Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paige Parrucci. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Paige, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

From early childhood on, like most musicians, I always knew I wanted to pursue music in some way or form. My parents put (forced), me into piano lessons at age 8, where I unwillingly learned that piano was pretty fun to play once you got the hang of it. When middle school came around, I had to find a way to cope with the inevitable friend, boys, and raging hormone issues. So, I started to write songs. I remember skipping lunch to sit in the choir and practice rooms at my middle school just to write songs. The love for the songwriting craft only grew, and when it came to start thinking about career choices, I decided on music. I chose Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and got my degree in songwriting and a minor in music business. My goal the entire time was not to become this famous, world renowned, artist or songwriter. I just wanted to learn as much as I could about the craft, meet the right people, so that I could earn a living with making music.

Graduation came around, and I was faced with this giant beast. The big, the scary, the haunting, the looming… student loan debt. I had to make some decisions about how I was going to start paying this off, because I was not making enough money off of my own music to make a liveable wage. So, an opportunity presented itself to work in marketing for a promoter in town. I thought, if I’m not making a living from making music, at least I’m working adjacent to it. So that’s what I did for a year and a half. I worked my ass off for this company. While extending my industry knowledge, shaking hands, and getting the front row seat to the live music industry, I was growing further away from making music. Days would go by, then weeks, then even months without even touching the instrument that used to set my soul on fire. Friendships, relationships, and even my relationship with myself suffered. I began to turn colder, and felt the most unlike myself than I ever had before. My creative self had begun to vanish, and my corporate self had taken over my life.

I had hit an emotional rock bottom. I had no real grasp on who I was, depression and anxiety ruled my every day, and felt completely stuck. I was stuck with the decision to stay with this company, or to leave and pursue what I once loved. If I stayed with the company, I had a lot of really great opportunities for growth, would be able to comfortably pay off my student debt, and have a lot of good security in knowing that my life would be set. However, I couldn’t get over the fact that I felt like I was letting go of a life I had dreamed of since I was little kid. I couldn’t stop thinking of my middle school self who would skip lunches just to sit and play piano and write songs.

Ultimately, this past October, I took a giant leap of faith and made the decision to resign from my job. I got my finances in order, started budgeting, and work at a restaurant and make music. I talked to some friends and family about it, and they all agreed I made the right decision. Even in the past few weeks, my friends and family have seen a huge new spark and light in me. Although I have no idea if I’ll ever make a living doing this, I’m diving into it with an open and clear head. I asked a fellow songwriting friend of mine how she deals with going the “all music”, route, and not knowing if you’re going to “make it”. What she told me has stuck with me and I hold it close to my heart every day.

She told me, “As long as you keep going and keep making music, you’re going to make it. The people who make it are the ones who never stop making music. If you stop making music, you just lowered your chances of doing it for a living by 100%.”.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was a classically trained pianist from 8 years old, and fell in love with songwriting in middle and high school. I attended Belmont University and got my degree in Songwriting with a minor in Music Business. When I was in college, I really started to develop a sound I wanted to dive deeper into. I wanted to create music that had this warmth and richness to it, while also still striking an emotional chord. Music theory was something I took a lot of interest in, and found that you have to learn the rules of music in order to break them. So, with my classical background, I was able to start making music with my piano that I really loved and felt that others started loving it too!

While in college, I started working with a company based in Minneapolis called In The Groove. They are a sync company and I started to get a lot of really great sync placements! I have placements with shows like Selling Sunset, FBI, General. Hospital, and many more. I started working with some sync companies based in Nashville this year, and hope to see more fruit grow from those branches as well.

Something I’m really proud of in my music is the integrity of it. I try to have this reverence for what I create. I believe that music is a gift from God, and being someone who is able to put the pen to paper is a gift I don’t take for granted. Truly, the music is what comes first for me. I never want to lose sight of the fact that making music in itself is another reason to just keep going on the path that I have set out for myself. The best part of the job honestly is the music. I’d be happy just sitting at my piano all day and playing.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There’s a Zane Lowe interview with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. In the video, Vernon claimed that before he put out his debut album “For Emma, Forever Ago”, he told himself that if the album doesn’t do well or do what he wants it to, he’s hanging music up. When the album came out, it totally transformed his life, as well as the folk/alternative genre. He paved a path for so many musicians with that album, and as it was blueprint for so many artists. I think that that interview speaks volumes about the journey for a musician. That most of the time it’s going to feel really hard and that you’re going to want to give up, basically everyday. But, at the end of the day, you never really know when it’s going to happen for you.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Just show up. Go to the shows. Buy the merch. Send an Instagram DM. Comment on the videos. Tell them if a song shifted something in you. In Nashville, it can be REALLY hard to not play the comparison game when all of your friends are going after the same thing that you are. But you have to remember that we’re all people at the end of the day just trying to make ends meet.

Something that I try to practice when I go to shows or any writers rounds, is I try to give my fellow creatives the same support and respect that I know that I would want. Don’t talk during someone’s set, give them a pat on the back after the show, put their music on your socials. It takes a village. When one person rises, most times so do the people around you. Just be a good listener and a good friend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paigeparrucci.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paige_parrucci/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaigeParrucciMusic/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@paigeparrucci?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
Gracie Hall