It’s hard not to gravitate towards Paris Williams’ music. It’s bright demeanor layered over nostalgic and energetic beats hold a charismatic allure, as is the case on his latest release, A Paris Williams Joint. This week, he’s releasing the album and hitting the stage for a collaborative release show with Supermoto at recordBar on Thursday, November 21st. We talked with Williams about his second full-length release and how it reflects him as an artist.
IHLM: We last saw you in Lawrence at the Replay’s first shows coming out of the lockdown bringing some much needed energy after a year-long slump. How has your energy changed since then when performing live?
PW: That seems like a lifetime or two ago haha. That was my first solo show so there was a lot of learning in real time. I went out and gave a ton of energy to combat how nervous I was. It was almost punk in a way I remember running into some issues trying to combat latency through our set up. The house music came back on during one of my songs too. With all that happening though I still look at that moment very fondly. I shared the stage with my homie Luke, and other performers were Rose of Window Seat, & Daniel Gum and his band. All artists in KC I respect a lot. Since then my show has evolved a lot, I feel like I’m always trying to improve and reach a higher level. I now faithfully perform with a band that includes my friends Taylor Samson, on drums, and Alex Norcross, on guitar. I feel like we still capture that punk energy when necessary but it’s a way more refined experience. We’ve been lucky enough to travel this year and do shows in Chicago & Denver. Wherever we pull up we have an engaged crowd so hopefully we’re doing something right.
IHLM: It feels like there’s a lot of growth with your work lately. What prompted you to put out an album at this time?
PW: It’s been a while since I’ve released a full length project, Drop Dead Gorgeous was in 2019 almost immediately after I moved to Kansas City. Since then I’ve released Ep’s consistently, Cocoa, and Rebel Heart. It just felt like time after consistently building these past few years. I released a collaboration project with my homie Kaleab Samuel based out of Denver just inspired by the journey of trying to live out these art dreams. The highs and lows of it all. Sleeping on the couch, being broke, the late nights, just all fueled by passion to make it a reality. So A Paris Williams Joint is my 2nd ‘full length’ within the year and in a short span of time which is crazy to think about. To sum it all up I’ve just been inspired to continue sharing my story through music, and pushing myself creatively. I’ve been creating music since I was 13, I just turned 26. So half of my life has been dedicated to music. Feel like I owe it to myself to go as hard as possible.
IHLM: There’s a very nostalgic sound to your beats. Why did you lean this way with your music production?
PW: It’s just what my ear gravitates to naturally. It’s always been that way since day 1. Not sure why honestly but I love music that feels soulful, jazzy, and colorful.
IHLM: What do you hope listeners will take away from this album?
PW: I hope they hear a young ambitious creative that’s learning daily and trying to find their place in the world. I hope that gives some comfort to the people that relate to it. I hope they hear a body of work that they can continue to live and grow with. This project is a reintroduction to who I am as an Artist. Not really a biopic but a really cool slice of life movie, where you learn about your favorite character in the movie and leave wanting to know more. I hope people stick around for the full journey because I don’t plan on slowing down.
IHLM: Who did you collaborate with?
PW: There’s a slew of collaborators on this project but the project was fully produced by The Human, which is a production duo composed of my brothers TyFaizon and Medici. It was a cool process taking a step back on the production and just kinda picking the beats and rearranging things when they needed to be. They’re probably the only people in the world I have that much trust in. Features on the album include a ton of talented KC creatives including TheBabeGabe, Dalima Kapten, & Saving Miles Lemon. Sintoria, Kaleab Samuel, and Medici all have vocals as well. All these people I’ve known for years at this point so it was really cool to be able to get them to be a part of this project.
IHLM: What are you most looking forward to in the near future in the local music scene?
PW: Just more releases from the talented artists that live in and are from Kansas City. We’ve got all the talent in the world, we just need to continue to share it.
IHLM: Kansas City has such a strong hip-hop community. Are you interested in any future collaborations?
PW: For sure. I’m always open to collaborations. There’s a ton of talent in Kansas City in all genres of music but people I’d love to collaborate with include the homies TheBabeGabe, TyFaizon, Jerry P, A’sean, Rue, Mikey, Sammy Sheets, Kye Colors, & Jass. Would also love to do more shows with Artists in the indie scene like Saving Miles Lemon, Flooding, God Talk, Supermoto, and City Hall.
IHLM: Why do you feel it’s important to keep doing what you’re doing?
PW: I’ve never thought about this question honestly. I keep creating because it helps me feel better about my life and experiences. Without it I’m not sure where I would be honestly. It’s important for me to share my story and hopefully it gives the people who relate to it some hope and motivation to keep going towards whatever they’re seeking.