Rising Music Star Paul Loren On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
Play overtime, but leave them wanting more. No one likes a union musician who checks in and out exactly they’re supposed to. This isn’t surgery, it’s meant to be enjoyed by all! (We would’ve all been in the military if we were so time-conscious.) If it’s scheduled to end by 10 pm, play until 10:15 and then make those last 15 minutes so damn good that no one wants to leave. Yourself included.
As a part of our series about rising music stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Paul Loren.
Paul Loren is a singer, songwriter, producer and consummate entertainer. A native New Yorker, Paul was raised on the rich legacy of soul, classic pop, and the Great American Songbook and in those musical idioms, he feels most at home. Taking elements from early rock ’n roll, rhythm & blues and Brill Building pop, he crafts his music with an ear towards timelessness.
With an 11-song collection “Betwixt,” set for release in the fall of 2021, Paul is ready to pivot in a new direction. The new songs, while retaining his knack for melody and timeless songwriting chops, traffic in a depth and brutal honesty not found in his earlier material. With an upbeat and groove-based thread that connects all the songs on the record, he ties together the more profound lyrical territory with a blazing rhythm section that feels rearing and ready to hit the road again.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thanks for having me! I grew up on Long Island, about 35 minutes away from New York City. My parents met up at a resort in the Catskill Mountains (very ‘Dirty Dancing,’ I know!), and the rest, they say, is history. I was raised with a real appreciation for music and the arts, and from a young age, my interest in them was definitely nurtured.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Looking back, I’m not sure there was anything else I would’ve done full-time other than music. It was the one thing that sustained me growing up — I’ve always sung, played piano and written songs — and my love for it (and my want to grow more in it) keeps sustaining me to this very day. It was always a ‘love quest’ for me, rather than something that made sense financially or even logically!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
If 2 years ago you would’ve told me that we’d be locked down at home, unable to play shows for over a year, and still (18 months later), without a clear sense of how it’ll all end up for live musicians, I would’ve said you were absolutely nuts. Added to that, the fact that I wrote and recorded two records’ worth of material during that time that I’m incredibly proud of, I would call that… well, a truly interesting story!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I remember a small, intimate show in NYC in front of my hometown audience. I had bought a brand new 2-piece suit just for the show and in haste (and a very dimly lit dressing room), I put the suit on. Halfway through the set, an audience member upfront gestured to me, pointing to the suit jacket. I looked down and felt the surge of embarrassment as I realized the tag was dangling down, still attached to the pocket and on display for all to see in the bright spotlights. I remember immediately ‘flipping’ the scenario into schtick, asking the audience “if anyone had a scissor.” I got a big laugh and rode the joke out through the rest of the set.
Lesson learned: 1) always check your garments; 2) when something goes awry, make it funny.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’ve been working on a record of cover songs — tunes that I really love from the ’70s, ’80s and ‘90s — songs that most wouldn’t associate with me or my original music. I’m reimagining all the covers to fit sonically in my own space and I’m having a blast doing so, covering everything from Madonna, to Tina Turner to The Carpenters!
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Well, just from the angle of storytelling, think of how rich art can be when more are allowed to tell their own truths. Different perspectives really allow for a deeper context and wider breadth to share our human experience, and in turn, that makes way for a more personal connection to such stories. The ‘personal’ is always the ‘universal’, in my opinion. Through art, we have the opportunity to connect, empathize and understand in ways that other platforms just can’t provide. When more creators from different backgrounds get a chance to tell their stories and share experiences, the art gets better, as does the human connection.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Play anywhere and everywhere you possibly can. And I did, for years, from clam shacks to weddings to park gazebos. Some of it wasn’t pretty, a lot of it was really trying, but every hour and bead of sweat is worth it in service of the craft.
2. Learn how to sing into a microphone. Correct, you heard me! From understanding how the voice works dynamically in a space, to using proximity effects in your favor, to learning tricks for cutting down on plosives (like ‘p’s’ and ‘b’s’) — from the studio to the stage, this is a must for all singers!
3. Choose ‘feeling’ over ‘perfection.’ If the performance takes you to that emotive place, go with it. Even if some things could be ‘technically’ better, it truly only matters to you, not the listener! Get over it.
4. Play overtime, but leave them wanting more. No one likes a union musician who checks in and out exactly they’re supposed to. This isn’t surgery, it’s meant to be enjoyed by all! (We would’ve all been in the military if we were so time-conscious.) If it’s scheduled to end by 10 pm, play until 10:15 and then make those last 15 minutes so damn good that no one wants to leave. Yourself included.
5. Don’t be so precious about the image, but make sure the image is a great one. This has taken me years to learn, as I’m the first to nitpick at my flaws in any photo. At some point, however, the real fans will always connect with the real ‘you.’ The same goes for song production. As long as the tune is undeniable, it could be recorded on a phone and the true believers will never care — in fact, they’ll only want more.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
If you’re in the art for the right reasons, there is no “burn out.” Maybe the style of music or genre or even creative medium will change, but the creative act is a lifelong pursuit.
So I’d just say to make sure that it’s the art that really fuels you and not the other nonsense that tends to come along with it.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Ooh well, I wouldn’t be that presumptuous to offer up such a grand idea, so I would naturally have to think smaller. In fact, what if we all spent our energies tidying up only our own lives? — our own mental health and personal space, our own habits and thought processes and judgments and routines — I’d imagine the world would be a less fraught and easier place to live in. Seems to me that the priority list of problem-solving starts with our own first; only then and then after, can we tackle those of the greater world.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My parents were my original cheerleaders, so I would tip my hat to their love and their support of my craft. I’d really say that music is a collaborative medium, so we’d all be nothing as artists without those who we play with, or do business with, or perform for, etc. One fruitful relationship always seems to lead another and open up other doors, and I’d be nothing without all of them!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” That always rings true to me. While it’s nice to employ some structure (especially in the most wild and chaotic life of an artist!), it’s also nice to not take structure too seriously. It is a construct, after all.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I am truly fascinated by the Belgian author and therapist Esther Perel. I would just love to chat with her over some coffee on all things human beings, intrinsic needs, freedom, love and relationships. Her brain and filter on why-we-work-the-way-we-do is always so welcome.
How can our readers follow you online?
My Instagram profile (@paullorenmusic) and website (www.paulloren.com) are 2 of the best ways!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful questions!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
