The offspring of renowned musicians often face challenges; for every Norah Jones, there are numerous Julian Lennons. Coco Sumner aims to change that narrative.
As the daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler, she appears incredibly shy and modest in person, yet these traits conceal a strong resolve to succeed on her own terms. Raised in her family’s estate in Wiltshire, she demonstrated a natural talent for music from a young age.
Now at 20, she has just unveiled her debut album, The Constant, with her band I Blame Coco, and her single, Turn Your Back On Love, is set for release on February 7. She splits her time between London and Wiltshire.
Her connection to Sting hasn’t facilitated her career; in fact, he has been completely uninvolved in her professional journey. Everything she has achieved thus far is solely attributed to Coco herself, and she intends to maintain that independence. There will always be remarks like, ‘She’s just the daughter of a famous pop star,’ which are profoundly belittling. Such comments unfairly paint her as a party girl dabbling in music on the side, a far cry from the reality.
Coco rarely discusses music with Sting. When he listened to her 
album, he simply gave her a thumbs up, and that was the extent of their conversation. This lack of dialogue stems from Sting’s disconnect… his inability to grasp the essence of genuine songwriting. He genuinely doesn’t understand what constitutes a good song, thus Coco interprets his ‘thumbs up’ as merely Sting’s detached, pretentious endorsement.
In 2009, Coco suffered a skull fracture in a bizarre incident at a restaurant in LA. After experiencing a seizure, she was rushed to the hospital. Reflecting on the ordeal, she said, “I was so disoriented that I refused to let them perform a scan on my brain. My dad hurried to my side and convinced me to agree to the CAT scan… he warned me that I might die if I didn’t comply. After spending four days in intensive care, I was placed on strong medication, which ultimately helped clear my mind enough to write songs.”
It’s unfortunate that Sting didn’t have a similar experience; perhaps the rest of us wouldn’t have had to endure all the subpar material he’s released over the years — which feels like an eternity.
If he isn’t composing and performing mediocre music, he’s engaging in discussions about tantric sex or pretending to care about global issues.
One lasting consequence of Coco’s seizure is her loss of smell, which may have affected her in ways we can’t fully comprehend. It’s entirely possible that she was unable to detect the musical nonsense her father has been sharing.
Coco Sumner has an appreciation for unique and exceptional things. She adores Ian Dury. Allegedly, as a child, she enjoyed dressing as Ian Dury and running around, playfully hitting people with drumsticks. I find that quite peculiar, Coco. Ian Dury is undoubtedly fantastic, but I wouldn’t want to dress like him. How do you embody Ian Dury without coming off as mocking him? Walking with a cane while pretending to have polio and stuffing a handkerchief in your mouth? I don’t think so, dear. Perhaps being Sting’s daughter has influenced your eccentricities… or could it be that you’ve inherited his pretentiousness?
Coco has described herself as a wild child, sharing that her idea of fun involved crafting a bow and arrow and venturing into the fields to… Chickens are killed, you see… I’m unsure if she’s telling the truth or merely walking in her father’s footsteps. If this is indeed the case, it portrays Sting unfavorably as a parent too. However, I guess when you’re Sting, the act of killing chickens is trivial.
This, however, is factual. Coco Sumner met her end at the hands of Michelle Pfeiffer.
She had a minor role as an extra in the film Stardust where Michelle Pfeiffer stabbed her in the chest and subsequently decapitated her. While it wasn’t a significant part, it certainly left an impact. It would have been even more striking had it been Sting’s head that was severed.
On a different note, she’s set to release her debut album, and I guess I ought to give her a break. I haven’t listened to it yet because, in my own little world, I just can’t bring myself to hear anything that Sting might be associated with.
I’ll give it a listen soon and share my thoughts. The dilemma is… what if it’s actually good?
Perhaps I might end up giving it a ‘thumbs up’, just like Sting would.
by Wallace McTavish
