Austin Paul

With his first EP, Velvet, Austin Paul won the hearts of musical taste-makers from soulful-producer Kastle to groove-guru Pharrell. In the few months since it dropped, he's traveled the nation making musical connections with big brands from Vogue to Porsche, and it's just the beginning.

Still, success can be stressful, and when an artist is a real person, glitz and glamour can be inundating. To settle into his new life, Paul had to do some real soul-searching. Thankfully for us, that struggle comes through as five intimate, sexy and deliciously sinister songs on Disparia, the second EP from his emerging trilogy.

"Disparia is pretty much about this kind of mental disorder / awakening kind of thing, and recently, just a lot of weird stuff has been happening in my personal life," Paul said. "I've been, for the past few days, feeling a lot of tests. Like, 'how am I going to deal with this situation?'"

Last we talked, Paul mentioned how important it was for him to move out of his home and make his own way.

"For the longest time, I suffered with anger problems," he said. "I was really angry at everyone and everything, and when I moved out, I had to figure all my shit out on my own. I realized that I have to just calm down and figure everything out."

He made Velvet, a celebration of life and loosing yourself in the moment. Soon after, he began working on Disparia, following through on his plan to create a more inward record, heavy with dark introspection. Yet he soon found, as the cliché goes, his life began to imitate his art.

"Recently, for some reason, something happened to tip the soul," he said. "I got really passive aggressive and very angry at people, very frustrated. I felt like a lot of people were asking a lot from me, and not a lot of people that I know, but people in general. People are so impolite and incompetent. It just made feel like there's no hope in the world, and then I lost hope in myself. Like, 'what am I making music for? You're so depressing and so weird.'"


It's something a lot of dreamers go through; questioning the world and the ability of one person to make an impact. But often, these fears and doubts are the phantoms of unresolved issues plaguing the heart, and Paul refuses to let his demons win.

"It was like I revealed something that I didn't want to know about myself, and that affected me throughout the EP," he said. "It was such an expression for me that when I really analyzed what I was writing, it kind of went into everything that was going on, and it was too much of a coincidence in a way."

The result is a stark, penetrating, beautiful landscape of personal discovery.

"It's very minimal and very idiocentric," he said. "I wanted it to sound like it's made in the basement of a cathedral."

On the production side, Paul worked with fellow local artists Nuri and Po$htronaut. He said, from beginning to end, they understood what he was going for.

"I would say that it's honestly exactly what I thought it was going to be," he said. "I'm really happy with it. It's nothing crazy energetic or lively, it's really minimal, cinematic. It's like a short film."

After a dark, booming intro, Disparia takes off where Velvet left off. Futuristic r&beats and lots of deep, rich soul ring through on the first tracks. As it evolves, it digs deeper and deeper until it finishes with the still and resonant chords of Paul's piano.

"It goes from being pretty to kind of grungy in a way," he said. "It sounds happy but, that's really the goal, it's almost to be deceitful ... satirical in a way. It's eerie, like, creepy happy."

What a fabulous way to be, indeed.
- Miami New Times- Village Voice

Just two months removed from his debut EP, Velvet, Miami-based neo-R&B crooner Austin Paul will return with a new five-track effort, Disparia, due out July 18th via Symbols Recordings. The material was recorded earlier this spring by Paul and hometown producers N U R I and POSHstronaut, who’ve also worked with fellow up and comers Sir Michael Rocks, Robb Banks, and Denzel Curry.

According to a press release:

“While Velvet was based on moments and memories, Disparia takes you through Paul’s subconscious. Disparia is the town where his subconscious lives, and everyone he meets is himself. There are two essential characters that are portrayed throughout the entire album. The female side which is naive and lives off inspiration, and the male side which acts without remorse or consciousness. While writing Disparia, he felt it was a visual journey as well as a lyrical one. Paul would sketch characters of Disparia which would in turn inspire him to write. As he got deeper into the album, the lyrics began to inspire the sketches.”

For an early look into the 20-year-old’s subconscious, Paul’s unveiled the lead single, “Believer”. This latest number sees Paul pick up where he left off with Velvet, layering his sleek and soulful lyrics on to a hodgepodge beat of electronically-tinged drums and piano. If there’s one slight difference, though, it’s Paul’s vocals, which eschew some of their fluidity for a sense of frantic trauma, increasing the already-potent emotionality that lay within his golden pipes.

Watch the accompanying music video below, a mini-movie featuring Paul’s liaison with a strange woman and trip to the beach. - Consequence of Sound

It’s nice to put on a record, push play and let go knowing you can go about writing, cleaning your apartment, or enjoying that drive in your ride without having to skip around or look for another track four minutes later. It’s rare to find a collection of tunes that settles in and just eases the mind and mood, which is exactly what twenty-year-old Miami native Austin Paul has done with his new Disparia EP. The young artist possesses a soulful voice reminiscent of John Legend and this well-developed set of tracks serves as the second installment in what will be a trilogy. Our favorite of the five is “VV,” a piano-laden groove that showcases Paul’s chops on the keys. The artist, who started playing the piano at age 10, definitely has a natural instinct for melody. Check out Disperia in its entirety below, and if you’re in Miami you can actually see him play live at 8pm tomorrow night at Avenue D. As for the rest of today, push play on this set of tracks…your weekend chill vibe starts now.
- Nylon Guys Magazine

I know he was by no means the first to do it, but sometimes I wonder if James Blake knew what the release of his self-titled album would do to the male R&B landscape. Since his much-lauded debut, things seem to have reached a fork in the road, with artists either churning out radio-ready, formulaic dross, or going for that deep, brooding "alt-R&B" sound. We have featured more than our fair share of the latter and, as crowded as that scene now is (it's almost its own genre), I always have room for one more, especially if he comes correct. Step forward 20-year-old Miami native Austin Paul who gained a fair amount of blog coverage for his debut EP, VELVET, released this past April, and is sure to gain much more thanks to last week's follow up (and second in a planned trilogy), DISPARIA. Sounding like an edgier version of John Legend produced by the aforementioned Blake, Paul manages to pull off deeply personal narratives that deal with a mixture of love, life and his newly gained freedom from a strict Christian upbringing, all while maintaining a consistently interesting musical backdrop. I actually listened to the EPs in reverse order, only picking up VELVET after being so impressed with what he had to offer on DISPARIA, and I have been in awe since. Hit the bounce to check out our choice cuts from each EP and his self-directed video for his latest single "B E L I E V E R." You can stream both EPs in their entirety over on SoundCloud and, as an added bonus, DISPARIA is available as a free download via his Facebook page. - Soul Bounce

I spoke to Austin Paul just as he exited security heading to LAX from his hometown of Miami. This kind of journey is one that Austin has become used to these days, with a growing following to back up his sleek, minimal sounds. As Velvet, his first EP, already gains momentum, the 20-year-old musician’s follow up Disparia drops today, with a third to follow later this summer.

Austin stays focused on carving out his own distinct style without ever letting go of the wheel. Coming from a religious and self-taught background, he’s tapping into a spirituality that makes listeners aware of each other’s consciousness with smooth and intimate vibes. It’s evolved into a collection of conceptual and psychological jams that aren’t weighed down with overproduction and showy adornment. Thanks to his raw talent and driving vision, Austin’s career is sure to take hold as he makes a name for himself without worrying about genres or hyped trends.

As he was just about to board his plane, the young artist spoke to me about what it means to write his own material, direct his own videos, and ponder being an upstart in today’s game.

You were raised in Miami, but I’m curious about what launched you into music.
Since I was pretty young, I always played in a lot of worship bands and choirs, but I didn’t realize that you could actually write your own songs. I had this concept that you would just sing songs that had already been written and were set in stone. And so around middle school I started writing my own tunes, writing very simple electronic songs from my knowledge of theory.

So I was always participating, and I can really contribute that to my knowledge of performance, helping me be comfortable with music in front of people. And those experiences helped position me to bring things together more, even now. It gave me a leg up on most people. Some people can have so much talent and still don’t know how to execute it or put it down on paper. And obviously, I’m still learning and working on those skills now. It’s still a work in progress, but right now I’m trying with this third EP to have a solid depiction of what I’m doing and what I’m about, and hopefully people will understand it.

So coming from a religious background, was it a difficult adjustment to being transplanted into the more mainstream music industry?
Well, I had my mind wrapped around that fact a while ago. Going to a new place always excited me because in Miami I had always felt kind of out of place anyway, you know? So it was almost like a graduation of sorts. I reached a point where I knew I had to leave. So I had an idea where I was headed. I didn’t know what it would be, but I at least knew I was headed in that direction and so I just had to try.

But it also does seem like you haven’t totally left that world behind after your graduation. I mean, some of the tracks off of Velvet are on a spiritual tip, yeah?
I would say that I use a lot of those spiritual references to make metaphors for normal situations. I love when Kendrick Lamar says “Halle Berry? Or Hallelujah?” because that’s a good representation of our generation. You’re either going to worship the world’s god or you’re going to be worshipping some religious god that you believe in. I mean, we all live spiritual lives without necessarily knowing it.

You know, people that go to Ultra are really attending some kind of religious service where they worship those DJs. And they’re drinking ‘punch’ of sorts and taking molly and I want to bring that to light. Regardless of whether we know it or not, these kinds of things are spiritual—we’re all worshipping something and we all have a religious routine that we go through, a lot of people just don’t even recognize that.

Have you been treated well by the industry thus far? You’ve been linked up with bigger people like Pharrell and Kastle. How did all that attention fall into place?
Yeah, I think I’m doing pretty well for the small amount of people that know who I am, you know? I called up Kastle and said I’d be honored if he’d help me create this album. So I came up with the ideas, which later became Velvet, and he was like, “This is pretty much finished already, this is what needs to be heard.” So that’s basically how we started working together and we put Velvet on the side for a second because I didn’t know what things would look like and I wanted to be careful about what I released. Sure enough, that ended up being a good move.

With Pharrell, I was brought to Circle House Studios and he happened to be there as well with Shea from N.E.R.D. We were talking, I played for him, and he liked it. He’s kind of overseeing the big picture and the behind the scenes stuff. Really, all I want is for the right people to have my music in their ear. In this particular situation, we decided that I didn’t have a solid following so what better way to do it than put out a trilogy of sorts. All of them are pretty intertwined together, and they all have one singular story I guess. It’s kind of like a relationship. I’m trying to have people get to know me in a condensed period of time.

I noticed that a lot of your songs talk about love/heartbreak. You’re only 20, do you feel like you have experiences to back that?
Yeah, it sounds corny but actually Velvet is all about this girl that I had met in such a mysterious, magical way. I had just moved out to LA and got with her. We had this dope thing going on but everything crumbled to pieces without me knowing. I didn’t know about it, but things were going on behind my back and it revealed a lot to me about her, but also about people in general. Velvet was very much about things that I learned and those experiences.

Something can enlighten you even though you’re the one creating it. I can look back at it and be like, “Damn that’s what was really going on.” Kind of like those ink blots. That’s the only thing that makes me comfortable to release things because regardless of what it is, or whether people like it or not, what matters is that it’s full on expression, it’s a therapeutic thing.

I saw that you’re playing a few shows this summer. What can we expect from an Austin Paul show? What do you like the vibe to be?
I like them to be as intimate as possible with a piano and vocal kind of vibe. But other than that I have a producer and some kind of instrumentalist doing the rhythm and sing along with a keyboard. That’s more of a groovy kind of set and yet still emotional because it’s the songs from Velvet. Obviously I’m not trying to be like dance music, I’m trying to get people to vibe out and relax and be aware of each other. Kind of bring people into a zone. And I just hope that the live experience is better than the listening experience on recording where you actually get to connect with the audience. That’s what I really love, getting to connect consciousness with them in a way.

I was wondering if you could talk about your personal style, it seems to go along well with your style of your music.
I would say that it’s is minimalism. I don’t want to distract people with a bunch of crazy clothes, I just want it to be simple, smooth, and to the point. So that obviously runs into the music as well. Stripping down all the instruments that normally would be there – it’s just piano, synthesizers, percussion, and the rhythm that’s behind them. I want to see if I can execute the point with as little materials as possible so that people get it. It’s also the same with my life; I don’t go out a lot. I have a lot of friends and stuff, but a lot of people my age are more concerned with looking for a simple job and having fun on the side. I’m trying to constantly create and express myself to excel at what I want to do. You’re not gonna catch me playing soccer any time soon. - Frank 151

Musician Austin Paul performs at the Porsche Design and Vogue re-opening event at Porsche Design Beverly Hills on July 11, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. - Zimbio

Miami Beach, FL – April 18, 2013 – The next young musician about to explode on the scene is Austin Paul. The Miami singer/songwriter/producer releases his debut EP Velvet today, and filmed a promo video at The Gale South Beach’s swanky lounge The Regent Cocktail Club just last week. Fellow local musician Brendan O’Hara set the tone for the night before Paul got on the piano, giving everyone a sample of what’s to come from this hot young talent. Even N.E.R.D. member Shay Haley was there to check him out.

Austin Paul grew up in a strictly Christian household here in Miami, which he just moved out of 15 months ago. It was this time on his out on his own, at the ripe age of 20 years old, that helped give him the experience and perspective needed for Velvet. Always having a knack for the keyboard, Paul started playing piano at the age of ten as a self-taught learner. Velvet is the first of a trilogy of EPs set to be released this summer. On the five-track EP, he touches on his religious upbringing and the realities after moving out. His sound has been likened to a neo-R&B style with what feels like some James Blake, Clams Casino, and John Legend thrown into the mix. He’s already attracting the attention of the music industry with co-signs from Pharell, N.E.R.D., and Kastle. He’s already slated to play at Bardot on May 2, and a House Session at Soho Beach House on May 23. In the mean time, you can stream Velvet here and watch the video for “Hallelujah” at the bottom. We caught up with Paul on this exciting day to hear him weigh in on a few things.

World Red Eye: How does it feel to have your first EP released today?

Austin Paul: It’s a nice feeling to finally release this project and to see how everyone is perceiving it.

WRE: What’s your favorite music venue in Miami to attend or perform at?

AP: Hands down Bardot. They create such an intimate yet energetic environment, and they showcase the best local music.

WRE: When do you turn 21? Where do you plan to celebrate the milestone birthday?

AP: I turn 21 on August 11, and I’ll definitely be having a few drinks at Bardot on that night.

WRE: Who’s your favorite local musician of the moment?

AP: I would have to say Poshtronaught and Nuri. They are a couple of producers deeply involved with Metro Zu.

WRE: What was the first song you ever learned to play?

AP: Some gospel tune I’m sure.

WRE: When can we expect the other two EPs in the trilogy to be released?

AP: Soon.

WRE: You’ve got a very cool style- where’s your favorite place to shop in Miami?

AP: APT 606 and Del Toro, but it comes down to what’s comfortable, aesthetically attractive to me, and whatever I can wear that really gives people more of an understanding of who I am.

- World Red Eye

“Hallelujah I’m alive, just in time for my second life,” Austin Paul sings on the second track of his recently released Velvet EP. It’s fitting, because the Miami native has recently chosen to start a second musical life. Scrapping his former moniker (AustinPaul, sans the space) and Soundcloud, which was full of dance-y AlunaGeorge-like numbers – though it should be noted that these were released before the duo garnered much attention – he’s now resurfaced with a cleaner, more soulful style.
Velvet is actually the first of three EPs that the twenty-year-old singer/songwriter/producer will release this summer. It comes via Kastle‘s Symbols label, who also produced “American Nightmare,” which closes the EP. It’s not the first of the pair’s collaborations though; Paul sings on three songs from Kastle’s debut album, and he’ll also opened the producer’s May 2nd show in Miami. Kastle is just one of Paul’s fans; none other than Pharrell Williams recently showed his support via N.E.R.D.’s Twitter, claiming that Paul was “the future!”
It’s not hard to hear why the “Get Lucky” singer has been impressed – Paul draws production tricks from James Blake‘s early EPs, and sings over them with a deep, soulful voice that recalls John Legend‘s at times (like on “Hallelujah (I’m Alive)”) and The xx‘s Oliver Sim’s at others (like on the verses of “This Life”). The contrast between Paul’s smooth (velvet-y, if you’ll pardon the pun) vocal and the dark production is one of the project’s most interesting assets, and it serves to highlight the stronger elements of both.
While his influences undoubtedly come through in the project, Paul, manages to create his own sound palette by adding a level of dark sensuality. It’s this added soul that’s most different from his past sound as AustinPaul, though traces of it still remain, like on ”Bones,” where the pulsating kick drum and bass synth recall “I Know You Like It” – this time, however, an AlunaGeorge influence seems more likely.
Lyrically, Velvet deals with the twenty year-old’s experiences growing up in a strict Christian household, and, more importantly, the freedom he gained when he moved out a little over a year ago. The freedom he gained with the move led to some “introspective meditation,” which he hopes translates into the listener’s experience – ”I want people to not even realize it, but through hearing it, kind of go into themselves,” he says.
His upbringing is maybe most present on “Hallelujah (I’m Alive),” a modern-day gospel song about finding a new life. The track that also helps to display his piano skills, which he started learning on his own at the age of ten. These are also evident on the last thirty seconds of the EP, which is a lovely piano outro at the end of the otherwise R&B-influenced “American Nightmare.”
With the good head he has on his shoulders – as displayed in interviews – the attention he’s been earning (keyword there), and, most importantly, his undoubted musical talents, Austin Paul has everything on his plate to make a big splash in the “survival of the fittest” music industry. Here’s to hoping he does.
- Listen Before You Buy

One day, you're a young artist struggling to find yourself in a strict Christian household. But then, only 15 months later, you've moved out, released your first EP, and scored a co-sign from Pharrell who tweets that you're "the future!"

Life is strange that way. Just ask 20-year-old Austin Paul, a rising Miami singer-producer who'll celebrate the unveiling of his six-song debut, Velvet, when he opens this Thursday for future-sound tastemaker Kastle at Bardot.

Still, what certainly seems like a sudden sea change is almost no big deal to the guy who taught himself piano at age 11. He's been hustling and experimenting for years. And he has developed a unique, smooth sound, combining soulful vocals reminiscent of John Legend with sexy, progressive beats and melodies similar to Burial or James Blake.

Kastle and Pharrell are big fans, and the underground is already on fire. But Paul remains humble about the attention. He simply thinks we're in the midst of a renaissance for music culture, quality is returning to the spotlight, and he's happy to be along for the ride.

"It's survival of the fittest in the music industry right now. Normal people can see through bull. It's great," he said. "Realness is being recognized."

Velvet, streaming on Soundcloud and available from Kastle's Symbol Recordings on April 25, will be followed by two more EPs this summer. The trilogy is a conceptual introduction, an introspective meditation, "a kind of journey inward," culminating in a metamorphosis of positive growth.

"I want people to not even realize it, but through hearing it, kind of go into themselves," Paul said. "I think if you want to hit people, you kind of have to do it through themselves."

The journey mirrors his own personal exploration since leaving home, which led him to this moment and Bardot's big reveal.

"I'm ecstatic," he said. "It's going to be a good night." - Miami New Times- Village Voice

*4 out 5 stars*

Be it The xx or How To Dress Well, there’s no shortage of sleek, minimalist R&B nowadays. Just outside that pack is Miami’s Austin Paul, raised in a strict Christian household before setting off alone into the big, bad world last year. More than just a gimmicky narrative, that early bubble and subsequent re-birth contextualize and amplify the 20-year-old’s debut EP, Velvet.
Paul’s experiencing much of life for the first time; that worldview may seem counter-intuitive to this worldly genre, but it makes everything that much more earnest. “Bones” is the reaction of a young man’s first clash with devastating love, wailing with near-tangible ache about having “this disease / I think it’s killing me / Right down to the bones you crush inside of me.” In “American Nightmare”, Paul appears more knowledgeable, his croon deep and brooding over handclaps and fluttery keys, aware of his love’s lip-biting tricks to ensnare him. Still too youthful to run, he’s stuck in this dreamscape, living off the serotonin until he eventually escapes on the wings of maturity.

Paul manages to display more acute awareness by embracing his Christian roots. “This Life” seems like typical PBR&B, a dark, desolate beat of mangled vocal samples and scattered drums facilitating a tale of young lovers’ escape. But Paul’s detached vocals are almost a condemnation of the typical ending, a twist that he’s not escaping for pleasure but for transcendence. “Hallelujah (I’m Alive)” celebrates his “second life,” a modernized piano hymn about seeing the world anew and awakening from ignorance. It’s not anti-Christian, but instead the tale of a kid holding onto only those beliefs that suit his development into a truly well-rounded soul.

Paul may be competing in a jam-packed arena, but this EP proves that there’s plenty working in his favor: he’s young, talented, unafraid of growth, and uninterested in tedious, worldly distractions. Make room in your playlist now, even if you’ve got to bump someone else.

Essential Tracks: “American Nightmare” and “Hallelujah (I’m Alive)” - Consequence of Sound

Twenty-year-old Austin Paul grew up in a strict Christian household, spending a majority of his childhood teaching himself the piano. Then, 15 months ago, Paul moved out on his own, experiencing life outside his religious upbringing while tending to his burgeoning music career in a new and unfamiliar industry. That experience of sudden maturity and complete culture shock helped inform the six tracks that make up Velvet, which takes its musical cues from James Blake, Clams Casino, and John Legend.

While the effort is clearly in line with the sleek, stripped-down stylings of the aforementioned influences, Paul’s life choices and unique perspective lend the tracks a refreshing sense of vitality. Whether he’s crafting a modern-day church hymn/affirmational in “Hallelujah (I’m Alive)” or a synth-powered love letter in “Bones”, Paul’s minimalist approach, subtle air of sensuality, and voice filled with equal parts heartache and wisdom make for an indelible mix. Not bad for a guy who can’t even drink at the clubs he performs at.

Velvet arrives April 25th via Symbols Recordings. CoS recently caught up with Paul to discuss his upbringing, his favorite Velvet track, being a 20-year-old in the music business, and receiving a cosign from Pharrell Williams. Read the chat in-full below.

You grew up in Miami/South Florida in a very strict Christian household. How did either of those aspects influence or hinder who you are as a musician?

I’ve seen our culture from two extreme perspectives. This kind of brings light to the subtle similarities in people and obviously the major differences which deeply effects my writing. It reinforces the relation of being a human, rather than the relation because of a belief.

Are there any contemporary artists that inspired you or that you feel have something in common with you musically?

I have more of a curiosity as to why they write what they write or why they are the way they are. I would say right now musicians that I admire in that sense would have to be Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar, Jessie Ware, Tyler, the Creator, Little Dragon, and a few others.

Is there a track on the EP that you think stands out and helps encapsulate your personal aesthetic or how you approach music?

“This Life” stands out to me as the most descriptive of how I approach situations and how I reminisce on moments a bit too much. I’m in love with time.

You (somewhat) recently left home for the first time. How does that impact you as a young artist, just starting out? Do you think that sense of newfound freedom is reflected in your music/the EP?

Freedom is kind of a broad term in this case, in reality we’re free at anytime to do what we want. All it took was taking a risk.. Freedom from the weight of consequence. Obviously there is a consequence to every action; but when you focus on the effects and the outcome, you forget to experience the action that created that effect.

Already, you’ve gotten sizable cosigns from the likes of Pharrell Williams. Does that kind of attention do anything for you, creatively, in terms of your own esteem, or does it maybe distract from the task at hand?

I’ve fortunately been blessed to be in association with these wonderful human beings. Yet at the end of the day I still have to write good music.

At only 20, you’re still kind of a “kid”. What’s it like to be sort of young and new and moving through this industry? Any stories or sentiments that pop out immediately?

It’s interesting to see how people treat me because of my age. I don’t feel like any age, I just feel alive.

Any plans for a full-length debut? Anything you can share for what comes next after the EP, maybe touring, side projects, etc.?

A creation is in progress, I guess you could say. - Consequence of Sound