Since she was a child, Paige Rutledge had the bug to sing country music. Fast-forward two decades Paige has performed at some of Canada’s biggest Country Festivals. Since last year, she’s released three singles and is set to release her latest “Sunshine Sunday” this Friday, August 27.
We recently chatted with Paige to talk about her love of music, her latest single, and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
PR: Hey everyone! My name is Paige Rutledge and I am a country singer / songwriter from Ontario, Canada. I fell in love with country music at a really young age and have been writing and performing ever since I was 9 years old. I started performing at any place that would let me play and have since had opportunities to perform all over Ontario and at some larger festivals including Winterfolk in Toronto, and Hillside Inside in Guelph. Aside from music, I love the colour pink, anything that sparkles, my two golden retrievers, and spending a whole bunch of time up north at my cottage with my friends and family and where majority of my songs and written and even recorded now (including my new single, “Sunshine Sunday“)!
CN: Which artists have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
PR: So many! Growing up I was really inspired by Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift for their song writing, and Carrie Underwood for her stage presence and ability to capture an audience. Shania Twain is probably my biggest influence overall especially when it comes to my musical sound. Shania has also just inspired me in my overall career because she is also from Ontario and has made such an impact in the industry and I think that is really special to have someone to look up to like her. Currently, I am really influenced by Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves because I feel that they both bring a really fresh approach to country music and are very authentic and true to themselves.
CN: When you were nine years old, your grandfather passed away and you performed at his funeral. In addition to all the emotions that were obviously at the surface, you realized something at that moment.
PR: Yes, I was just 9 when I lost my grandfather. I spent a lot of time with him growing up and he is one of the people that really introduced me to country music. He LOVED Charley Pride, Johnny Cash, Shania Twain so some of my earliest memories of listening to country music were with him. I used to sing and dance with him up at our cottage; he even built me a stage by the lake so I could put on concerts for my family when I was young. When he got sick, he would ask me to come and sing to him to make him feel better and that is what I think made me want to sing at his funeral because it was something that was special to us. In that moment I realized that music is something that can get you through the best and worst times in your life and it is something that can connect us all to a moment- and that is really special in my opinion. This is something that I really value because I feel that music is the way that I can share my stories and listeners can find a version of their truth in my songs and relate to their own lives. I’ve always approached my music and writing with this mindset. I want people to be able to connect to my songs and be able to use my music to get them through good times and hard times.
CN: What song did you sing?
PR: I sang “I Miss You” by Miley Cyrus. I was going through a Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus stage at that point (I mean who wasn’t haha), and I remember on one of the episodes of Hannah Montana, Miley sang the song for her mom that had passed away so I wanted to sing that for my grandpa’s funeral.
CN: Now in your 20s, you released your first single at the age of 16. In what ways have you changed since then as an artist and also how you approach your career?
PR: I’ve learnt a lot about myself over that time and have applied that to my music and sound as I grew up. The music I released at 16 is so different than the music that I am releasing now, and I think that is something that is so cool about being an artist is that you never stop growing and evolving yourself. I’m definitely a lot more confident in myself now that I’m a bit older and realize that it is so important to stay true to yourself as an artist and not be afraid to sing what you are thinking. I’ve also been more open to experimenting and adding some pop (Shania Twain) elements into my music.
CN: You are about to release your new single “Sunshine Sunday.” What was the inspiration behind this song?
PR: Yes! I am so excited for everyone to hear “Sunshine Sunday!” This song is about not needing to have a lot of money or do something fancy to have a good time with your friends. When we wrote this song in April, my co-writers, Mariya Stokes and Rich Cloke, and I were chatting about how much we miss just sitting in the backyard and hanging out with friends and how great it is going to be when we can safely do that again. We started talking about spending time up at cottages and backyard parties and then ideas and lyrics started getting thrown around and that is how Sunshine Sunday was born! We wrote this during another covid lockdown so my hope with this song is that it can capture those feelings and moments with friends we are all looking forward to having again.
CN: The laughing at the top is very contagious! Was that planned or a spontaneous laugh?
PR: Haha I laugh and smile a lot so I’m glad that was captured in the song! It was a very spontaneous moment. I was working on the production of this song with my cousin, Alex DiMauro, when our younger cousin, Keira, came to talk to us but as she was telling a story, Alex was recording a voice memo of the guitar part and she just happened to make me laugh. We listened back to the voice memo right away and knew it had to go into the song.
CN: Any plans for a music video?
PR: I would love to do a live acoustic video for this song. Stay tuned on that one!
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
PR: Oh there’s so many I would love to collaborate with! I would love to sing with Dolly Parton. She is such a powerful force in the country industry and the storytelling in her writing is very inspiring to me. I also love rhinestones and things that sparkle and even have a rhinestoned guitar that I named Dolly so I think she and I would hit it off great! Plus, she’s Dolly Parton… who doesn’t want to sing or write with Dolly!
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
PR: The first concert I ever went to was Shania Twain when I was 4 or 5 with my mom. I love Shania!
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
PR: Positive! I try to wake up every day keeping a really positive mindset and always finding the good in situations. I am a really happy, and energetic person most of the time and I think that comes from staying positive.
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
PR: A whole bunch of new music! I’ve been writing and recording a lot of new music to come out in the rest of 2021 and into 2022. Anybody who listens to my music or follows me can expect a lot of new music coming out soon. Hopefully more shows now as well that places are starting to open again. The last year has been so busy in the best way positive and I am very optimistic for what comes next in my life.
Pre-Save “Sunshine Sunday” here.
For more information on Paige Rutledge, visit her website at www.paigerutledge.com