Paige Nichols has known that since she was three years old, she wanted to be a singer, but that future faced some uncertainty. Nichols spent her childhood honing her skills, preparing for this life of which she had dreamed. Paige’s journey has taken her many different places along the way until she found her way to Nashville.
The Path to Music City for Paige Nichols
The moment when singer-songwriters know this is the career they want is always memorable, and it comes at different times. However, at three years old, young Paige Nichols decided she wanted to be a singer. Nichols said, “At three, I remember going to the theatre. Afterward, I knew I wanted to be a singer, and I have never wavered from that. At eight years old, I began taking voice and piano lessons. I did all the choir stuff through school.”
Paige Nichols’s journey to becoming a singer began in Ohio, but she has spent time in New York and Los Angeles before settling in Nashville. The singer-songwriter said, “I was going to school on a scholarship for voice, but I was in Toledo. I thought, why am I here studying classical voice because I wanted to be a singer-songwriter. I got something in the mail to study at this conservatory in New York. So, I went to the audition and got in. I had not yet started writing my songs; I was still finding my voice.”
After Nichols finished school, she was still trying to find her place in the music industry. Nichols said, “I was trying to perform in New York, but I thought, what am I going to sing. I performed in jazz clubs but didn’t feel like it was me. I tried musical theatre too. That’s why I started writing.” After New York, Paige move to Los Angeles. Paige said, “I wish I had skipped over LA. No hate on LA, but I love Nashville so much. I went to LA because I was working on some songs with a producer out there, and I kept coming back and forth. Things started to come together for me in Nashville, and I just felt it was time.”
A Singer Without a Voice
Your voice is your moneymaker for a singer, and the most terrifying thing that could happen is losing your voice. Paige Nichols has experienced that fear. Nichols said, when my single came out, my voice teacher from New York messaged me. She reminded me, but I had not forgotten that I suddenly lost my voice after moving to New York. Nobody believed I could sing and wondered how I got into school. I didn’t know what was going on. It would hurt to sing; even the side of my neck would get sore. My voice teacher said, you sound like to smoke six packs a day; just be honest. I had been a soprano with this high voice.”
Paige began looking for explanations for why she lost her voice. Imagine how she felt to suddenly lose her voice when she had spent her life preparing for a career as a singer. Paige said, “My voice teacher sent me to the doctor, and I found out I had horrible acid reflux. The doctors said you will never be a singer; this is the worst case we have ever seen. But, I refused to drop out of school because I was meant to do this. It took two to three years, but my voice teacher helped me through it. The whole time I was in school, I couldn’t sing.”
Finding a Silver Lining
Thankfully, the damage the acid reflux did to Paige’s voice was not permanent. The singer-songwriter said, “My voice gradually came back, but it was cool because it came back raspier and, in a tone, more conducive to country music.” In some ways, the loss of her voice worked out in her favor and pushed her toward country music. Nichols said, “I was always on the edge of country and pop. I thought I was pop in LA, but I realized I need to be country once I got here. My voice is raspy, and I grew up listening to country music, it’s a better fit for me.”
Adjusting to Life in Nashville
When singer-songwriters move to Nashville, there is always an adjustment period. Since launching the website, I have heard several stories about the crazy things that happen when they move here. Paige Nichols had her challenges after moving to Music City. Nichols said, “Getting my furniture here was the first challenge. My furniture was lost in the move. I didn’t know anyone here well enough to have a place to stay. So, here I am in this apartment building, and I am one of the few people since the building had just opened. I had an air mattress and a chair for a few weeks.”
Meeting people is essential once you get to town, but Paige had her questions about that. She said, “Music-wise; I had a moment where I said what was I thinking? How am I supposed to meet people? What do I do? I found it to be incredible. A month after I moved here, I played my first show. The girl who played after me asked me to get coffee, and now she is one of my best friends. After playing a show at The Bluebird, where I was nervously rambling on stage, a girl said, you just moved here, me too. What I first thought would be challenging, but I found it easy to meet people.”
Paige Nichols Releases “Good Time”
Paige Nichols releases “Good Time,” which is somewhat of a critique on dating today if you listen to the lyrics. I am sure many of you reading can relate to “Good Time.” The singer-songwriter said, “I was excited to release this song. The song came about differently than most of my songs. Usually, I bring the hook into the room, but this write with Chris McKenna and Frank Legeay was different. Frank produced my songs, “Still There” and “Cheap Champagne.” It was cool writing with my producer because he said we need something real to you but could still be playing at Red Door on Friday night.”
If you are familiar with Paige, then you know she loves a sad ballad. Nichols said, “During the write, Frank said I have this idea, Good Time. As a singer, I need to feel what I am singing. So, it’s important that a song is true to me. I had just ended it with a guy I had been dating. I didn’t go through this dating a few years ago, but now it seems hard to find a real connection. That’s what the song is about. It’s about something deeper but fun. Dating has not gone well for me, but it has been good for my music.”
Fun Facts with Paige Nichols
Fun facts can be the favorite part of the interview for us, where we can learn some interesting things about someone. Paige said, “I Love road trips. My friend and I recently made a cross country road trip, but we were masked up and safe. I love the desert. I am terrified of elevators, and I won’t get on one.” I asked her, even if you were on the 20th floor? She said, “I would take the stairs. Literally, I avoid elevators at all costs. If I have a meeting, I will get there early to have enough time to take the stairs. I get so claustrophobic, it is unpleasant for me. It is scary.”
We know Paige Nichols will not be getting a fast pass to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney World. However, she will be bringing us more great music soon. In the meantime, listen to “Good Time” on Apple Music or Spotify. Also, follow Paige on her social media.
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