Paola Proctor – How Can I

By: Alexandra Gil M

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) A little bit of everything. I grew up moving around a lot including Europe and the Middle East, so I combine my international influences with my bi-cultural background and really like to genre blend. I think of it like putting a puzzle together, the pieces have to fit just right so the sound doesn’t sound forced.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “How Can I.”

A) I went through a messy situation where I was still in love with this guy but hated him for how things ended and still missed him so much. I had never felt so many conflicting emotions all at once. Going through 2020 and having been in therapy for ten years, I wanted the music video to really demonstrate the importance of feeling your emotions in order to heal. Shooting the Music Video was a really cathartic experience.

Q) Your new song gives me some country-pop feelings and I love the way that you combine those two styles. Who are the artists that influenced it?

A) When I think of country, I always think of easy listening so thank you for saying that! I can honestly say that this is the most vulnerable song I’ve ever created and released so I actually didn’t have any other artist influence. I wanted to focus on portraying myself as much as possible and conveying exactly how I was feeling though emotional vocals and instrumentation.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans will connect to?

A) Most people have gone through heartbreak or will at some point in their lives. I think they will connect to the confusion and conflicting emotions that comes with a painful experience like heartbreak.

Q) I read that you started in music performing in church choir as a kid, how do you think that helped you or prepared you?

A) I think it helped prepare me to perform for large crowds. I can’t remember the last time I had stage fright. I just get really pumped up to be on stage. I feel comfortable on stage and I credit performing in front of people at such a young age. Oddly enough, I find performing for larger groups much easier than small groups. Performing for a small crowd is really intimate and I find that very intimidating.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) Melody comes very easily to me. Lyrics are always last. I really appreciate non-conventional rhymes so that usually takes me a second to think about and brainstorm.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song?

A) I think working with Bruno Mars would be amazing!!

Q) I have been going through your YouTube Channel and I noticed that you also have music in Spanglish. Talk about what made you decide to include that.

A) I am half Mexican and with Pop and EDM scratching the surface in Nashville I thought I’d bring my background to the table. Latin music is so contagious, it’s fun to perform, and I get to showcase my bi-cultural background. Writing in Spanish has been a really nice challenge because a lot of words have different syllables and rhymes.

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about being on stage?

A) I really miss the energy from the audience. Performing for socially distanced events doesn’t come close to performing for a full and energetic crowd. I can’t wait for live events to come back!

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) I’m most active on Instagram and I’m working on developing my TikTok profile. It’s a great way to connect with my fans because it gives me a direct line of communication with them.

Q) Are there any plans for releasing a full album or EP?

A) For now, I’m going to just be working on releasing singles. For where I am in my life right now, especially after 2020, I’m just focusing on making each project as great as it can possibly before I move onto the next one.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your music? 

A) Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I feel like I’m barely scratching the surface of where I want to be in my career, and it all starts with people who listen to my music. It’s really cool and surreal to hear praise from people who listen to my songs. It means the absolute world to me and it’s nice to know that I’m emotions are universal.