Piper Page: An Artist on the Rise

Interview By Lauren Elizabeth Campbell, Editor-in-Chief

New York City-based singer/songwriter Piper Page released her latest R&B single "Risk" May 21st. A New York University student, Piper has combined her early training as a jazz vocalist and pianist with her love for musical theatre. In pursuing her musical dream, she advocates for women of color in the industry. Get to know Piper:

Where did your love of music come from?

I had a love of music from the second I could walk and talk. I grew up dancing, being in musical theatre shows at my local community theatre, and at school. Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Hall & Oates, and Whitney Houston rang throughout my house growing up. My parents put me in piano when I was about 8 years old, I started writing poetry at about 12, which quickly led to songwriting and a pursuit of vocal training, and my own varying interests in music. In high school, I was a choir and show choir kid who never thought that pursuing music as a career could be a reliable option until I got to NYU. Music became my entire life and I haven’t stopped working, collaborating, networking, and learning since I got here two years ago.

How would you describe your music?

I would describe my music as a work in progress. While my current genre is R&B/pop music, I have a love and a passion for a variety of different sounds and am inspired by artists like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and other songwriters who don’t conform to just one box. People like consistency, but crave variation. With my current songwriting and creation process, I would say my music is a cross-pollination of Amy Winehouse, Adele, Mahalia, Sinéad Harnett, and Ella Mai.

What do you hope people take away from your latest single, "Risk"?

"Risk" is about wanting someone but not being able to fully commit to them. When they listen to it, I want people to be able to apply it to their own lives and circumstances. Maybe you've been wondering "what if" a lot lately, maybe you're just starting a new relationship, maybe you’ve just gotten out of a relationship and looking back on it, wondering what went wrong. Maybe it's not applicable to your love life at all but something in your life is preventing you from taking that risk. Like with all my music, I hope that fans can take the words I've put on paper and write their own stories.

What artists are you inspired by?

I could go on and on and on about this because I take inspiration from everything and everyone, but I especially love Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Adele, Sinéad Harnett, Sasha Keable, Demi Lovato, and any R&B/pop artists who have successfully displayed honesty in their songwriting.

What should everyone be listening to?

Well first and foremost, everyone should be listening to "Risk" by Piper Page. Some of my favorite songs I’ve been obsessing over lately are "Bad Behavior" by Elli Ingram, "Exception" by Sasha Keable, any song off of Twenties by Bren Joy, Isolation Tapes by Mahalia, and the new Sinéad Harnett album which came out the same day as "Risk"!

What is next for you?

I've got so many things in the works right now, and am going to spend the summer collaborating with some incredible producers and songwriters. This is new for me since I write all my music myself, but I’ ve been wanting to get into the rhythm of cowrites and collabs recently so I’ll be doing a lot of that this summer! The "Risk" music video will debut in early to mid-June and following that, I’m hoping to release another single or two before the start of my junior year at NYU in September!

Keep up with Piper Page on Instagram @piperpage and TikTok @itspiperpage.