The Sit down with paige penney
Last October, Nashville based Canadian artist Paige Penney released her single Southern Draw(L), which saw her gain radio play across Canada, hit the Top 40 and receive a CCMA Nomination. Now, the rising independent artist is back with her first taste of new music since Souther Draw(L)’s release with her most personal song to date, “Carhartt to Heart,” a fresh and heartfelt nod to working-class love. Paying tribute to the kind of relationships she grew up surrounded by, “Carhartt to Heart” is rooted in honest storytelling, mixed with modern country-pop beats. Ahead of the release we caught up with Paige to find out more.
You must be crazy busy with tomorrow coming up.
Oh my goodness, we've done so many interviews today but it's just making it feel more real. I'm so excited because we wrote the song so long ago and now I'm just like we've got to get it out there, I'm so happy.
Is it almost a little bit surreal that tomorrow is the day?
I know, it's hard to believe that it's going to be online tomorrow in like less than a few hours really.
And you're actually based in Nashville, is that right?
Yeah, I'm in Nashville right now. My cousin just spent a month in London and she was texting me pictures, you need to come, you need to come. I need to get a show over there and play. I heard the country music scene is huge over there.
Yeah, it's like boomed, it's crazy how much it's gone in the last two, three years.
That's amazing. Well, hopefully, fingers crossed, I'll have that excuse to go soon.
We'll have you anytime! For you, Nashville is home now but you come from St. John's in Newfoundland originally
Yeah, it's beautiful. There's a lot of beautiful scenery in Newfoundland and nature, it's great. We have a lot of Irish influences over there; our accents are very heavy. If you heard my grandparents talk, you'd think they're from Ireland.
And then you have the funny half an hour time change as well.
I know, right? It's so weird, and especially in my day-to-day when I'm trying to call my family, I'm like, wait, it's like 11.30 now?
As a Canadian, what made you want to move to Nashville a few years back? We notice that some Canadians move to the bigger cities of Toronto or Calgary and base their career out of there, while you actually went all in on Nashville straight away.
All into Nashville. I made a few trips here before moving doing writing trips. I just love the culture of how you wake up, you write a song every day, and then you perform that song. I was like, this is basically my dream, why not move here? My family and I, we packed up my car, they helped move me down. I was 18 when we hopped in my car and drove 48 hours from St. John's, Newfoundland to Nashville, which was quite the journey. We were definitely sick of each other by the end of the journey!
How important was it for you to have the support of your parents for that move, and especially at such a young age?
They are so supportive. My dad is actually a songwriter, so I went to Nashville with him. My first trip to Nashville was when I was nine with him to see Taylor Swift for my birthday present. We went there, and he was on a writing trip too, so I went in on his songwriting sessions and sat in and was like, oh, this is cool, I want to do this! He introduced me to Nashville. They're very supportive because they get to visit me all the time. They're here like once a month. They love it.
I understand you're only 14 when you put out your first EP.
I was 14 years old when I put out my first EP. I was just a baby.
Do you look back at that EP until now, or is that in the past and you've now moved on?
Yeah, I've definitely moved on. My voice is so different. It sounds like a different person, which is really funny. That's just growing, and not in a bad way. It just sounds like a baby singing because I am 14, but now my voice is definitely maternal and I definitely found my sound too, with what kind of music, what kind of country music I like to make.
Carhartt to Heart is the follow up to Southern Draw(L), which came out nearly a year ago now. Was it always the intention to wait, or were you just almost in shock of how well that has done? I think it's just past 200,000 on Spotify.
It did. Thanks for noticing. That just happened. We released it in October 2024, and it was doing great on streaming. It got picked up on Canadian Country Radio in January. So that's the kind of time gap there and then it just had its moment on Canadian Country Radio and went all the way to number 34. My first ever top 40 hit. We were just like, you know what, let's let this ride for a minute before we put out anything else. I just wanted to give Southern Draw(L) its moment, and people loved it so much. We ended up putting out a stripped version of the song because people wanted more and we wanted to give them that. Then I was like, you know, I think summer is a good time for the next one because Carhartt to Heart is really another fun one and August was just perfect.
You must be crazy busy with tomorrow coming up.
Oh my goodness, we've done so many interviews today but it's just making it feel more real. I'm so excited because we wrote the song so long ago and now I'm just like we've got to get it out there, I'm so happy.
Is it almost a little bit surreal that tomorrow is the day?
I know, it's hard to believe that it's going to be online tomorrow in like less than a few hours really.
And you're actually based in Nashville, is that right?
Yeah, I'm in Nashville right now. My cousin just spent a month in London and she was texting me pictures, you need to come, you need to come. I need to get a show over there and play. I heard the country music scene is huge over there.
Yeah, it's like boomed, it's crazy how much it's gone in the last two, three years.
That's amazing. Well, hopefully, fingers crossed, I'll have that excuse to go soon.
We'll have you anytime! For you, Nashville is home now but you come from St. John's in Newfoundland originally
Yeah, it's beautiful. There's a lot of beautiful scenery in Newfoundland and nature, it's great. We have a lot of Irish influences over there; our accents are very heavy. If you heard my grandparents talk, you'd think they're from Ireland.
And then you have the funny half an hour time change as well.
I know, right? It's so weird, and especially in my day-to-day when I'm trying to call my family, I'm like, wait, it's like 11.30 now?
As a Canadian, what made you want to move to Nashville a few years back? We notice that some Canadians move to the bigger cities of Toronto or Calgary and base their career out of there, while you actually went all in on Nashville straight away.
All into Nashville. I made a few trips here before moving doing writing trips. I just love the culture of how you wake up, you write a song every day, and then you perform that song. I was like, this is basically my dream, why not move here? My family and I, we packed up my car, they helped move me down. I was 18 when we hopped in my car and drove 48 hours from St. John's, Newfoundland to Nashville, which was quite the journey. We were definitely sick of each other by the end of the journey!
How important was it for you to have the support of your parents for that move, and especially at such a young age?
They are so supportive. My dad is actually a songwriter, so I went to Nashville with him. My first trip to Nashville was when I was nine with him to see Taylor Swift for my birthday present. We went there, and he was on a writing trip too, so I went in on his songwriting sessions and sat in and was like, oh, this is cool, I want to do this! He introduced me to Nashville. They're very supportive because they get to visit me all the time. They're here like once a month. They love it.
I understand you're only 14 when you put out your first EP.
I was 14 years old when I put out my first EP. I was just a baby.
Do you look back at that EP until now, or is that in the past and you've now moved on?
Yeah, I've definitely moved on. My voice is so different. It sounds like a different person, which is really funny. That's just growing, and not in a bad way. It just sounds like a baby singing because I am 14, but now my voice is definitely maternal and I definitely found my sound too, with what kind of music, what kind of country music I like to make.
Carhartt to Heart is the follow up to Southern Draw(L), which came out nearly a year ago now. Was it always the intention to wait, or were you just almost in shock of how well that has done? I think it's just past 200,000 on Spotify.
It did. Thanks for noticing. That just happened. We released it in October 2024, and it was doing great on streaming. It got picked up on Canadian Country Radio in January. So that's the kind of time gap there and then it just had its moment on Canadian Country Radio and went all the way to number 34. My first ever top 40 hit. We were just like, you know what, let's let this ride for a minute before we put out anything else. I just wanted to give Southern Draw(L) its moment, and people loved it so much. We ended up putting out a stripped version of the song because people wanted more and we wanted to give them that. Then I was like, you know, I think summer is a good time for the next one because Carhartt to Heart is really another fun one and August was just perfect.
Now you must be sitting on loads of music that you've been preparing these last 10 months itching to release!
So much music. It's actually crazy. I'm writing five times a week usually, so imagine how many songs I'm writing. It's crazy. There's a lot of favourites I have. I've been in the studio recording these past few months and I have a lot up my sleeve that I'm going to share.
To top it off with Southern Draw(L), you've got a CCMA award. The Innovative Campaign of the Year I doubt would have been an award you necessarily have your eye when releasing a track but to be nominated in any category must be huge so early on?
Yeah. Getting a CCMA nom has been on my dream board. I grew up watching the CCMAs, it always was a dream to be nominated. We got nominated this year and I freaked out, as you do. We got nominated for Innovative Campaign of the Year for Southern Draw(L), the Broadway interviews. Me and Matt, who's W/FRNDS (pronounced With Friends), who's the co-release on this song, we went down to Broadway in Nashville, which if you've been to Nashville on Broadway, you know it's basically like honky-tonk Times Square. It's insane. We went up to random strangers and we're like, hey, want to listen to our song that's coming out? We got some crazy people who said yes and it was their raw reaction we recorded and they ended up loving it. We documented that, went down a couple times to multiple videos and we put them out on social media. They did extremely well, lots of great feedback, and that's kind of how the song got some momentum on the go. Then it ended up going to radio and all that. We got the nomination for Innovative Campaign of the Year for our Broadway videos, which is so, so cool. I'm so passionate about the social media side of the industry and I think it's so much fun, to be recognised for that is incredibly cool.
Have you worked out how to get to Kelowna yet?
Oh, I'm going to Kelowna. I'm so excited. I've never been, but it looks beautiful and all my BC friends are like, you're going and it's going to be insane. I was like, well, I'm nominated, so I have to go. I think my flight is Nashville, Calgary, Calgary, Kelowna, I think.
I take it the family are all booked as well then?
Oh, they were like, we are coming!
Even though it must feel like this is a brand-new cycle of releasing music, do you feel there's that bit of pressure to back up that Southern Draw(L) release now?
Yeah. At first, I was just blown away with the success of the song. Then I was like, oh, what am I putting out next? A lot of people around me and myself, were just saying take it in for a second, breathe it in and chill out because while all the success is going on, I've been writing so much. You're putting in the reps, you're doing what you need to do. We used those months as recording months when the song was popping off and recorded the new stuff. I definitely felt a little bit of pressure, but then my co-writers especially were like, just be you. That's why it did so well in the first place, just chill out, be you and keep writing the things. So that's what we did.
You're working with W/FRNDS again on this one. Was that really important to keep that collaboration going?
Yeah. So, his real name is Matt McCartney and I call him Matt. It's so hard for me to be like W/FRNDS. He's probably the person I collaborate with the most. We write like once a week, and are in the studio at least once a week. We’re always making music together. He's producing the next couple singles that are coming out too and it's been really fun to work with him. He is just such a fun guy to work with. I've forced him to be in many skits of mine on my social media too, so we create a lot of awesome things together and work really well together. I'm excited for everyone to hear what we’ve got coming. I've also got to work with Canadian legend and overall legend, Gordie Sampson on a couple songs, which I'm super excited about. We got to record in January together, we got to write one too and he's just so, so talented. He's from my neck of the woods, which is cool to have another East Coast Canadian over in Nashville.
Whenever we speak to Canadians that are now based out of Nashville, they always give off the impression of it being a close-knit Canadian community there. Have you found that since moving?
A hundred percent. I was saying to my family before I moved to Nashville, I was like, how am I going to meet people? How do you do that? I’m just going by myself! I had heard from a bunch of Canadian friends that it'll work out - like I promise you'll meet Canadians! I went there and sure enough, once you meet one Canadian, everyone knows each other. Matt’s also Canadian. We just find each other.
Another Canadian artist, Tebey, told us that if you want to make music, you just got to be in music city. There's nowhere else in the world to be. Is that what you found?
Totally. It's just the culture here is write, perform. That's what everyone does. When you're surrounded by like-minded people like that, you're going to follow the same footsteps and do cool, cool things like that.
How's your Nashville venue bucket list going?
Oh my goodness. Since I was a kid, I wanted to play the Bridgestone arena because I saw Taylor Swift on her Red tour there. I was like, dad, I want to play here. He was like, yeah, girl get to work cause you can do it, but it takes a lot of work to get there. Once I play the Bridgestone, I think little me will be very happy. I've gone to so many concerts at the Ryman this year and that has been really inspiring. It's just such an incredible room. I did get to play the Bluebird Cafe this year, which was so cool. Just to see all the plaques on the walls of everyone who's been there before you, it truly is a listening room. You could hear a pin drop in there. Everyone is just there to listen to the songs. It's funny there though as most writers’ rounds, they sit you up on a stage and you're facing the crowd, but at Bluebird, they sit you in the middle of the room and you're facing the other writers and you just feel the audience surrounding you. It is the weirdest feeling. I've never played a show like that. You're singing to your co-writer across from you and then you just feel the warmth of everybody, that was a crazy bucket list that I got to check off this year too.
Are there any kind of any Canadian events that you're looking to get onto to make sure your name is still there in Canada with this radio coverage to keep the momentum?
Oh yeah. I love my hometown so much and East coast Canada, especially it's just a really fun place to be from. I have lots of plans to do some hometown shows and stuff in the future. I'm going to be playing over in Kelowna too, which is going to be fun and I'm really excited. I'm just so lucky to be from such an awesome country and excited to go back and play more over there.
As you said, the radio support, especially on that East coast must just be such a push. You got that iHeart Future Star as well at the start of this year. Those little steps must just be so huge.
It's so crazy. I got iHeart Future Star in January and that really just pivoted the success of the song. Once iHeart got on it, I got a KDO breakout artist as well. KX picked it up in Toronto and then a bunch of amazing stations all over Canada picked it up and really showed me so much support, which is crazy for an independent artist - especially since it was my first release of my new stuff. I did not expect that much love for my first go at it! I'm just really grateful. I got to go on a radio tour too in February and go around Ontario to all these different stations and meet the people who are actually playing the song and just thank them in person because really it was life changing stuff. It's crazy.
So much music. It's actually crazy. I'm writing five times a week usually, so imagine how many songs I'm writing. It's crazy. There's a lot of favourites I have. I've been in the studio recording these past few months and I have a lot up my sleeve that I'm going to share.
To top it off with Southern Draw(L), you've got a CCMA award. The Innovative Campaign of the Year I doubt would have been an award you necessarily have your eye when releasing a track but to be nominated in any category must be huge so early on?
Yeah. Getting a CCMA nom has been on my dream board. I grew up watching the CCMAs, it always was a dream to be nominated. We got nominated this year and I freaked out, as you do. We got nominated for Innovative Campaign of the Year for Southern Draw(L), the Broadway interviews. Me and Matt, who's W/FRNDS (pronounced With Friends), who's the co-release on this song, we went down to Broadway in Nashville, which if you've been to Nashville on Broadway, you know it's basically like honky-tonk Times Square. It's insane. We went up to random strangers and we're like, hey, want to listen to our song that's coming out? We got some crazy people who said yes and it was their raw reaction we recorded and they ended up loving it. We documented that, went down a couple times to multiple videos and we put them out on social media. They did extremely well, lots of great feedback, and that's kind of how the song got some momentum on the go. Then it ended up going to radio and all that. We got the nomination for Innovative Campaign of the Year for our Broadway videos, which is so, so cool. I'm so passionate about the social media side of the industry and I think it's so much fun, to be recognised for that is incredibly cool.
Have you worked out how to get to Kelowna yet?
Oh, I'm going to Kelowna. I'm so excited. I've never been, but it looks beautiful and all my BC friends are like, you're going and it's going to be insane. I was like, well, I'm nominated, so I have to go. I think my flight is Nashville, Calgary, Calgary, Kelowna, I think.
I take it the family are all booked as well then?
Oh, they were like, we are coming!
Even though it must feel like this is a brand-new cycle of releasing music, do you feel there's that bit of pressure to back up that Southern Draw(L) release now?
Yeah. At first, I was just blown away with the success of the song. Then I was like, oh, what am I putting out next? A lot of people around me and myself, were just saying take it in for a second, breathe it in and chill out because while all the success is going on, I've been writing so much. You're putting in the reps, you're doing what you need to do. We used those months as recording months when the song was popping off and recorded the new stuff. I definitely felt a little bit of pressure, but then my co-writers especially were like, just be you. That's why it did so well in the first place, just chill out, be you and keep writing the things. So that's what we did.
You're working with W/FRNDS again on this one. Was that really important to keep that collaboration going?
Yeah. So, his real name is Matt McCartney and I call him Matt. It's so hard for me to be like W/FRNDS. He's probably the person I collaborate with the most. We write like once a week, and are in the studio at least once a week. We’re always making music together. He's producing the next couple singles that are coming out too and it's been really fun to work with him. He is just such a fun guy to work with. I've forced him to be in many skits of mine on my social media too, so we create a lot of awesome things together and work really well together. I'm excited for everyone to hear what we’ve got coming. I've also got to work with Canadian legend and overall legend, Gordie Sampson on a couple songs, which I'm super excited about. We got to record in January together, we got to write one too and he's just so, so talented. He's from my neck of the woods, which is cool to have another East Coast Canadian over in Nashville.
Whenever we speak to Canadians that are now based out of Nashville, they always give off the impression of it being a close-knit Canadian community there. Have you found that since moving?
A hundred percent. I was saying to my family before I moved to Nashville, I was like, how am I going to meet people? How do you do that? I’m just going by myself! I had heard from a bunch of Canadian friends that it'll work out - like I promise you'll meet Canadians! I went there and sure enough, once you meet one Canadian, everyone knows each other. Matt’s also Canadian. We just find each other.
Another Canadian artist, Tebey, told us that if you want to make music, you just got to be in music city. There's nowhere else in the world to be. Is that what you found?
Totally. It's just the culture here is write, perform. That's what everyone does. When you're surrounded by like-minded people like that, you're going to follow the same footsteps and do cool, cool things like that.
How's your Nashville venue bucket list going?
Oh my goodness. Since I was a kid, I wanted to play the Bridgestone arena because I saw Taylor Swift on her Red tour there. I was like, dad, I want to play here. He was like, yeah, girl get to work cause you can do it, but it takes a lot of work to get there. Once I play the Bridgestone, I think little me will be very happy. I've gone to so many concerts at the Ryman this year and that has been really inspiring. It's just such an incredible room. I did get to play the Bluebird Cafe this year, which was so cool. Just to see all the plaques on the walls of everyone who's been there before you, it truly is a listening room. You could hear a pin drop in there. Everyone is just there to listen to the songs. It's funny there though as most writers’ rounds, they sit you up on a stage and you're facing the crowd, but at Bluebird, they sit you in the middle of the room and you're facing the other writers and you just feel the audience surrounding you. It is the weirdest feeling. I've never played a show like that. You're singing to your co-writer across from you and then you just feel the warmth of everybody, that was a crazy bucket list that I got to check off this year too.
Are there any kind of any Canadian events that you're looking to get onto to make sure your name is still there in Canada with this radio coverage to keep the momentum?
Oh yeah. I love my hometown so much and East coast Canada, especially it's just a really fun place to be from. I have lots of plans to do some hometown shows and stuff in the future. I'm going to be playing over in Kelowna too, which is going to be fun and I'm really excited. I'm just so lucky to be from such an awesome country and excited to go back and play more over there.
As you said, the radio support, especially on that East coast must just be such a push. You got that iHeart Future Star as well at the start of this year. Those little steps must just be so huge.
It's so crazy. I got iHeart Future Star in January and that really just pivoted the success of the song. Once iHeart got on it, I got a KDO breakout artist as well. KX picked it up in Toronto and then a bunch of amazing stations all over Canada picked it up and really showed me so much support, which is crazy for an independent artist - especially since it was my first release of my new stuff. I did not expect that much love for my first go at it! I'm just really grateful. I got to go on a radio tour too in February and go around Ontario to all these different stations and meet the people who are actually playing the song and just thank them in person because really it was life changing stuff. It's crazy.
Is it now full stream ahead?
Oh, totally. This is me rebranded. I've definitely found my voice and my sound and what kind of music I like to make and what I like to listen to. I mean, you do a lot of growing up too, between 14 and 20. I've definitely had some life experience that reflects in my writing now and I'm excited for the world to hear it.
Is it a case of staying up till midnight tonight?
I have a session tonight with W/FRNDS and our friend, Chris Miller - he's an awesome writer too. We do a lot of evening sessions, which is kind of crazy because the norm here is like during the daytime, we do that too, but we do a lot of evening sessions together, which gets kind of wacky and we can be very creative and fun. It's good for fun songs. The session starts at 6.30, so I'm sure we will go till 11. That's when the song will come out and I'll be with them anyway!
You just need to get some takeaway!
Exactly. I'm going to tell them exactly that – guys we're ordering some celebration stuff.
Well, enjoy and make the most of it, is all I can say.
Thank you so much.
Good luck for tomorrow and we can't wait to see what this one does for you.
Thank you. Yeah, I'm super excited about it. Just like to anyone listening, make sure you stream the heck out of it and post it on TikTok.
Thank you so much Paige for your time today. It's been awesome.
Of course. Thank you so much for having me.
KEEP UP WITH PAIGE PENNEY
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK
Oh, totally. This is me rebranded. I've definitely found my voice and my sound and what kind of music I like to make and what I like to listen to. I mean, you do a lot of growing up too, between 14 and 20. I've definitely had some life experience that reflects in my writing now and I'm excited for the world to hear it.
Is it a case of staying up till midnight tonight?
I have a session tonight with W/FRNDS and our friend, Chris Miller - he's an awesome writer too. We do a lot of evening sessions, which is kind of crazy because the norm here is like during the daytime, we do that too, but we do a lot of evening sessions together, which gets kind of wacky and we can be very creative and fun. It's good for fun songs. The session starts at 6.30, so I'm sure we will go till 11. That's when the song will come out and I'll be with them anyway!
You just need to get some takeaway!
Exactly. I'm going to tell them exactly that – guys we're ordering some celebration stuff.
Well, enjoy and make the most of it, is all I can say.
Thank you so much.
Good luck for tomorrow and we can't wait to see what this one does for you.
Thank you. Yeah, I'm super excited about it. Just like to anyone listening, make sure you stream the heck out of it and post it on TikTok.
Thank you so much Paige for your time today. It's been awesome.
Of course. Thank you so much for having me.
KEEP UP WITH PAIGE PENNEY
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK
