Portuguese-American Singer-Songwriter & Producer, Pàrasoul (born Stephen James Baumann), first picked up the Guitar at age 15, unknowingly headed for a long and winding career as an Artist. As a Songwriter first and foremost, his life-experiences over the years of navigating the arch of manhood, brotherhood, relationships, travel, love, loss, and, of course, a whole lotta fun, have inspired many poignant, passionate, poetic, positive, and powerful lyrics and melodies. Songs he intends to share with the world through his own voice, as well as through the voices of other respected Artists, in the hopes to inspire us all to dance, dine, and dare to dive head first into our hearts greatest desires.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Parasoul, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Thank you for having me here. I’m really excited to chat with you.
I started playing guitar while in high school. My dad rented my older brother a guitar with an instruction video, but he saw that I took much more interest in it than my brother did. It wasn’t until years later after I had moved to LA and started dating a girl who was a singer-songwriter that I really saw music as a career path for me.
I’m going to be releasing a handful of old raw demos from around that time period soon. I’d love for everyone to follow me on soundcloud to be the first to hear: https://soundcloud.com/iamparasoul
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
There’s a long list, of course, but the first few that come into my head are: Black Coffee, The 1975, Coldplay, John Mayer, Sting, James Blake.
Your latest song is 'I Feel Good'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I wrote the chorus and main guitar riff a few years before I started trying out demo ideas. I had about 5 different versions before settling on the one you hear now. While recording in London, I came down with a cold. I had been in Europe for 2 months up until then, perfectly fine, and right before I’m about to go into the studio and meet the team for the first time I catch a cold. It was one of those sarcastic “of-f*$king-course!” moments. They were all teasing saying it was a “Man Flu,” but either way, I’m just grateful the vocal turned out the way it did.
What are you focusing on right now?
Main thing I’m focusing on at the moment is finishing off production for the remaining songs I will be releasing this year.
I’m asking all the readers out there to follow my Spotify so you won’t miss a thing: https://open.spotify.com/artist/23omqLBl7chxZ6Q4EvUCBs?si=_BHwHlsvQFGNzDgeYIqpvA
What are you most proud of?
My Weltanschauung.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
The biggest challenge I feel is balancing intimate, long-term relationships. If the significant other is an artist then they’re likely struggling with similar problems of insecurity, doubt, fear, creative blocks, rejection, etc., or it can be a clash of way too much uncontrolled energy. If they’re not in the arts then it’s often a struggle for them to truly understand and empathize with the way an artist just is. Why are we the way we are?! We’re not normal and that’s perfectly ok. In fact, it’s good to be abnormal. We just need to first find our own inner harmony with ourselves, then with others, then the world so that we can love better, sweeter, and deeper.
How do you structure your day?
Depends what’s on the agenda. I love to be on a consistent schedule and wake up early but that’s not always possible working in music.
Ideally, when the stars are aligned my way, I like to be up with the sun, work out, meditate, write, then work. Eating plenty of fruit and healthy, colorful foods throughout the day.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
Yoga, travel, movies, food, drawing, sports, socializing with cool people. Simple things in life excite me.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
Surprisingly not that much. I like to use my shower time to let my thoughts run amok, sort of like an active mediation in a way.
What are your plans for the future?
A full release schedule for 2023 through 2025. More fun, more adventure, more life, more love.