Dustin Paul has been in the music industry since he was 14 as a singer/songwriter. His music has been top 10 on many online charts, to having over million views across social media platforms. Dustin uses his charismatic voice as a way of influencing people with positive lyrics that are able to touch the hearts of everyone who listens. “If Only You’d Love Yourself” has spread the word of mental health awareness and how we can overcome our fears by loving the most significant thing of all which is YOURSELF! We had the pleasure of interviewing Dustin Paul, and here is what he had to say:
Q: So you’ve got your new single, “If Only You’d Love Yourself,” that dropped February 7th. Can you tell us a little bit about the influence and inspiration behind it?
DUSTIN: Yes, I go into my story in detail and how the song connects to it in my article with ADAA (Anxiety & Depression Association of America) which you can view here: Living With Anxiety by Dustin Paul
Q: You’ve dealt with mental health issues. HowI see you’ve got an exciting music video to follow. What were some of the challenges in making it, and what was the vision behind it?
DUSTIN: I’ve suffered from clinical depression my entire life, and this song was me finally facing that with strength and joy. I asked strangers to join me in the music video holding signs that show what they are insecure about in their life. It was a coming together of flawed human beings to be proud of every part of who we are. One of the challenges was finding people brave enough to show their face holding such a sign for the entire world to see.
Q: What does a dream gig look like for you? How about a dream collaboration?
DUSTIN: As cheesy as it sounds, a dream gig for me would be one where all walks of life come into a room with me. We sing together, laugh and dance in celebration of just being there and present in the moment. Obviously the more souls I can reach, the more brilliant that idea is. I’d love to collaborate with any artist who shares my vision of this and brings something unique to it.
Q: Can you explain how the collaboration of you and Nissim Black came together for “Human Greatness 2.0”
DUSTIN: I had written a song called “Human Greatness” that was first released as an electronic/EDM track with a couple of DJs who did the backing music. The more I listened to the song, the more I thought to myself, this would sound awesome as an acoustic version. So I started recording an acoustic version with just me singing it.
It sounded great, but then Nissim popped into my mind because I felt like his energy and talent could possibly take it to the next level. I had this vision of us switching off singing/rapping etc… I sent him and his team the idea and they loved it. Nissim recorded the first verse in his studio in Israel and sent it to me. I was right about him bringing the magic! We got together to record the second verse in Brooklyn a few months later. The music video followed, and the rest is history!
Q: Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
DUSTIN: Honestly I don’t even see them as comparable art forms. Thankfully I’ve had the opportunity to experience both. They are completely different, in my opinion. In fact, I find them to be almost opposite each other.
The studio is about creative flow, control, and the birthplace of ideas. It’s about digging deep and being able to chisel away until something truly emerges.
The stage is meant to celebrate the existence of those ideas that were worked so hard on. With performance comes unpredictability and chaos, which an artist has to learn to love (not always easy, especially at the beginning). Once you get past that, a raw performance (flaws and all) can be the most beautiful thing on earth.
Q: Can you fill us in on any other goals and objectives we can expect from Dustin Paul in 2023?
DUSTIN:I plan to show the world more what I stand for, and what my brand means; through even more music, videos and performances. This last single/video “If Only You’d Love Yourself” is so much broader than just me and my music. It’s about all of us. I want to do more of that.
Interviewed by Shertara Brazil
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