There’s always been something poetic about coffee shops. Amongst the stress of everyday life, they provide an intimate, anonymous sanctuary from the outside world. To the Hollywood romcom, a staple meet cute location. And for artists like JP Cooper and producer Hannah Vasanth (known professionally as Hannah V), they’re an essential creative workspace.
“There’s a whole romance between poetry and coffee,” singer-songwriter JP agrees. “That’s one of the things I’ve found from writing music in coffee shops. It’s a hand in hand thing.”
Having worked on a series of hit songs together, the long-term friends have now teamed up for Viennese coffee roaster Julius Meinl’s “Meet With A Poem” initiative, to encourage others to invest in their friendships too. Consumers are invited to meet up at Julius Meinl locations on World Coffee Day this October, to claim a two for one drinks deal. The catch? To co-write a poem explaining how they first met.
“It’s about getting together, thinking about your relationship and putting pen to paper,” explains JP, underscoring the campaign’s focus on nurturing real life connections over digital communication. “When you have coffee, you put your phone away,” Hannah concurs. “It’s face to face, which nowadays we miss out on a lot. It’s about sitting down, having a real conversation, and switching off from the digital stuff to take in the moment.”
The campaign seeks to unite people from all over the world, which JP also highlights as the aim of their music. “Words and music have an incredibly powerful way of unlocking things and connecting people,” he emphasises: “They’re universal.”
“That’s why I’m such a fan of JP’s lyrics: he writes from the heart,” adds Hannah affectionately. “My job is setting music around these lyrics, to showcase the words in the most honest way and I take real pride in that,” she continues. “That’s why the stuff we do together is so special. It’s honest! The more you bare of yourself, the more it connects with people.”
With JP now working on his next album, he’s expecting to start releasing singles over the next few months, as well as new collaborations with rapper Bugzy Malone and electronic duo Gordon City. As their friendship continues to flourish and fuel new projects, the pair’s trajectory is a testament to the value of investing in one another.
Will they still be grabbing coffee 50 years from now? Fittingly, they answer in unison: “Always.”
Julius Meinl’s annual Meet With A Poem initiative takes place on World Coffee Day, October 1st. For more information visit meinlcoffee.com or follow the social conversation #MeetWithAPoem #PoetryForChange