Cara Paige: The Making of a New Artist

Interview By Lauren Elizabeth Campbell, Editor-in-Chief

Singer-songwriter and University of Georgia student Cara Paige released her first EP 'What If I’m Sad Forever?' on August 21st. She explains her work, creative process, inspirations, and what’s next:

'What If I'm Sad Forever?' keeps an upbeat pop vibe while also displaying very melancholic material. I've always felt kind of like an outsider and a lot of the songs describe how I feel when I'm "forgotten about," as well as how I always feel like I have to pretend to be someone I'm not to fit in and please others. It was hard for me to release this because I was scared people would look at me differently, but being sad is real and not a bad thing, and everyone feels it at one point or another.

This process was completely new to me. I've released singles in the past but never more than one song at a time. It made me learn not to rush the process and not to write things just to write things. What I mean by that is originally I wanted to put out a whole album which would have meant I needed at least eight songs instead of six. I have a lot of drafts saved on my phone of songs that I never finished. I sat there and tried to finish them, but it just wasn't happening so I decided to cut those songs and do the EP instead. Songwriting should be meaningful and not writing just to write. I guess it really made me think about quality over quantity as I wanted to put out music that had real meaning to me.

Honestly, I know this is what most artists say, but it really is different every time. Sometimes I'll think of some lyrics I really like, and then pick up my guitar and start playing a random chord progression and put it all together. Other times, I'll think of lyrics I love but I won't be able to find a tune that I feel fits those lyrics. If that's the case, I may scrap it entirely or I'll try to think of lyrics with a similar meaning. I've also had days where I'll start saying random words and all of a sudden, and in fifteen minutes, I have an entire song written and done. Usually when that happens, the lyrics end up even better because I'm writing about feelings and emotions that I had been suppressing, and it feels really good to get it all out.

Okay, so I have two favorite songs. "January" is the first song I wrote and recorded. It's the most meaningful song to me on the EP, and probably that I've ever written because it tells the story of the last time I saw my great-grandmother before she passed. The first time I sang it live was at her unveiling ceremony, and it was hard to get through the whole song without crying. "Sweatshirts" is also a really special song to me. There are days where I just feel like no one cares about how I feel or anything and that's where the song stemmed from. There's also a lyric in the bridge that says, "I need

someone who will make me wanna stay alive," and this was really hard for me to write and honestly I was so scared for people to hear that because obviously I really value my life, but then I have those days where I feel like no one cares. It was hard being so honest in that song because I don't want people to think of me differently. I'm really good at smiling and nodding so people don't really know how I feel and this is the first time I'm really showing people what's underneath myself.

I started playing the guitar back in 2014 and from there I started writing my own songs. When I was in middle school, I used to write parodies about people when I was upset and people started telling me I should write my own stuff. I have a lot of stuff I write that I absolutely hate and then a lot that I love. Sometimes I'll know exactly how I'm feeling and exactly what I want to write about but I won't know how to say it and that is the hardest part about songwriting for me.

When I came up with the title of my EP, I knew I wanted to have a cover that was super washed-out and melancholic. I then had this vision that I wanted to take the cover photo in the rain, and I wanted to be wearing all white to stay with the washed out vibes. I put up a white sheet on the retaining wall in my backyard so that the entire picture would be dull. Then I looked at the weather to see when it was going to rain and I made my brother come outside and take a bunch of pictures until I had the one I wanted. I didn't really have a specific pose in mind, all I knew is that I wanted to be sitting in a white sweat outfit soaking wet from the rain, and I got just that.

Talking about how I'm honestly feeling has always been something I struggle with. Like I said earlier, I like to tell people it's okay when it's really not. Honestly, it's hard for me to be honest with myself because it's scary admitting you're depressed. What I want my listeners to take away from my EP is that it's okay to feel depressed and it's okay to be honest and admit stuff like that to yourself. Everyone should be real with themselves because the problems won't go away from hiding behind a fake smile. I want my listeners to know that every feeling is valid and talking about them is so important to remain in a healthy state.

I listen to a lot of pop and today's hits music so most of my music is similar to that. I like to make sure I have a catchy hook when I write my music and I also like to make sure that my listeners are able to connect with my music. Before I started writing my own music, I would always love it when I heard songs that pertained to situations I was experiencing in my current life and so I aim to bring my listeners that same connection I always felt from other artists while still writing about topics that are meaningful to me.

Hands down it's Taylor Swift. I connect with her music so much and honestly, I feel like I have so much in common with her. The day after attending her '1989' World Tour I sat down and wrote my first song ever. She is such a huge influence in my life and my dream is to collaborate with her. I just think it would be so cool to sit down and write a song with her to see how our songwriting processes differ, and I just feel like I would learn so much from a session with her.

I've been listening to Taylor Swift's new album 'folklore' almost every day because I think it's absolutely amazing. The lyrics are incredible, the way she connects multiple songs through lyrics just blows my mind and I love it. It also amazes me how she has written so many different genres of music and succeeds in all of them. I also listen to a lot of AJR because I love the electronic vibes their music contains, and I love Billie Eilish. I love how raw Billie is with her lyrics and I love how she doesn't care about what anyone thinks of her because that's a huge thing I struggle with.

It would have to be Taylor Swift, just because she is my favorite artist and she is the one who inspired me to start writing my own music and putting it out there. The thought of opening for her seems insane, but I hope I'm able to get to that point in my career.

I'm going to keep writing music and releasing it, but I definitely want to release my first album in the future! I don't know when that will be, and I may release some singles before then, but I do know that I definitely want to write and release my first album. Before then though, I want to start playing live more so that I can get over some of my fears, but I'm not sure when that would be because of COVID-19. Hopefully in the near future though everything will be safer and I'll be able to showcase my EP live!