DOWNEY – Pop artist Cooper Phillip will perform Sunday as part of the “It’s Christmas in Downey” show at the Downey Theatre.

Born in Russia to a family of classical musicians, her early years were shaped being raised by her grandmother and aunt while her mother, a master violin player, toured around the world with various symphonies.

This separation led Cooper to take comfort in music at an early age where she was mesmerized by the vocal syslings of Ella Fitzgerald.

At age 12, Cooper permanently went to live with her mother. Her mom soon realized her daughter had a gift and enrolled her in the prestigious Moscow State Classical Academy where she studied classical piano, theory, harp, jazz, blues, ballet and voice.

It was Cooper’s vocal teacher who introduced her to the music of Mariah Carey. Cooper was obsessed.

“I would just listen to her for hours upon hours,” Cooper said.

She began singing every day, taking in the sounds of Barbra Streisand and studying a wide range of artists. She began winning singing competitions and, at age 17, moved to New York to pursue a career in music.

With barely a dollar to her name, Cooper worked and hustled, singing at weddings and in clubs and sleeping in the storeroom of a restaurant where she sang.

After a few years of living in New York, Cooper accepted a singing gig in Los Angeles and never looked back. She eventually released her debut album, “Walk A Mile,” which tells her story of lost love and pain in soul-filled songs like “Black Box,” “Tough Love” and her single, “Silence.”

Cooper was a featured participate in last week’s Downey Christmas Parade.

Tickets to see Cooper in “It’s Christmas in Downey” can be purchased online on the Downey Theatre website. Use the promo code “MAYORRICK” for a 20% discount.