Paige Monroe - Distraction EP

18 year-old pop starlet Paige Monroe is an exciting, fresh young talent from Portsmouth who is quickly making her mark within the pop scene. She has already played to various sold out London audiences and for the last year Paige has been spending most of her time in various studios, crafting her sound and working with a whole array of writers and producers and is now all set to release her debut EP.

We caught up with Paige shortly after her performance at Portsmouth Summer Show this weekend:

Hey Paige thanks for taking the time to chat to us! So your debut EP is out next Friday (May 13th), how has your journey been to releasing your first EP? Has it been long in the making?

Thank you also! I am very excited about my debut EP - which comes out this Friday!!!!! I've worked hard on it and so has everyone else involved. Months and months in writing sessions, lengthy days demoing loads of songs, and then I spent three weeks solid the studio. The song "Waiting" was actually written back in November 2014 when things had just started taking off, and I didn't know what I was going to do with that song at the time, but I'm glad it's now on the record, as it's almost part of the journey from start to finish. 

Is there a message that you want to put out there with this release / did you have a general theme or concept that inspired you?

The main theme of my EP is about accepting, dealing with and overcoming relationships. Some songs on the record have a message that praises a relationship is a positive way, while the others have more of an emotional tone. It's nice how the EP almost has a wave pattern, and you hear all sides of the story. 

How about your creative process, what really inspires you to create particular songs? 

Mainly my personal experiences, I also get inspiration from people around me or even by listening to other songs and artist. I like to be personal and truthful with lyrics so the story means a lot to me. Sometimes when I write, I like to perform the song in front of the mirror to see how the song itself feels when singing. 

Who are would you say your main musical influences are and what really got you into music to begin with?

I would like to think that all music influences me. I just love it; If it sounds good I'll listen. I like everything from pop punk to indie to the heaviest of heavy and even musical theatre. I've been singing even since I was 2, and enjoyed it, so it went from there!

Is there anyone out there at the moment that you would really love to work with? 

That's a tough one. I would love to work with Lady Gaga - She is such a natural talent, and is someone who definitely inspires me. She is very musically gifted, covers so many genres of music and has even dominated the fashion and acting world. Gaga is also such a strong female figure for people to look up to. Another artist I would also love to work with would be Tony Bennett, imagine that!

What are your plans for 2016 … what can we expect from you next? 

Lots and lots of performing! And I'm writing all the time so maybe another EP, but with a different message and vibe this time. As things in our lives are always changing and so does the story...

Paige Monroe’s debut EP is out this Friday 13th May, check out the single Call It Love here: