Paige Rutledge

GOCCM: I am talking with Oakville’s Paige Rutledge today. Pleased to meet you Paige.

PR: Very nice to meet you as well.

GOCCM: Like many young artists you grew up listening to classic country. What artists were played in your family home?

PR: Oh my gosh, Shania Twain non stop. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, as both my parents worked in the evening, so my brother and I would go to our grandparents’. My grandpa loved Shania Twain, so I think that is how that started, and I brought her back to my family home. I listened to a lot of Dolly Parton, a lot of Charley Pride with my grandpa, but Shania Twain was my biggest influence. And then when I got a little older of course Taylor Swift when she started coming into the scene as well.

GOCCM: Charley Pride is a big family favourite of ours.

PR: Oh, its actually funny. I appreciate him a lot more now that I am older. When I was little and my grandpa would play Charley Pride, I would go and turn it off and put on Shania and say, we have to listen to Shania. And now I like Charley Pride much more than when I was 4 or 5.

GOCCM: What is there about country music in general that is appealing to you?

PR: I love the storytelling. I was in a writing session yesterday and we had a long conversation about that question. We were like what makes country music so special. I think it is because artists have a chance to be so vulnerable and really share their stories so personally.

Country music has a special way of connecting with audiences and listeners. I think that is really cool and what is unique about the genre. That is what draws me into country music. It is so relatable and feel-good. You feel good listening to country music and I think that is a special thing.

GOCCM: I certainly agree with you there. Paige, you have been creating music since 2014 when you had the single “Someday.” Since then you released your EP “Hey Girl” in 2016 and your 2018 EP “From the Heart.” Where can readers listen to those songs?

PR: Some of those are not online anymore. I was super young, and I have changed a lot. But “Hey Girl” and “From the Heart” are on Apple Music, Spotify, all those places, along with single releases since then. I did one in January and I just released a single in October called “Take Me Back to Tiki.” Everything is up online except the 2014 songs, which are likely on YouTube still.

GOCCM: Last year you won the artist showcase at the Burlington Ribfest, you were chosen by the CMAO to play at events they hosted, and you had dates lined up for 2020. Where were you most looking forward to playing this past summer?

PR: The last couple of years have been really exciting and this year I was part of the Next Country Star, which is the emerging artist showcase at Havelock Jamboree. We did the preliminary online, and I ended up winning my night for that. The semi-finals have been put on hold until everything clears up a bit. But that is what I was looking forward to because things were going in an exciting, positive direction with it.

So Havelock Jamboree is looking good in the future. Havelock is a large country event with lots of people from across Canada attending. That was exciting, and I am still looking forward to that opportunity next summer when the competition resumes again.

GOCCM: That’s good. Yes, Havelock Jamboree had their 30th anniversary last year.
What have you been doing during the pandemic?

PR: A whole bunch of stuff actually. I have probably been busier during the pandemic than prior to it. I think for me I actually kind of needed a bit of a break to sit back and reflect at myself, set some serious goals for myself, where do I see myself in so many years, what do I want Paige Rutledge to say, what sound do I want to have. I finished school, graduating from university during that time as well. So after April I had all this time to myself that I had never had before. I thought that this is great for me.

For me, personally, I needed it to set goals and figure out what and where I want to be in the next few years. I did a whole bunch of writing. I was up at my cottage the entire time, went up in March and didn’t come home until September. My cottage is definitely my happy place so lots of solo writing up there.

I did lots of co-writing this summer. I was fortunate enough that my cousin is also a musician, and so we do a whole bunch of writing together. The two of us were quarantined up at the cottage, which was great as I had a partner with me songwriting and making music throughout. Even writing these last few weeks, which is exciting leading into 2021.

I released a single in October which was a product of the lockdown — “Take Me Back to Tiki” we wrote during the summer at the cottage from the tiki bar itself. It is a month old now. It’s been crazy.

GOCCM: Yes, I believe you. You said your friend even heard it on the radio in Michigan.

PR: I got a message two weeks ago from this friend whose cottage is on our road. The tiki bar is a bar on our property that my dad built a couple years ago so everyone comes there to hang out at tiki which was the whole idea of the song. My friend said he heard “Take Me Back to Tiki” on his local station. This is the coolest thing ever. I don’t think I ever expected to get that text in my life. It was really exciting.

GOCCM: Tell us about the first time you heard it or any of your songs on the radio. What is that experience like?

PR: I haven’t heard “Take me back to Tiki” just yet. Others have and text me about it but I haven’t.

I remember one time I was listening to an Apple radio station and one of my songs came on. I did a double take and thought, who is this person? Is this me? This was last year when I was studying and one of my songs called “Just Friends” came on the station. Oh my gosh, it is such a surreal feeling. In the moment you are like, am I listening to myself? Am I imaging this?

I feel a very personal connection to my recent [song] “Take me back to Tiki.” If l do, which I hope, ever have the opportunity to hear it, to catch the right time on radio, myself actually hear, not just friends, I think I will have to pull over the car and take a second for that one.

GOCCM: Well I think other artists have said that they have had to do that too, just pull over.

PR: Ya, even just hearing it on a playlist, I have to ask am I listening to myself? Surreal. Oh my gosh, people are out there listening to my music too. It is a really cool feeling.

GOCCM: The lyrics in “Tiki” are very visual. I could shut my eyes and be taken to the place your clear, well enunciated words took me. Did you, by chance, take vocal lessons?

PR: I did. I was 10, almost 11 when I started taking lessons. I always loved to sing when I was little, but I never thought anything more, or my parents as well, other than I just loved to put on shows for them pretending I was Shania Twain or whomever I was that day.

It was after my grandfather, who I have talked about liking Charley Pride, passed away. I ended up singing at his funeral and that was the moment I was, oh my gosh I want to do this for the rest of my life. I want to sing. It was after that I asked my parents to put me in music lessons, starting guitar and singing.

I am very thankful that I had the chance to take lessons because I think every kid should take music lessons. It is such a wonderful experience.

GOCCM: And I think whether you just enjoy yourself at home or at karaoke what you learned will hold you in good stead as you get going. I know for some artists, if you end up doing two or three shows a day or over the course of a weekend, some of their voices start to give by the last show of the weekend. I think the lessons and control you learn have to be good for you.

PR: Absolutely for sure. And also confidence building. Music lessons are a good life lesson for building up your own confidence. And it is funny that you say that about losing voice. I was fortunate when things opened up in the summer I got to play some patio gigs. After the first couple days of it I was like, oh my goodness. I could tell I hadn’t played for awhile. My voice is exhausted. So, ya, all that stuff is very important.

GOCCM: So what can we expect next from Paige Rutledge?

PR: A whole bunch of writing, and I am really happy with everything that is coming out of these writing sessions. I am looking forward to 2021. I am really optimistic for a great year music-wise and in general. The goal is to put out as much music as possible, as I have discussed with my team and everyone who supports me. I am aiming for the first single to come out Feb–April general area and then I would love, love, love to work towards an EP in September. Lots of music, lots of singles, just getting as much music out there as I can. Hopefully, keep kind of building on the momentum.

GOCCM: You mentioned you just graduated from university. What did you take there?

PR: I did, from the University of Guelph, which I love. Anybody listening to this who is considering going to Guelph, you should. I have no regrets about that school. It is fantastic. I did my Music degree.

GOCCM: That’s wonderful. Thank you for chatting with us Paige. We wish you the best in your career. We will have our ears out for you as those singles are released.

PR: Thank you so much for chatting with me today. I really appreciate it.