen Ford. We sat down with aron! to talk through all of it.
“Cozy is my ideal state. Usually wherever I am I’d love to be there but with a blanket and maybe a little pillow.”
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Your EP is called cozy you (and other nice songs) — what does the word “cozy” mean to you, both musically and personally?
aron!
“cozy” is my ideal state. usually wherever i am i’d love to be there but with a blanket and maybe a little pillow. musically “cozy” means the chord A9(#5) — it’s all over this ep.
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“Table for Two” feels light and romantic but also a little vulnerable — what inspired that specific story and mood? Have you ever actually been stood up?
aron!
I like it when songs strike the balance between fun and vulnerable, having both i think makes the song more meaningful! I haven’t really ever been stood up, but there’s still time.
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You’ve described your songs as “little vignettes” from your life. Is there a particular track on the EP that feels most personal or revealing?
aron!
Yes! “eggs in the morning” is the most personal nonfiction song. Everything that happened in that song happened a couple nights before i wrote it — except for the eggs part. Nobody made me eggs.
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The video for “Table for Two” is so playful and cinematic. Can you tell us how the concept came together and what it was like filming around LA with a roaming table?
aron!
I wanted this music video to be more than acting out the story of the song so the director came in with this great idea to have me on a moving table through the streets of LA. I thought that sounded like fun.
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You blend jazz, pop, and singer-songwriter influences so seamlessly. How do you approach genre when writing songs — do you think about it or just follow the vibe?
aron!
Genre is a thing i used to worry about more when i was younger. As i’ve written more songs, i now focus more on what i’m trying to say and whatever genre it ends up being is alright with me.
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You studied jazz voice and film scoring at the University of Miami — how do your academic roots in music shape the sound of this EP?
aron!
This EP was recorded while i was entering my senior year at University of Miami and was recorded in the school recording studio with all my friends at college. Technically this EP was my final project.
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There’s something timeless about your music — it nods to vintage romance but feels modern. Who are some of your biggest musical or non-musical inspirations?
aron!
Some of my biggest inspirations are Bob Dylan, Nelson Riddle, Jim Carrey, and Kurt Vonnegut for his storytelling.
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You’ve said you used to perform Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra songs for retirement homes. How did those early performances shape your connection to music and audience?
aron!
Because of the sheer amount of times i played at retirement homes, i got to wrap my head around the idea of how to make a show engaging and fun. It was also awesome to have them all remember the words to songs almost 100 years old.
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You’ve built a strong online following and now you’re making your debut on Verve Records. What’s surprised you most about this journey from indie artist to signed act?
aron!
It is funny to me how externally it seems like everything has changed — i’m constantly traveling and playing music now, a very big gift. But on the inside i play music pretty much the same as i did before i was signed to Verve and before i had an online following. Hopefully i’m a little better now though.
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What’s the perfect setting for someone to experience this EP the way you’d want them to?
aron!
I am done with Gilmore Girls now — i finished about a month ago. Now the new thing is to listen to the cozy christmas EP with earl grey tea with honey and oat milk and dark chocolate digestives.
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What can you share about the vibe of the Christmas EP and how it connects to your cozy sound?
aron!
The idea with this project was to take the cozy you sound and add in strings and flutes and clarinets because i love those instruments and i love christmas.
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Are there any classic holiday songs you reinterpreted, or is it all original music? What was your favorite track to record?
aron!
“mistletoe and holly” is a cover, but “mother i’ll be late” might have been my favorite to record. Seeing the string arrangement for that come alive was really really cool.
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If you had to pick one holiday tradition to describe your Christmas EP, what would it be?
aron!
Choo choo train around the Christmas tree!
