In 1998 you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Jennifer Paige’s hit single “Crush.” It’s playful chorus of “It’s just a little crush / not like I faint every time we touch,” was one of the decade’s most infectious earworms, sticking in your head for days at a time.
Paige continued to see success overseas after “Crush,” but a series of setbacks, including losing both of her parents within two weeks of each other, her parents’ home being destroyed in the Nashville floods and being diagnosed with Melanoma, temporarily derailed many of her plans.
Now fully back in action, Paige recently released a fan-funded album titled Starflower.
Myspace caught up with Paige to find out more about her journey that started with “Crush,” and continues today. Hop to the next page to read the full interview.
What aspects of being a TRL and Top 40 superstar were you completely unprepared for, and maybe overwhelmed you?
I had a very simple upbringing, two parents, one brother, and just lived in Georgia my whole life. I was really taught that I could do anything I wanted, so I had no fear of success … but when it actually hit, it was so wild.
I had moved to California, and within the year (I was) doing demos, getting discovered, making a record and then on the radio. It was such a fast process from the time that I left Georgia to being on the radio. I think that was the craziest part of it.
What do you remember as being the first real perk of being in the limelight, the first time something happened for you and you were like, “They do that for me now?”
This is hilarious. I was super broke when I moved to California. I had this little convertible that I bought at an auction when I still lived in Georgia. I drove across country. I shopped at some yard sales to get some things for my little studio apartment, and I was just broke as a joke.
When I got there for my signing dinner with the record label I drove my little car. The restaurant was a really nice restaurant, and my car died in the valet line. It was on Sunset Boulevard, and I stopped traffic for like miles because the car wasn’t able to move forward.
The day after that the label bought me a car. They were like, oh no, we can’t have this. We can’t be having you breaking down everywhere.
Do you have a photo, or a piece of memorabilia, from that time that you feel really captures the essence of everything that was going on for you back then?
I do, yeah. I have a picture of me from when I first heard “Crush” on the radio. I had a roommate at the time who took a picture of me because I was all excited. I think I was calling my parents.
What did you consider the absolute peak of the roller coaster ride back then?
When my second album was released, which did more overseas than it did in the US, I did a lot of touring overseas. There was a festival called Festivalbar in Italy, and my song, “Stranded,” was chosen as the summer song, so I was flown in to do all the different islands around Italy.
It was just amazing because it was summer air, in Italy, and I had a little more time there than I normally would with most of my promotional type visits, so I got to know Italy really well, and I just fell madly in love with it. I would say that time period was my favorite.
You performed for the Pope at the Vatican. How did that come to be?
I was asked to sing for a Christmas concert. It was me with several other artists from around the world. I represented my generation, so I was the young pop singer, and I did a Christmas song, and there was a choir. It was really beautiful, and awesome.
Then all of the performers got to go in together, and he spoke in Italian, so I did not understand what he was saying, but he spoke to everyone, and there was a translation. Afterwards we were able to go up and meet him, and hold his hand, and he gave us a blessing, individually, so he did bless me, which I thought was pretty amazing.
Did you slip him a signed CD? Can you even give the Pope a gift?
I think some people did give him a gift. I didn’t know to do that, so I missed out on that one.
One thing I did not know, as well, is I wore a bright purple sweater when I met him, and I guess you’re supposed to wear black when you meet the Pope, but no one told me these things until after.
So technically you broke the rules, and got away with it.
Yeah, still got the blessing.
You went through a hellacious time at the end of the ‘00s, losing both of your parents within two weeks of each other, having their home washed away in the Nashville floods and being diagnosed with Melanoma. What helped you get through dealing with all of those events in such a short period of time?
Gosh, I have no idea.
I think there was a time when I was like, OK, they say it happens in threes, then I’m like, oh my gosh, here’s number four.
It was just a lot at once, for sure. I think I have a pretty strong core. I believe life is about overcoming hurdles and finding your own strength, so even though I was going through hard times, I instinctually knew it was gonna make me stronger, and I knew that’s just life.
Those are just things that happen to everybody. People get sick. People lose people that they love. Unfortunately the timing was tough, because as soon as I would start to get on my feet again something new would come.
I felt distracted, more than anything. I’ve always had huge dreams, and I’ve always had big goals. My life was kinda consumed with other things, though, so it was just more confusing than anything, and time consuming. I never was like, “Oh woe is me.” That’s just not how I am.
When did you decide you could record music again?
It took a while. I was still always singing. I never stopped recording. I was just more behind the scenes, because, quite honestly, I really didn’t have the time to focus on art, so I would do jobs.
I still was using what I consider to be my gift for writing (by doing) different advertising campaigns, or singing for them, or doing a project here or there, being a guest vocalist for something. Stuff like that was always kind of going on, but those were way less time-consuming than trying to create a record, or trying to figure out do I go to a label, do I try and do this on my own. I didn’t have the brain power to sort all that stuff out at the time.
My biggest struggle was the fact that I didn’t have time to think of what I consider my life. MY life, not this distraction, or that distraction, or this problem, or that problem.
Finally, I got a commercial for Overstock.com in 2012, and it was gonna be airing near the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I thought, gosh, I don’t even have a product to sell, and I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album, so I’m gonna make a Christmas album.
It really started there. I made that record, and I enjoyed myself so much recreating classic Christmas songs that I thought OK, I think I’m ready again. This is who I am. This is what I’m meant to do. It just reminded me of that.
Tell us about the new album, Starflower, and what inspired it.
I thought that I was just gonna go in and record songs that I’d written through the years. I thought it was gonna be a quick and easy little process of singing the vocals and getting the tracks together.
When I got in the studio, I realized that I was in such a different place that even though I liked those songs, they didn’t really represent where I am now. So I thought OK, I’ll just replace that song, and then that song led to another song, and to another song.
A lot of that had to do with the producer I chose to work with, Jeremy Bose (Joy Williams, The Civil Wars, Ingrid Michaelson). We wrote songs pretty effortlessly together.
It was just a fun process of writing and recording. It was a very short process, too. I think the whole album took less than two or three months to write and record. It was very much a stream of consciousness. I would go in the studio, we’d write a song, and then I’d record it, then we’d move on to the next song. It was pretty cool in that way.
The album was fan-funded through Kickstarter. What would you consider to be the most interesting backer reward you had?
There was a reward involving going out on our boat.
There’s this lake in Tennessee called Percy Priest Lake, and we have a boat there, so we’re gonna take one of the backers boating at sunset, and then take ‘em to dinner. He and his wife. I think that will be a lot of fun.
Are you going to tour for this album?
I have some dates in July in the UK, and they’re building around those dates now.
Finally, I’ve heard “Crush” in rotation at various stores. Have you ever caught yourself singing along to your own song while shopping somewhere?
[Laughs] That’s funny. Yes. It’s like at Home Depot on high rotation, and TJ Maxx, too, so it’s hilarious. I’m like do-do-do, and then I’m like, oh my gosh, that’s me.
There’s another song that’s less known called “Always You” that’s also always on those kind of outlets, so it’s so funny when I hear them, I’m just like oh, hey, hey you!
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