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Cobra Starship: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Cobra Starship
Gabe Saporta stood alone in the Arizona desert, smoking peyote and seeking a vision that would change the landscape of pop music forever. This was not a typical band formation story; it was a spiritual journey that began in 2005 after Saporta, the bassist for the rock band Midtown, decided to take a trip to the American Southwest. He spent time with Native American tribes, searching for a new direction that would eventually birth Cobra Starship. Upon returning home, he rented a house in the Catskill Mountains and began writing what would become the band's debut album, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets. The project started as a solo endeavor, but Saporta's vision was to create a melodic style of music heavily influenced by synthpop and hip-hop. He posted a parody song called Hollaback Boy on Myspace, a response to Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, which gained him significant notoriety on the internet. This online success led to a signing with Decaydance Records, the label of his good friend, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. The band's early days were defined by this blend of personal spirituality and digital-age opportunism, setting the stage for a career that would oscillate between earnest artistic expression and calculated pop stardom.
Snakes On A Plane And The First Album
The band's first major break came not from a record label, but from a movie soundtrack. Midtown's management company set Saporta up with an opportunity to record a song for the 2006 film Snakes on a Plane. Along with members of The Academy Is..., Gym Class Heroes, and The Sounds, Saporta recorded Snakes on a Plane (Bring It), which became a minor hit and introduced the world to the sound of Cobra Starship. The debut album, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets, was released on the 10th of October 2006, and peaked at number 125 on the US Billboard 200, while topping the US Heatseekers Albums chart. The album featured the single Snakes on a Plane (Bring It), and its music video was featured during the closing credits of the film earlier that summer. During the recording of the album, Saporta began recruiting new members to complete the group's lineup. He first enlisted drummer Nate Novarro, whom he met on tour while Novarro sold merchandise for fellow touring act Hidden in Plain View. After seeing Saporta in Entertainment Weekly, guitarist Ryland Blackinton and bassist Alex Suarez emailed Saporta, asking to join the group. Elisa Jordana was recruited to join as the group's keytar player, though she was later replaced by Victoria Asher in December 2006. Saporta explained this decision as he had enough of Jordana bringing random people onto the tour bus and hosting dance parties while playing Britney Spears music, as well as suspecting her of stealing Suarez's iPod. The band's early years were a chaotic mix of touring and lineup changes, but they managed to establish a presence in the music scene.
When did Cobra Starship form and who founded the band?
Cobra Starship formed in 2005 when Gabe Saporta, the bassist for the rock band Midtown, initiated the project after a spiritual journey in the Arizona desert. Saporta began writing the band's debut album while renting a house in the Catskill Mountains.
What was the release date and chart performance of Cobra Starship's debut album While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets?
The debut album While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets was released on the 10th of October 2006 and peaked at number 125 on the US Billboard 200. It also topped the US Heatseekers Albums chart and featured the single Snakes on a Plane (Bring It).
Who were the original members of Cobra Starship and when did the lineup change occur?
The original lineup included drummer Nate Novarro, guitarist Ryland Blackinton, bassist Alex Suarez, and keytar player Elisa Jordana. Jordana was replaced by Victoria Asher in December 2006 after Saporta suspected her of stealing Suarez's iPod and hosting unauthorized parties.
When was the album Hot Mess released and what was its highest charting single?
The album Hot Mess was released on the 11th of August 2009 and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. Its first single Good Girls Go Bad peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum.
When did Cobra Starship officially break up and what did Gabe Saporta do next?
Cobra Starship officially broke up on the 10th of November 2015 when Saporta announced the end of the group on their website. Saporta subsequently formed a talent management firm called TΔG // The Artist Group with business associate Mike Carden.
When did Cobra Starship reunite and who returned to the band for the 2024 performances?
Cobra Starship reunited for a performance at the When We Were Young festival in October 2024 with a returning lineup consisting of Saporta, Novarro, and Asher. The band has since announced selected dates to play live including a 2025 Warped Tour appearance.
With the group's lineup now solidified, Cobra Starship began touring across the United States, supporting Fall Out Boy on the 2007 Honda Civic Tour. While on the tour, the group began writing music together for the first time, recording their individual parts on their laptops in the band's bus. By the time Cobra Starship entered the studio to work on a new album, much of the material was already written. Recorded in twenty days at Mission Sound Studios in Brooklyn, New York, ¡Viva La Cobra! was released on the 23rd of October 2007. It was produced by Patrick Stump, who was also credited as singing some backup vocals. The album has been described as 11 tracks of unabashed party jams, full of big hooky electropop, super-produced guitar crunch and the occasional T-Pain-style vocoder thrown in for good measure. It also peaked at number 80 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 119,000 copies in the US. The band recorded a cover of Three Times A Lady by Commodores for an episode of Gilmore Girls and also recorded the song, Awww Dip for the TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soundtrack in the spring of 2007. The album art for the ¡Viva La Cobra! album was used to promote the fourth-generation Apple iPod Nano in purple. Following the success of Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl, Cobra Starship recorded their own cover version, I Kissed a Boy, in summer 2008. The song was released on the 25th of August 2008, on Fall Out Boy's Citizens For Our Betterment mixtape Welcome To The New Administration. Cobra Starship is one of nine artists who participated in thetruth.com's Remix Project, where they remixed the Sunny Side song Magical Amount. The band's second album marked a shift towards a more polished, dance-oriented sound that would define their future success.
Good Girls Go Bad And The Peak Of Fame
The band's biggest commercial success came with the release of Hot Mess in 2009. Following extensive touring in 2008, the band headed to a New York City studio in September 2008, to record new songs after facing some pressure by their label to make another album. However, Saporta was diagnosed with a cyst on his vocal cords and the group did not like how the music was turning out. In 2009, the band went to a cabin in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania in an attempt to produce new material. Spending two weeks in the cabin, they broadcast for four days on the live camera feed site Stickam, thus creating the Shelf Kids, an unofficial Cobra Starship fan club. Satisfied with the material, a new album was announced with a tentative release in the summer. The band worked with Kara DioGuardi, Kevin Rudolf, SAM and Sluggo, and songwriters Benny Blanco and Patrick Stump on Hot Mess. The album has been described as more dance punk than their previous releases. The group began the Believers Never Die Tour Part Deux tour in the beginning of April 2009, opening for Fall Out Boy, alongside All Time Low, Metro Station, and Hey Monday. They spent time performing many shows in the US, mostly all in April and the beginning of May 2009; however, they also played a few shows in the UK at the end of May 2009, supported by Sing It Loud, Cash Cash, and UK band Mimi Soya. The group recorded the song Chew Me Up and Spit Me Out for the 2009 Jennifer's Body soundtrack. Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is featured on the song Good Girls Go Bad, which was produced by Kevin Rudolf and co-written by Rudolf and Kara DioGuardi. The song was the album's first single, and was added on iTunes on the 12th of May 2009, and made available to listen to on the band's official MySpace page. It is also the group's first entry and top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven. Selling two million copies in the United States, the song was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. On May 8, the album title was confirmed as Hot Mess, with a release date of August 11. In promotion of the album, they launched a website in April, CobraCam.tv, where a new episodes premiere every Monday until the album's release. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number four, becoming the band's highest-charting album and selling more than 42,000 copies in its first week. Guitarist Ryland Blackinton said of Hot Mess, We just wanted to make music that was fun and kinda make people just forget about whatever shitty problem they might be having during the week. Since its release, the album has sold 139,000 copies in the US. The album's second single Hot Mess was released on the 12th of October 2009, and peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band began their Hot Mess Across the US Tour to promote the new album on the 3rd of August 2009. The tour had 21 stops and featured guests such as Friday Night Boys and DJ Skeet Skeet. After Plastiscines dropped off the tour, Cobra Starship listed a number of candidate bands for the fans to vote for online in a blog; The Audition won. They performed at a the 11th of September 2009, MTV Video Music Awards weekend competition and pre-party at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. The competition was for MTV's VMA Best Breakout New York City Artist Award, and took place before the MTV Video Music Awards performers and in between performances from MTV Video Music Awards artists. At the event, their single Good Girls Go Bad was nominated for two awards, Best Pop Video and Best Direction. They also appeared at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009, along with Mexican star Paulina Rubio, performing Good Girls Go Bad and Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes. Cobra Starship and Paulina won an MTV Latinoamérica Award for Best Performance, for Good Girls Go Bad and Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes, voted by the public, beating other artists such as Shakira, Nelly Furtado, and Wisin & Yandel. In October 2009, the group performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The group opened for Boys Like Girls on their headlining tour alongside The Maine, A Rocket to the Moon and VersaEmerge from October to November 2009. At the People's Choice Awards on the 6th of January 2010, Cobra Starship performed Good Girls Go Bad live with former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger filling in for Leighton Meester. The group was nominated for Favorite Music Collaboration, but lost to Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West's Run This Town. On the 4th of February 2010, Cobra Starship embarked on their first-ever European tour, Hot Mess Across the EU-Niverse, which included the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. When the tour ended on February 21, the band then traveled to Japan for a few shows, and then onto Australia and New Zealand for the Wet Hot Australian Summer Tour and were joined by Owl City and Amy Meredith. The group also toured in Germany with I Heart Sharks and One Night Stand!. On the 5th of February 2010, it was announced that Cobra Starship and 3OH!3 would be embarking on a co-headlining tour, the Too Fast for Love Tour, with opening acts Travis McCoy, The Lazarus Project, and I Fight Dragons. The tour ran from April 28 to the 13th of June 2010. On the 15th of May 2010, the group performed at the Bamboozle in Chicago. In late 2010, the band collaborated with British singer Alexandra Burke on the song What Happens on the Dancefloor, which was included on the deluxe edition of her debut album Overcome.
Night Shades And The Final Chapter
Cobra Starship began working on their fourth studio album in September 2010, which led to them canceling their 2011 Australian tour to finish up the album. The group worked with Ryan Tedder and Kara DioGuardi. During the initial writing sessions, Saporta wasn't happy with what they were creating. Saporta who was dealing with a breakup with his girlfriend following the success of Hot Mess, felt that the songs were uninspired and really depressing. However, following a trip to South America, he felt rejuvenated and took inspiration from electronic duo Major Lazer for the album. On the 5th of May 2011, the group released Don't Blame the World, It's the DJ's Fault for streaming via Tumblr. Cobra Starship announced via Twitter that the new album will be called Night Shades. The first single, You Make Me Feel..., was released on the 10th of May 2011. The song was written by Steve Mac and Ina Wroldsen, and features American singer/songwriter and rapper Sabi. The music video premiered on MTV on the 28th of June 2011. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their second top ten on the chart. It also debuted at number one in New Zealand. The song was certified triple platinum in the US by the RIAA. On the 21st of July 2011, the band announced that the album would be out on the 30th of August 2011. Ahead of the album's release, the group released three promotional singles from Night Shades, #1Nite (One Night) on the 26th of July 2011, Fool Like Me (featuring the Plastiscines) on the 9th of August 2011, and Middle Finger on the 23rd of August 2011. The group also released iTunes Session , EP on August 23, containing four acoustic songs and an alternative version of Fold Your Hands Child. In promotion of the album, the band performed You Make Me Feel... on the MTV Video Music Awards pre-show with Sabi on the 28th of August 2011, and Night Shades was released a day early than expected on August 29. On the same day as the album's release date, they also released Don't Blame The World, It's The DJ's Fault for a free download via iTunes as the fourth and final promotional single. The album peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200 and sold 9,000 copies in its first week. Cobra Starship made a handful of television appearances in the fall of 2011, performing You Make Me Feel... on Dancing with the Stars and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and #1Nite (One Night) on 90210. Cobra Starship contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's Peggy Sue to the Buddy Holly tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly (2011). On the 9th of September 2011, the group headlined the Fueled by Ramen 15th Anniversary show in New York's Terminal 5, with VersaEmerge, The Academy Is..., and A Rocket to the Moon supporting. In October 2011, the group opened for Justin Bieber on the South American leg of his My World Tour. On the 3rd of January 2012, the group released Middle Finger as the second single from Night Shades. The song peaked at number 14 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100. In March 2012, Cobra Starship was featured in the Australian touring rock festival Soundwave. On the 15th of May 2012, #1Nite (One Night) was released as the third single from the album, featuring My Name Is Kay. The song reached at number 23 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100. From June to October 2012, the group embarked on a headlining tour in the United States.
The Breakup And The Reunion
In 2013, Saporta took a break from Cobra Starship to reunite with Midtown and married his girlfriend Erin Fetherston. During that year, he found himself thinking of reviving Cobra Starship again and wanted to do things differently. On the 19th of April 2014, after nearly three years of no announcements of new material, Cobra Starship confirmed that they were working on a new single. The group soon announced a new single Never Been in Love, featuring Icona Pop on the 22nd of August 2014. It was released on August 25. Saporta had been working on the album for the past three to four months and had eight songs recorded, with hopes to put out another single and release the album in early 2015. On the 21st of October 2014, both Suarez and Blackinton left the band to pursue their own separate careers. They have since been replaced by Eric Halvorsen, formerly of A Rocket to the Moon, and Andy Barr. The band played their first show with their current line-up, a Halloween party, on the 30th of October 2014, at Saints and Sinner. The band also played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the 6th of November 2014. On the 10th of November 2015, the band released a statement on their website that they had broken up. In the post, Saporta stated, I know that sometimes when things go on for too long, that magic can start to fade... And as hard as it is for all of us, I would rather close this chapter of our lives and be able to look back on it fondly than allow something that means so much to us stagnate. Later that month, Saporta announced on his Beats1 Radio show that he would no longer be performing or putting out new music. He and business associate Mike Carden announced the formation of a talent management firm, TΔG // The Artist Group, expected to commence operations in the first quarter of 2016. Saporta explained that he now wanted to work behind the scenes and help younger artists see their dreams come true. From October 2016 until 2018, guitarist Andy Barr toured with rock band America, before returning to the band in 2024. In October 2021, Cobra Starship released a new song, Beautiful Life, through Fueled By Ramen. In December 2021, they released another song, Party With You. Both songs received accompanying videos and were previously unreleased b-sides from Hot Mess. The songs, called Tracks To The Future, were released as part of a promotional campaign for Fueled By Ramen's 25th anniversary and the limited edition re-issue of Hot Mess on vinyl. Party With You also received a Hannukah themed parody version, Party With Jews, before its official release. 2021 promotions also included Cobrakkah, a multi-day event in the lead-up to the release of Party With You. The group played at When We Were Young festival in October 2024 and on the second day of the festival they were joined onstage by influencer Tara Yummy who sang on Good Girls Go Bad. On the 4th of March 2024, the band joined Fall Out Boy onstage and performed Good Girls Go Bad together. The returning line-up of the band will consist of Saporta, Novarro and Asher. Since their When We Were Young 2024 musical festival performance, they have announced selected dates to play live, including an Emo Nite performance and a scheduled 2025 Warped Tour appearance.