The Return of Holly ‘Cookie’ Baker
After almost six years away from the spotlight, South Aussie singer-songwriter Holly ‘Cookie’ Baker is back with new single ‘The Winter’ and ready to share her journey with fans. Cookie sits down with The Note to talk all things ‘The Winter’, touring Australia and New Zealand and what the rest of 2025 has in store for the talented artist.
Interview Tobias Handke // Image Caroline Wall
It’s been nearly six years since regional singer-songwriter Holly ‘Cookie’ Baker released new music. Raised on a farm close to South Australia’s gorgeous coastline, Cookie built a national fanbase with her authentic lyrics and dreamy alt-country folk sound.
Cookie’s time in the spotlight included recording with You Am I’s Tim Rogers, touring the country alongside Weddings Parties Anything’s Mick Thomas and performing with a long list of Aussie music luminaries, including Jen Cloher, Ben Lee, Kate Miller-Heidke and Angie Hart.
Her debut album, This Is Not a Love Song, which included the Rogers duet ‘The Summer’, dropped in 2019 to much fanfare. Just when it seemed the world was at her feet, Cookie stepped away from touring to concentrate on other aspects of her life while continuing to hone her songwriting craft.
Now the Kaurna-based musician is ready to share her story with the world, beginning with her new single ‘The Winter’. The track is a reflective ballad about love, heartbreak and renewal that features Cookie’s long-time friend Ollie English.
“I’d always come back to ‘The Winter’ whilst working on other music, for years actually. I’d pick it up and sing only the chorus over and over, turning it around in my mind.” Cookie shares. “It’s a song about navigating the complex layers of dissatisfaction in a relationship—acknowledging the sadness, confronting the resignation, and yet still reaching for hope.”
“My introduction to ‘The Winter’ was on this beautiful old piano at Cookie’s house; she played the song back to front and I instantly connected with it,” says English. “She’s a wordsmith with really cool vocal phrasing, and a lot of the original ideas remained in the studio. My favourite element is the dynamics – from subtle whispers to roaring crescendos. It’s an honour to sing on this song.”
Having recently finished up her 17-date tour of New Zealand and Australia, Cookie took some time out to chat with The Note about her time away from the stage, the making of ‘The Winter’ and the excitement that comes with returning to the live stage.
It’s been close to six years since you last took to the stage. What have you been up to during that time?
A lot of writing in general, co-writing with other artists and songwriters [and] more work as a songwriter. I also started a little creative company as a producer, developing and producing new work and artists, particularly in contemporary cabaret, theatre and dance. That has truly inspired me and really feeds back into the energy I have for my own output creatively, rather than being ‘too many’ hats to wear. It’s also made me really bloody organised! I’m not sure when I worked out that the combo of ‘hype guy x mama bear x project manager’ works for me, but I’m glad I did!
Did you find some clarity during this time away from performing live?
Absolutely. I don’t think I’m a naturally particularly patient person, but patience and self-trust have become what drives all my decisions now. It takes practice to shut out the noise whilst remaining present and aware, but it’s working for me at the moment! I stopped drinking alcohol just over two years ago, too. That decision has impacted my life in various endlessly positive ways.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve taken away from this period?
That being ‘ready’ is a decision, not a feeling. And I’m not sure it gets much deeper than just how much I love it!
You’ve just released the first taste of new music – the gorgeous track ‘The Winter’. Tell us about the meaning behind this one.
‘The Winter’ relates to two parties within the same relationship, both experiencing the same romantic decline or unravelling from the other at the same time. The lyrics could be either person’s narrative. There’s the evolving love, realisation, resignation, frustration, devastation. But there’s also so much hope in the song. Always, always hope.
The track features the vocal talents of Ollie English. How did he get involved in the song and what did he bring to the writing and recording process?
Ollie is a wonderful musician, exceptional vocalist and a very dear friend. I’d asked him last year if he would like to sing this song with me, knowing I wanted to turn it into a duet and already formulating plans to release it unattached to any specific project or schedule. We workshopped it on my piano at home, and a duet pretty quickly naturally evolved from there. My incredible co-producer and engineer, Mario Spate, gently coaxed the resulting vocal performances from both of us, including some stunning layered atmospheric vocals from Ollie, and our studio time was overall very relaxed and fun. We didn’t rush or force anything.
‘The Winter’ marks a slight change from your previous material. Can we expect more music like this in the future?
I think so, yes! I don’t ever really write to genre, I just write what I write. Having Mario involved and him both understanding and being very encouraging of me doing whatever feels right - trying things out, making random sounds, lots of lively discussion and ultimately also just his love for a great song - has been a very timely creative partnership for me. We’ve been able to use the process of producing ‘The Winter’ as a template both sonically and for how we work together moving forward. There’s a lot of inspiration with our sonic choices through ‘The Winter’ that I can see expanding further, and I’m excited for that.
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How excited are you to be performing in New Zealand for the first time, as well as in front of Aussie fans later this year?
I was in Wellington 15 years ago performing [at the] NZ Fringe. That was much more in the cabaret realm. I’ve never travelled Aotearoa extensively. I’m really pulled to NZ - the magical, sacred landscape, Maori culture and storytelling, the celebration of the arts and creative openness I’ve experienced in the small amount of time that I have spent there previously. As a fiercely independent self-managed artist, coordinating this tour has honestly been a dream, with incredibly supportive and enthusiastic bookers and venue managers taking great care of me.
You also have four shows lined up across South Australia. How important is it to play regional shows and reach your fans across the state?
As a country kid myself and in the pretty damn wild live music/events landscape we currently exist in, very. There are some gorgeous activated spaces in the mix here, as well as more traditional venues [on] this tour. I feel incredibly fortunate that SA is where I ended up when the world stopped in 2020, and then deciding to base myself here again for a while. I still think about this a lot, even five years later. I love living and creating in SA, and I feel so grateful to live on precious Kaurna land.
What does the rest of 2025 have in store for Cookie Baker? Are you planning on releasing new music soon to coincide with your return?
I’m releasing new music for the first time in five years this year, and have been collaborating with some incredible artists and friends on other music-related projects. I’m trying to be realistic and aware with my plans whilst focusing on what makes my heart sing. I wrote a play last year, which is in creative development at the moment. I’m really looking forward to working more on that in between music plans.
‘The Winter’ by Holly ‘Cookie’ Baker is out now. Catch Cookie supporting Salt Tree at Jive on Friday 10 October. Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
