Fresh off of a Spotify Editorial placement on "Created By Women", Canadian singer, producer, and songwriter Spence Paull releases her latest pop single, "Bergamo". Featured in publications such as Plastic Magazine, Indie Top 39, and POPMUSIK, Spence's take on pop music is distinctly her own, and "Bergamo" is no different. Have you ever wondered what falling in love sounds like? This is it. "Bergamo" was created after Spence flew from Canada to Italy to meet a woman she’d been chatting with online for six months (crazy, right?). And she fell in love. The real, raw, and human lyrics combine seamlessly with Spence's signature elements of 70's pop, big band horn lines, and modern production, making "Bergmo" a must-listen-to track.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hey Spence Paull, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. How has the time gone for you since our last interview?
Hey Kamil! Everything has been really great, thank you for asking! I’ve been travelling quite a bit, and find myself in Europe right now with my partner. Life has treated me pretty well since we last spoke, I can’t complain.
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?
Thanks for asking this question, because I think a lot of independent artists have to juggle this element of the industry, and we don’t chat about it all that frequently!
I’m very lucky to work in a remote field, which has allowed me to make my own schedule when it comes to studio time, recording, and collaborating with other artists. Of course, there are always times when the job has to take priority over the music career (for now, at least), but I’m finding a healthy balance between job life and music life.
In terms of family, friends, and my partner, I’m very lucky to be surrounded by such supportive people that want to see me succeed. They completely understand when I need to prioritize music, and even encourage me to go spend more time working on my craft.
Of course, admin is always a part of the independent musician life, but I enjoy having such a hands on experience at this time in my career. There may be a time when I don’t have this opportunity to be as involved, so I’m enjoying it while I can!
Your latest song is 'Bergamo'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I met a girl on Hinge, and we hit it off right away! The only problem was, I was in Vancouver, Canada, and she was in Bergamo, Italy. She was (still is) a professional athlete, so she couldn’t leave Italy until after her season was done, and I wasn’t willing to wait that long because I was really falling for her. I knew that if we were going to make it to the next step, I had to hop a flight to Italy to officially meet her in person. So after 6 months of talking everyday on FaceTime, I did just that.
I wrote ‘Bergamo’ on the plane back to Canada. I distinctly remember being somewhere over the Arctic Circle when the lyrics just came to me. And I was waiting in Toronto to board a connecting flight back to Vancouver when the melody popped into my head. I think I still have those muffled voice memos somewhere in my phone!
How do you know when a work is finished?
That’s a great question, one I think is best answered by starting at the beginning of the process.
A lot of my pieces start out as ideas on a piano or guitar, and then morph into completed songs with melodies and lyrics. My motto is, “if it sounds good on an instrument with a vocal only, it’ll sound good fully produced”.
Once it’s at that stage, then it’s all about creating a production that enhances what’s already there. I know I’m on the wrong path when I’m trying to compensate for lazy lyrics or poor chord choice with production instead of going back to workshop the basics. And I know I’m done when I can listen to it over and over and over again, and not have many (if any) notes. If I can still hear a counter melody, or can think of new instruments that would add to the sound, or a new vocal line, then I’m not done.
That said, it’s certainly easy to go too far the other way. I think there’s a fine balance between throwing any-and-all ideas into the production and finding the elements that compliment the song. I’m definitely a fan of big productions, but I never want to feel overwhelmed by the production either, where it just becomes a wal of sound. To help ensure I don’t get to that point, I often take breaks between sessions so I can come with fresh ears.
How do you find yourself in the music business? When you started out in music, did you know it would be like this?
I think a younger version of me was really intimidated by “how long the journey is”, and that prevented me from getting started as fast as I could have, or to the extent that I wanted to be…but I now see that this industry is not about the destination so much as it is about the journey there.
So no, I didn’t know it would be like this; that used to scare the living $h!t out of me, but now I find it exciting! Who knows what’s next or where I will go! All I know is that, if I’m enjoying the journey, I must be headed the right way.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
It’s hard to describe, but my favourite part is that ah-ha lightbulb moment when a chord or a melody or an idea just comes to me! I find it happens most when I’m collaborating with others, and we’re just playing around, seeing what feels right.
My least favourite part is waiting for that moment…it’s like having a word on the tip of your tongue that you just can’t find. You don’t necessarily know what you’re looking for, but you know that what you have isn’t right, and that you’ll recognize when it is.
What’s your scariest experience?
Honestly? Taking a leap of faith on music. It hasn’t been scary in practice - making music fills me with so much joy, and is a huge part of how I express what I’m experiencing - but it has been scary because of the anxiety around it.
Similar to what I was describing before, I think anxiety prevented me from taking the steps I needed to take in music because I had a hard time seeing the path ahead: I could see how the next step and the step after that were connected, but I couldn’t see the entire path to where I wanted to go. And that was terrifying (especially as a Virgo Sun, Capricorn Moon let me tell y’a).
Now I’ve grown to embrace that scariness and that uncertainty. How boring would it be to know how it’ll all pan out? That’s so much living left on the table! And yes, I still get anxious every now and then when I’m reminded that I don’t have it all figured out, and the path forward isn’t always obvious, but I’m learning to dive into that anxiety and move forward anyways.
Why do you want to record and release your own music?
Ever since I can remember, music is the first thing I turn to when I’m experiencing anything: joy, sorrow, anxiety, love…it’s a way for me to process, where songs become like my journal. I still see music in that way, but now I’m also motivated to record and release to help show others that they’re not alone in what they’re going through.
What social issues are you most passionate about?
I’m most passionate about Women’s Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, and Black Lives Matter. Even now in 2023, we as a society have a long way to go on these issues (and MANY more issues, if we’re being honest). I hope that by writing lyrics that unapologetically express how I’m feeling as a queer woman, it helps to open and de-stigmatize the conversation.
Moreover, because of who my partner is (a black queer woman) I’ve seen with my own eyes that society treats her differently than they treat me as a white woman. Proximity doesn’t make me an expert by any means, but my partner has helped to highlight the differences in how we need to navigate the world, and that the battle to end racism and prejudice is no where near close to over.
What can we expect from Spence Paull in the near future?
So much is coming! I plan to release two more singles this year, ideally in the summer and the fall, as well as begin documenting my journey in videos. I am also working on my debut EP, “Dear Mistress”, a concept album that chronicles my relationship with music. Be sure to follow on all the socials and on your favourite streaming platform to be the first to hear announcements and new material!