Book NOT Brooke Derails Shame in Debut Album ‘Dancer First’
Nashville-Based Alt-pop icon manifests a genius record that connects to not only herself, but all of the dancers who aren’t afraid to move freely
PHOTOS BY ZAYNE ISOM
Movement is one of the purest, most effective precursors for joy. Moving freely, without fear of judgement or scrutiny for just being, is an out of body experience that feels like breaking free out of your own mind– a difficult thing to do. Online discourse rallies behind the notion that the age of dance died when technology became a prominent part of our society, but for daring artists like Nashville-based pop icon Book NOT Brooke, this is just the beginning of a new era of movement.
“Dancer First has been a liberating era for me,” Book told Pleaser in an interview earlier this year in February. We chatted outside of a local cafe in East, sipping lattes and taking in one of the first warm days of the year. “I connected the dots of everything I was creatively. I was centering music in my life in every way possible. I was never that good with my technique at dance, but I couldn’t let it go because I loved the expression of it and what it brought me.”
With the release of her mesmerizing girl-pop record Dancer First last month, it feels as if Book has been nonstop creating, performing and becoming– starting with her Blue Room release show on March 13. It’s rare to see a full-production set put on by friends and fellow creatives in Nashville, but Book did it— and did it well.
PHOTOS BY ZAYNE ISOM
The performance felt like watching the beginnings of a pop-star in the making, not only because of how powerful Book is as a performer, but because of her ability to hypnotize audience members, seducing musically and visually through tracks she produced herself (extremely important, considering only about 2% of the producers in the world are women).
Visually speaking, attending a Book NOT Brooke show is like stepping into a world she’s created all her own, complete with teased eclectic hairstyles, a string of antique dolls, wardrobe changes and set design by Nashville-based visual artist Chloe Tyler. Intertwining that of a gothic ballerina and a 2000’s pop star, Book isn’t afraid to be daring and try innovative ways of expressing herself through her art. Her own vision and style coexists radiantly with several creators, designers and stylists in the Nashville area in a way that manifests itself in a beautiful, brilliant and bold presence on stage.
“I just love the mindset that it’s not too early for anyone to ever go full production,” Book said. “It’s just so fun. I want to collaborate with costume designers and DJs and musicians, and I want to bridge the gap between props, outfits and experience. I’m really excited about everyone who’s on board with collaborating on the show and playing around with everyone’s vision. It’s actually my dream vibe and dream lineup.”
The record itself, which released March 13 of this year, is a tangible manifestation of Book’s greatest accomplishments and most difficult moments wrapped up in a synth-pop dreamworld that’s just as sweaty and sharp as it is sensitive and serene. Book started playing around with digital audio workstations like Logic Pro back in 2020 while looking for something to connect with, like many of us were at the time. She rediscovered what it’s like to fall in love with music when she started producing her own songs, like relearning a song from childhood and remembering what it felt like to click with something for the very first time.
“All we can do is make stuff that resonates with us. And in my heart, I instantly knew that this was something that I was going to take seriously. When I started producing my own music, it really was like a spiritual awakening for me, not to sound cliche,” Book said. “I discovered that this was an option for me, and I was learning how music works. It was liberating because I’ve been such an intense music fan my entire life, and now I was able to create my own.”
Throughout the record, Book uses instinctual tactics to make sounds that are cool and unique. She’s always learning and always willing to learn, creating the record through action as opposed to feeling like she needs permission from someone on what “sounds good” or what will “sell.” A huge part of her Dancer First journey was learning how to trust her instincts when it came to production, leaning into her passions and her core beliefs whenever she felt stuck or blocked creatively.
“Derailing shame was a huge, huge part of this process,” Book told Pleaser. “Shame keeps us from taking the first steps in anything. It keeps us from wanting to be perceived, or to perceive ourselves. I feel like a lot of that has really come out in this record. It feels like shaking the CO2 can of shame and just letting it just fucking explode everywhere. It’s like, what’s the worst possible thing that can happen by just letting myself let loose? People are going to think of, whatever negative adjective you can think of? You can’t escape the internet. You can’t escape negativity forever. The world is yours, and shame can be debilitating, but it’s also like what the f*** ever. No amount of repression will ever make it go away, and that’s what I learned and leaned into through the process of making this record.”
PHOTOS BY ZAYNE ISOM
It’s rare to meet someone who’s as wildly in tune with themselves as Book, and it’s inspirational to see an artist feel so connected with themselves and their craft. Through our chat, it was so obvious that every aspect of her project was a direct reflection of who she is a person and all the versions of herself that she has been and will become.
“I’ve had to actively face my insecurity and my shame, and I’ve also healed ties with my younger self, who I used to judge and be so mean to in the process. Like, I used to be so mean to her. And now I’m like, oh, I see you twin. This is what we were going for,” Book told Pleaser.
As a classically trained dancer and cellist, bassist, stellar vocalist, producer, stylist and so much more, Book has created something that’s truly special for herself and for others who dare to lean into the magic of Book NOT Brooke’s liberating world of spectacular apparel, innovative production and, of course, her ability to dance like nobody’s watching. There’s a new wave of dance hitting the scene in Nashville right now, and Book NOT Brooke is fearlessly trailblazing as the face of what it means to dance freely– something that is deeply interwoven in her beautiful debut record Dancer First.
