INTERVIEW: Paige Black releases uplifting new single 'Rebuild': "There is still this inbuilt perception that makes women think that our time is worth less or our ideas are less valuable"
Singer-songwriter Paige Black hails from the Yarra Valley in Victoria and released her debut single ‘Blind’ last year. Earlier this month, she released new single ‘Rebuild’ a gorgeous and at times haunting folk-pop track that was written as a reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. Brilliantly capturing the horror, confusion, frustration, bewilderment and ultimately hope and positivity experienced by everyone during the period of lockdown, the single is almost like a journey through the past 3 months from the bad - “when reality hits, weighs a tonne of bricks” - through to the resilience of humanity to find the good in any situation “Mother Nature’s breathing out…polluted skies are clearing out”.
“As time went on in isolation, I began to reflect on the silver linings that have transpired as a result of staying put in our homes,” Black says about creating the song. “Mother nature has had a chance to breathe and bloom and our consumerist and workaholic behaviours were forced to alter. Maybe this has created an opportunity to change our habits for the greater good of the human race and the environment. A chance to ‘shape a world that matters’, slow down and think about our values.”
For anyone feeling overwhelmed by the last few months - and who isn’t? - plug into ‘Rebuild’ now, it is a beautiful and essential way to take stock, clear the head and feel hope again. To celebrate the release of her new single, we recently caught up with Paige to chat more about her music and career.
Hey Paige! So great to speak to you. How have you been surviving lockdown and isolation?!
Hey ya! Thanks for having me! Safe to say it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, which I guess fits in with the lifestyle of being a musician, so I haven’t found it all that bad considering! I think isolation and lockdown has kind of been a blessing in disguise for me.
Congratulations on your beautiful new single ‘Rebuild’ – it was clearly inspired by the coronavirus pandemic, but can you talk us through more of the inspiration for the song?
Thank you! Yeah I suppose like most people I was feeling very hopeless thinking about the unprecedented, devastating loss of so many lives all over the world, while also feeling strange and sad having all my music shows and projects come to a halt, obviously knowing that’s just what we had to do to keep everyone safe! Seeing the huge impact it was having on so many businesses and people was just terrible. I wanted to express my feelings in the only way I truly know how, through writing music. It took me a while to finally sit down at the piano with the inspiration, but I got there hence why the first line is “I think I found words today, in this clouded unfamiliar place.” I wanted to capture that sense of uncertainty but also send a message of hope to everyone that we would get through it together. Also acknowledging that everyone was ‘fighting different weather’ in this bizarre storm. My inspiration for the second half of the song comes from my love of the environment, I just think we are so lucky to be able to live life on this beautiful land, so I do my best to be environmentally active and live sustainably so when I saw the amazing affect that transpired as a result of being forced to stay put in our homes I knew that was a message I wanted to get out into the world!
What was the creative process for the song? How did it get from conception to the finished product?
Once I did feel inspired to sit down at the piano it actually all came together pretty quickly. I came up with the piano riff for the verse and then the words kind of fell out pretty organically! Later that day I was playing around with a chorus which I didn’t think would work because it was in a completely different tempo. But somehow I made it meld together. I spent more time workshopping the second verse and the bridge lyrics, as they hold an important message I wanted to get across and express well.
It was definitely interesting recording it with the tempo changes ha ha. I created a little demo and sent it to Kyran Daniel, a producer I worked with for my debut single ‘Blind’. Kyran helped me record and put it all together with an interesting but pop vibe, while social distancing!
Your lyrics for ‘Rebuild’ are full of the positive changes we can make from this terrible period. Now that we appear to (hopefully!) be through the worst of coronavirus, what do you think will be the lasting effect of this strange period in our history? What should we all take from it?
I really hope that people take this as a chance to reevaluate their lives, really think about what their priorities and values are. I know we are in different positions and walks of life so it’s hard to generalise. I think we were getting caught up in a rat race of consumerism, greed and a need for power over people for no apparent reason. I know it has made me realise how lucky I am to live the life I live and how much I can take the little things for granted. I think for some it has been a chance to slow down. I think it has even given some people an insight into mental health issues, like anxiety and depression.Anyways there are so many benefits I could go on about but I guess just be kind to people and yourself and take care of the world that gives us so much. It’s time for change.
Is it important for you for your music to carry a strong message to society in your lyrics?
I love being able to narrate the stories and emotions of my life through songs, but what I love most is being able to share them with an audience and create a connection that only music can form. I like being able to send a message but also let people know they’re not alone in their feelings or make something they can resonate with.
I wanted to take things back to the beginning and ask what role did music play in your life when you were a kid?
Music has always been a huge part of my life. Whether it was singing in choirs with my siblings - which I have six of! - or playing saxophone in the school band, I loved breaking out into song and dance around the lounge room. But I’ve always loved listening to a song feeling like the artist is speaking the exact words in my mind or just being able to relate to the story they’re telling.
Was there a moment when you decided you wanted to pursue music as a career, or was it something that happened organically?
I’ve dreamed of being a singer since I was a little girl. The dream has stuck with me but I never thought I was really good enough to do it, but it was always in the back of my mind every time I went and did something else. Two and a half years ago, I had just moved to Geelong and started a Masters in Teaching, but not long in I decided, ‘stuff it, I’m moving to Melbourne to give this music dream a real crack’. I felt I owed it to myself to make performing and sharing my own music the sole focus of my life, which I’m so glad that I did!
What artists or music have you been getting into recently? Isolation was a great time to be discovering new music!
Today I’m feeling nostalgic and listening to old Kings of Leon. I’ve been loving new releases from Aussie artists Eliott, Kaitlin Keegan and Hayden Calnin! But I usually don’t go a day without listening to Fleetwood Mac, Missy Higgins and Adele.
The #metoo movement made everyone realise the level of gender inequality and sexism in the entertainment industry. What are your thoughts on the treatment of women in the music industry, both from the inside and how the general public perceive and react to female performers?
First of all I want to acknowledge that the #metoo movement is particularly focused on Black women and girls, I cannot fully speak on behalf of their experiences, though I strongly stand with them and I believe no one is equal until we are all equal. But yes I think the #metoo movement has shone a light on the issue of power imbalance in the entertainment industry, which is starting to help women stand up and speak out, as our voice deserves to be heard and listened to without being disrespected or belittled. Though there are some amazing men in the industry who try hard to revoke this culture, there is still this inbuilt perception that makes women think that our time is worth less or our ideas are less valuable or won’t be taken seriously and if we really do believe in something we have to make a stand, put our hand up with all our courage and say what we really think or want, which will probably get knocked down or even taken credit for. It sometimes feels like, ‘well why bother?’. I wish we didn’t have to feel scared, embarrassed or ashamed to speak our mind without feeling like it’s going to be put down or just too damn hard to be listened to. We already have a hard enough time believing in ourselves and building confidence. In relation to public perception, it’s sad that women are so often harshly criticised on our looks, our clothes, our voice or sexualised and have to just put up with it because we don’t want to ruin our opportunity. But no we should not have to put up with it! I do believe there has been a shift with this thinking but still believe we have a long way to go for equality.
What’s up next for Paige Black?
I’ve actually been in the studio the last few weeks working on recording a couple of my songs which I’m really excited about how they are sounding and I can’t wait to share them!
Thank so much Paige for the chat!
Thanks for having me! Yeahhh Power to the Women!
‘Rebuild’ by Paige Black is out now. You can download it on iTunes or stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
To keep up with all things Paige Black, you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
