Paige Rutledge’s personality is as sparkly as her rhinestone studded guitar. Her joy and passion for her music oozed out of my screen as we giggled our way through the forty-minute interview. From late nights and early starts at the CCMAs to the absolute necessity that is a pink emotional support cup, Rutledge shared both the big and small moments leading up to her EP launch in September.
Hot off the tails of the CCMAs, Rutledge joined me from her home in Toronto to talk about the release of her brand-new EP, ‘Break Up Rules’, and everything that goes along with putting your heart and soul into a body of work to release into the world.
So new music. Come on, tell me everything.
Yay! my goodness. so I... Where do I even begin? Well, like a year and half ago, I was like, I want to put out an EP. Because at this point, I guess there's been, I don't know, my friends could actually probably tell you better, but I think we have nine singles out right now since 2020. And I want to do like a collection of work. And so at the beginning of last year, I started writing very specifically for that project and being like, what do I want it to sound like? Like kind of what's my ideas? And so after doing that, like just kind of writing and having those ideas, we put together the basics of the EP and being like, okay, this is kind of the vibe. And now it comes out next Friday, which is wild and stressful and exciting and I feel every emotion in the world. The EP is called Break Up Rules and it's all about the different stages, like how do you go through a breakup, you know, like setting those boundaries, which are very important. And then, you know, we have the sad girl song in there and then also the like, I'm good, like things are good, moving on out with the girlies kind of vibe. And then there was a song that I wrote - actually it was one of the first songs that I didn't even know it was going to be on this project but I wrote it a couple years ago down in Nashville with Ryan Sorsett. It was after I had met this guy the night before at a bar and he was just like the most classic throw -and -pick -up lines guy and I was like my god this, like, the cliche and the stereotype is real and so I had the title Dive Bar Romeo in my phone. And I was like, this man… this man's a Dive Bar Romeo. And so I wrote it like literally the next morning. I was like, ‘Ryan, you're never gonna guess what happened to me last night’. And so that song kind of fit our little breakup trend, you know, when you're going back out. So that's the fun, silly song on the EP. Cause I also think it's important to not take yourself so seriously sometimes and like you can just have a fun song.
Yes! It reminds me of Carrie Underwood's Cowboy Casanova.
Right, exactly. Like that kind of vibe. When we're writing, obviously being deep and meaningful and telling a story through it. But then I also think there's something to be said about just having like a really fun song that people kind of jam to and they're like, this is just so fun to sing along to. So I think that's what ‘Dive Bar Romeo’ is. So there's five songs on the EP and the single is the title track, ‘Break Up Rules’.
And how do you feel? So it comes out next Friday? How are you feeling in anticipation of like it's there, it's ready, you're just waiting for that day?
I don't know if stress is the right word. I think the anticipation, like maybe the excitement and the nervousness. I always, before releasing a song, I always get a little nervous just because you set expectations for yourself and it's a very vulnerable process at the same time too, because you're putting something out that you're like, I really hope people like this, because I like it. But I always try to think, like in the sense of this song, like as much as I wrote it, it's my story, sure, and I put it out there, but it's really important - the listeners are what make the song, they have to find a piece of them in it too. So I always just have this, I don't know, maybe it's a little bit of imposter syndrome, and I'm sure a lot of artists probably feel that way, but it's nerve -racking leading up to putting something out and just being like, really hope people like this and want to listen to this. It's also exciting because with a project like this, it doesn't just happen in a couple of months. It's been a year and a half. I also have this head space right now too, where I know things are like, it’s uploaded, it's there, it's coming out next week. And we're putting on a release show, which I'm so excited for, but there's just a lot of buildup to it. And so everyone's like, try to live in the moment and just like appreciate what you've done and be excited about what you've done. So I think I've been trying to get my head into that too. And I think once next week hits and it's release week, I'll be like, there’s not much more I can do at this point. Here we go. There's no stopping it now.
Have you got some radio play lined up?
Yeah, so that's kind of the goal. Hopefully. We're trying to do Sirius XM with ‘Break Up Rules’, like with the actual single. So putting that out into the universe that that happens. Because Radio's tough. Like it's a tough, tough, tough grind out there for it. And actually there is one song on the EP, ‘The Worst Thing’, which that was my first song to get picked up by Sirius. So I'm hoping that there can be another song off of this that does go to radio. Just because honestly, I don't think this feeling will ever get old. The very first time I heard ‘The Worst Thing’ on the radio, I cried. Like I sat in the car. Well, actually I was in my parents driveway. So I ran into the house and I was like, come here, someone come outside! And my mom and I were screaming the lyrics in the driveway. The whole town could probably hear us. And I just kind of cried after because I was like, whoa. You work really hard for these moments and then it happens and it's very surreal. And so that feeling's really special. And so, I really hope ‘Break Up Rules’ – I’m putting out good vibes that it will get picked up.
So the EP then, my two favourite questions I ask everyone when there's a body of work are hardest song to write and favourite song to play.
Ooh. Interesting. That's really good. Okay. Favourite song to play is... That's really hard. Cause I'm like, I love them all for different reasons. Breakup Rules. I think that's... very Taylor Swift inspired. Like if Taylor Swift was still making country music was the vibe of the EP. And I love, there's something, there's a moment in the chorus where the melody is just so open. And so it's just, I love singing it. Like it feels like this really empowering. And the first line of the chorus is, you don't get to call me baby. And it's just this like big open line. So it feels… it feels so empowering. Like I stand there and I'm like, no, no, no, So I love playing that one.
Hardest song to write. Like, so it's funny, because the actual, if I think back to the actual writing sessions, the one that we had to work the hardest for that, like, because Breakup Rules, was like a 45 minute, because it's pretty self -explanatory, and everyone's been through that where you need to set boundaries with a specific person. So there was enough to go around and be like, these are the rules. Used To This which is the second track. That one was the most, probably like the longest writing session that we did. Yeah, I'd say probably Used To This, but then like recording wise, I know I'm bending the question a little bit. Dive Bar Romeo was the hardest one to record. We changed the sound three times. Not that we couldn't find the vibe, but we tried a bunch of different things and we're like, no, this song has potential and why is it not hitting? Like it should. So it took a little bit of trial and error for that one. So that was that song. And that's the first time that's ever happened to Matt, my producer and I, like we tried so many different sounds and we actually got to the point where we were like, maybe it's not meant to be, but I wasn't willing to give up. I was like, no, we're going to keep going, try something different. And then eventually, yeah, I was like, I believe in this.
Okay, so what is your overriding message from, I mean, I think we've probably covered it, but for the album, for the EP, what would you say is the message that you're putting out into the world with this body of music?
Ooh, everything is going to be okay after a breakup, which I know is like cliche. But you know, the last couple years and like my like experiences like meeting different guys or, talking to different guys or, you know, like even just getting to know somebody or like what my friends go through. Sometimes it really does feel like there's been, you know, FaceTimes when you're like up to like three o 'clock in the morning with your friend because some guy did something or whatever and not saying like just guys obviously, that's just my experience talking to my girlfriends. And like you're on the phone watching your friend so upset and it's just like that moment of feeling like nothing's gonna ever get better. And then I think there's empowerment after that and finding yourself again, cause I guess at the end of the day, like even the worst thing, which is the saddest song, like the sad breakup song on the EP is still like kind of that glimmer of hope of like, there's still like some positivity in it of being like, yeah, it's the worst thing, but, then it leads into everything will be okay, kind of thing. So I think that because I just, I really try to approach every day with a really positive outlook. I think you have to find the positives in life because, especially in this music industry, like if you don't find the positives, you're going to drive yourself crazy. And I never want to lose like the love for music and the love of like what I feel very lucky that I get to do it at whatever capacity. And so the positivity from it. It's not a sad breakup album, but it has elements of sad, but finding yourself again after a breakup. The Hope. I feel like the songs collectively are a representation of me as a person, and I'm really proud of that, the authenticity, just who I am.
I've always strived for that because I think you can tell when that comes through in artists songs and just being so true to who that person is and I think that's a really important part of making music because like if you're doing it and it's you know like you're not putting that piece of you I think people can tell and that's scary like it is so scary to be like here's everything about me throw it out there but yeah
Was it like a tough to get the order of the songs? Like the first song, the end song of the EP?
I think that was the one thing I was confident on from the beginning. I was like, I know what this is going to. I never wavered on that. I knew immediately. Like, yeah, I know. And it's funny, because when we make, even just making set lists, I'll go back and forth sometimes. There's certain songs where I'm like, okay, this has to be at this point in the show, or this is for sure, our opening is for sure, our closing. And sometimes I go back and forth on why, different reasons. And when we were going through...Like when each song, when we recorded, I was like, no, this is the third track. This is like it in my head. I was like, I envision how this is going to look. And so yeah, that was the one thing I did not get stressed over.
Is there anything else you want to talk about for this EP that I can write about?
Gosh, I keep forgetting. This is so bad. I need to write this down. We filmed a video for Breakup Rules back in April. Because I just, knew how crazy summer was gonna get and I knew September wasn't real and all of a sudden, I was like, we are gonna get to September and I'm gonna be like, hmm. So we filmed a live version of Breakup Rules up in an attic. And it was so hot, like so hot. Because we had smoke and everything going on and obviously everybody's energy from playing - the body heat in that room was ridiculous. I remember feeling the sweat drip down my body as I'm singing and I'm like, ‘look good, you're on camera’. So there's a video for Breakup Rules, which I love.
And April feels like a year ago at this point - it doesn't even feel like it was this year. No tour, a bunch of shows. We have shows booked all the way to the end of December. But the release show is like the big kickoff for it. And then the video, which I'm really excited for.
Paige Rutledge is the big sister we all need, helping us get over our break ups with her music that takes you from the bathroom floor ugly cries right the way through to getting back out there with the girls. ‘Break Up Rules’ is available to stream and download now wherever you get your music. Stay up to date with Paige Rutledge through her website here.
Comentários