Country-folk artist Paisley Marie performed at Tapp’s Arts Center's monthly Songversationon Tuesday night. Tapp’s has been hosting this event for over a year now, bringing in songwriters to talk about their music, and 19-year-old Paisley is joining them for the first time as their youngest ever performer.
Paisley released her first original music at the age of 12, went on to perform hundreds of shows and now teaches voice lessons at a local music store. And all of this stemmed from a simple love for music.
“It’s all I’ve ever really done,” Paisley said. “I started it really early, and I’ve just kept it up.”
Even though she has more experience than you might expect, that doesn’t stop Paisley from realizing how young she is to be this far in her career and experiencing this much success. Most recently, she played the drums for an Iggy Pop tribute band and was performing in venues that most 19-year-olds don’t have regular access to.
“I’m not even old enough to be in a bar, so it’s kind of strange,” Paisley said on her touring experience. “I’d say that’s the funniest impact.”
But she doesn’t feel like her success is coming too fast or too soon. Though she is still a teenager, Paisley Marie has an old soul, and her career only encouraged it. She did have to grow up fast, but that was a change she was ready and willing to make, seeing as she already felt ready to take on the world.
“I’ve been an adult since the day I was born, basically. That’s my motto,” Paisley joked.
Paisley takes a very unique approach to making music by choosing to focus on the unexpected. Whether it's lyric choice or choosing a rhythm, she takes the unconventional route, and it pays off.
“I purposefully try to go outside of my comfort zone every time I write a new song, and the best ones that I write are normally the ones where I didn’t write it, if that makes sense,” Paisley said. “It just kind of flowed through me and happened.”
The format of Songversation also allowed Paisley to interact with the audience by talking about her inspiration and answering questions. This not only gave the audience the opportunity to hear her songs, but also get advice and learn more about Paisley.
“It’s very personal. You get to learn about her as a person, not just her songs and her voice,” Debbie Suttlemyre, Paisley's mother said on the event.
This format gave Paisley the chance to talk about the possibility of her ever entering a music show like "The Voice," which seemed unlikely to her.
“They’re not quite always looking for best singers, you know. They have ratings that they have to fulfill … I don’t really want to play that game,” she said. For Paisley, it’s about songwriting and feeling the emotional side of her music, not the technicalities that come with the industry.
Paisley also offered some advice for any young musicians hoping to follow her path.
“Be realistic about it,” Paisley said. “It’s awesome to have dreams, but apply some real life work to that. Don't just dream about it.”
Paisley is currently in pre-production for her sophomore album that will feature songs she has written as she’s become even more experienced. Hopefully, fans can expect it later this year.