Pagentri is preparing to release her latest single, Focus, very soon. In this interview spotlight, we chat about Focus, tecchnology, challenges, and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Be sure to Pre-Save Focus so it’s automagically added to your library on release day!

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I’m from a small town in South Carolina called Fort Mill and grew up in a musical family. I tell most people I could sing before I could speak…I was just always drawn to music and performing. My dad is a producer and travelled in a Beach Music band throughout the Southeast, so watching him work in our recording studio or on the stage was where my love for music started.

I’m a pop artist, and I love to create within the growing pop community here in Nashville. I tend to bring in different elements of many genres to create my music and that’s because of the diverse talent I collaborate with. I’ve been very lucky to create with such talented people. There is so much talent coming to Nashville to create different genres outside of Country Music and it’s a great time to be a songwriter and an artist in Music City. 

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

I have to say my Dad was what initially drew me to music, and once I had my first chance to perform…the adrenaline rush got me addicted. I love being on stage and moving people with music. I believe everyone can relate to music in some way. The creativity and the affect music has on people is what keeps me going. I love to express my vulnerabilities and emotions through my music and when people can relate to my craft and be moved in some way…it’s a very rewarding feeling.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

This release is different than my past releases because it was a small team throughout the writing and production process. For my past releases I’ve done live full band recordings in a large studio or multiple producers have touched different iterations of a track. This song was written with my dear friend and Nashville artist/producer durlin. We started writing the song in the Spring last year and it went through a few iterations and we completed the project between the two of us to create a badass final product. As mentioned before, there is so much wonderful pop talent here in Nashville, so you can create great work in a small room and release a project you’re really proud of. You don’t need all the fancy studios and large teams, just talented people!

Production wise the song is a bit different than past releases, because I was initially inspired by an Electronic track that was the Goldfish Remix of the Autograf song “You Might Be.” I never take electronic or dance tracks into a writing session…so this was a different direction to start off with for writing. I then wanted to incorporate repetition and syncopation in the hook like T-Pain’s and Ludacris’s “Chopped n Screwed.” I wanted the final track to be catchy and sexy all wrapped into one. It’s a melting pot of music styles, so it should have something for everyone to like!

Tell us about the lyrics? What were you trying to share?

The lyrics show my vulnerable side as an artist and admit that I tend to give into my weaknesses. I wanted to tell a story about the person who is your kryptonite. You know they aren’t good for you but you have to have your fix. I think everyone has someone like that in their lives, so listeners can easily relate. When you’re with that person it’s electric and then you come down from the high and everything is almost like a dream that you know you shouldn’t be having.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

A think a big challenge for all indie artists is consistent releases and staying relevant. So much music is being released weekly by so many artists and it becomes hard to keep up at times when you are doing everything alone or with a very small team. You have to get creative and think of marketing strategies to keep your single releases relevant for a few months, because production can get expensive. What I’ve learned is that being an artist is a business, so you have to treat your music as a business. You must learn how to market yourself through social media, advertising, cross promotion and more. The creating is the fun part but the work begins when you want to hustle and promote your craft to make it a career. The best indie artists are those who understand the fundamentals of business, understand how money flows in the industry and embrace tools and tech to enhance their careers.

I’m lucky that I also work for a music tech company called Jammber, so I embrace the combination of tech + music daily. Technology has streamlined my music administration process and social media has made it easier than ever for my music to reach a wider audience. If you don’t incorporate tech and music business education into your creative process you will get lost in the crowd of the large indie market. I believe those who succeed might not always be the most talent but the educated hustlers.

What was the last song you listened to?

Well since electronic music initially inspired the making of my single “Focus,” I’ll stick with that genre. The last electronic song on my Spotify was Armin Van Buuren’s “Phone Down.” It’s been one of my favorite songs since I discovered it months ago, and I keep it on repeat!

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I’ve turned into a big vinyl fan. I got a record player a few years ago, and I loved that my parents kept all their old records. I’ve stolen some classics from their collection (Billy Joel, Earth Wind and Fire, the Beatles) and bought some of my favorite recent releases too (Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and John Mayer’s Continuum). Something about playing a vinyl is just so much more nostalgic and meaningful that shuffling my library on Spotify. I love that with a vinyl I can listen to a project from start to finish and really take in what the artist was trying to say with the music.  

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

Definitely follow me on Instagram @pagentrimusic. You can follow me on Spotify here to check out all the music and make sure to pre-save my new single “Focus” here so it’s added to your library on release day 1/17!