From Drew Parker to Andy Irwin, Newton County has produced several successful musicians over the years. Shaw Coggin just might be the next one up.

Coggin has become a regular attraction on the small stages of downtown Milledgeville, where he has grown into one of the city’s better-known musical acts.

Growing up in Newton County, Coggin is a 2021 graduate of Eastside High School and the Newton College and Career Academy. His mother, Abigail Coggin, is the chair of the Newton County Board of Education.

But four years ago, Coggin did not expect to become a performer. 

The 22-year-old only began picking up the guitar a few years ago, getting his start with guitar lessons at McKibben’s Music on the Covington Square in his late high school years. 

“I ended up taking that to college where I kept playing and learning new stuff,” Coggin said. 

In 2021, Coggin moved to Milledgeville to attend Georgia College and State University (GCSU). There, he studies mass communication with a concentration in film, television and audio production.

Coggin will be graduating with his bachelor’s degree in just a few short weeks. But GCSU is not the only thing that Coggin leaves behind as his time in Milledgeville comes to a close. 

His absence will be felt in the downtown restaurants where Coggin has become a regular musical guest, frequently performing as “Young Friday Nights,” a moniker he only recently dropped.

“Especially starting college, I was a whole lot more in my shell,” Coggin said. “And I was also not great at playing or anything like that, and especially not great at getting up in front of people and playing.”

Coggin first worked up the courage to play for an audience when his collegiate ministry group, Kudzu, hosted an open mic night during his sophomore year. He made his musical debut by playing a cover of Big Brown Eyes by Old 97’s.

“I was so freaking nervous,” Coggin said. “I was almost about to not do it because I was just so nervous about it. So I definitely could not have seen myself where I am now, going into college my freshman year. I feel like I’m such a different person since then.”

Getting his start at Kudzu is only right, considering how Coggin attributes much of the credit for his growth and talent to his faith.

“I think God's been with me through it and has been helping me get better with it,” Coggin said. “It's truly a gift from Him.”

A few short years later, Coggin’s overcoming of stage fright has allowed him to participate in opportunities he never could have foreseen. He has since played at several restaurants and porch concerts, showcasing his musical range.

Sonically, Coggin draws from folk and indie sounds, but he does not box himself into any single genre. Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Vampire Weekend are some influences in his work.

“I would also say a lot of my stuff is very – it depends on the song of course – but it's either singer-songwriter, folk or rock or indie,” Coggin said. “Kind of just whatever I feel the song calls for.”

All of Coggin’s hard work and preparation prepared him to compete in GCSU’s Battle of the Bobcats – a musical competition whose victor opens the annual homecoming concert. While Coggin was not crowned champion, it goes to show how he continues to level up. 

Coggin’s next venture is in the form of his debut EP called “Notebook,” which is set to release on Friday, May 2.

Though Coggin has only been working on creating the EP itself since late 2024, some of the songs themselves have been in the works for years.

Coggin started writing his own music here and there in his freshman year of college, but even then, he says he was still learning how to play covers on the guitar. It was not until his sophomore year that he began to find himself penning songs.

His debut EP is the first time the world will get a chance to hear those early lyrics, as Coggin says that two of the three tracks are reworked and completed versions of his early ideas.

It all came together when Coggin’s friend and roommate, Blake Martin, came on board to assist with the production, something that posed a challenge.

Coggin plays the guitar, but he has never played bass or drums. Despite his shortcomings, Coggin was determined to record his music, so he got creative.

“I played the bass lines on my guitar and then turned them down like 12 semitones, so then it's a bass line,” Coggin said. “And then the drums, I was taking drumsticks to my bedside table and using claps. And for a bass drum, I took this chest that I had and put a blanket over it and was pounding on it. It was really fun finding creative ways of getting around all of those problems.”

As Coggin closes the door on his college years and his time as a musical guest in Milledgeville, he plans to move to Savannah with hopes to continue singing in restaurants as a side gig for now.

“I feel like this EP is my goodbye to this time of my life, and just about moving on a little bit,” Coggin said. “And it's just some songs that have really just been wanting to get out there, and I'm like, there's no better time than now.”

Coggin’s EP will be available on Spotify and Apple Music this Friday. He invites anyone interested in keeping up with future releases and performance to follow him on Instagram @shawcoggin.