“I Don’t Care” has become the #1 LGBTQ Pride anthem nationwide and has reached #1 on the dance charts, leaving the London-born, New York-based Aaron Paul realizing a dream of a lifetime. Coming in right behind “I Don’t Care” is his new release “PnP (Party N Play) – The Freak Remix” is being played on dance floors everywhere.
I spoke with the charming and enchanting Paul, singer and songwriter, and fell in love with his charisma, sense of humor and British accent. Watch for him in clubs around the city, and possibly in Fire Island very shortly.
You are an amazing artist.
Thank you. I’m trying to be.
So why did you leave the U.K. and relocate to New York?
I left the U.K. when I decided to leave the boy band, Worlds Apart. That was it. I was coming to New York, and in between touring, I made a bunch of friends, and wanted to make New York my home. So I was waiting for the right moment back in the U.K. when I could jump ship and come back here. Three days later I was on a plane to here with whatever little savings I had – and it wasn’t much, trust me!
Your new release “PnP” sounds like a major dance hit.
We actually put that out a couple of years ago. I always knew that at the right moment that song would do very well. I really believe in that song.
When did you first start singing?
OMG, nine or 10. The day I watched Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” – I saw that and figured that’s what I wanted to do. I went to my cousins and my friends and said that I want to be a lead singer. They all laughed at me and said, “Well, you can’t sing.” I said, “Watch me.” I wasn’t very good back then. There was another girl who was going to be the lead vocalist. I wrote this song, and I made the costumes. Well, we did a photo shoot, and she didn’t like the way she looked in the photographs, so she ripped them up. I was furious, as you can imagine, so I kicked her out of the group. We didn’t have a lead singer, so I said that I would do it, and that was it. There was no stopping me after that.
Where are you originally from the U.K.?
London. I was born and raised in South London.
And what is your next step?
The next step is to put out another single video. It’s going to showcase me as a performer. I will be dressed up as a character. The performance is very dynamic. The song is a ballad, but the remix version turns into a dance song.
What is the name of the song?
“Goodbye.”
Well, I’m looking forward to it. You are very talented.
Thank you. I’ve always felt that I had it in me, I just didn’t know when it was going to happen. It has taken 18 years to get to this point.
You ran around doing Pride events, correct?
I do Pride all over the country. We did it last year and just finished this year. It was wonderful. I get to go out and meet the people and get nothing but love. That song, “I Don’t Care,” is brilliant. I didn’t think I was capable of writing a song like that. I was a little bit nervous about writing a song like that. I wondered if I was ready to put out that kind of song, for myself as an artist. Something inside said keep going forward, write the song. I am so glad I did. I actually think I was doing something divine to make me put that kind of song out. Just the nerve of putting a song out that was stopping me. But that song needed to be written, somehow. If it wasn’t me, it would have been someone else.
Do you plan to do a tour in the near future?
The songs “PnP” and “I Don’t Care,” have become hits, so now I have a platform. Now we can have a real, full-fledged tour. We plan to go around the country within the LGBT community.
AaronPaulMusic.com
Twitter: @APaulMusic
Instagram: @AaronPaulMusic
PHOTO BY
Nathaniel Johnston
