Author: Priscilla Blum
Meet Paul Russell. He is a first year ILR student originally from Allen, Texas. Besides playing the trumpet and ukulele, he also spends his time making music on his computer. On campus, he is involved with Electric Buffalo Records, a local student-run record label created by Cornell students. And if that wasn’t enough, Russell expects to release his new album with an aesthetic of psychedelic R&B and rap.
Russell’s interest in music was sparked in middle school when “a number of the students would have rap battles in the hallways on a regular basis” that “became so serious that the administration banned them.” With determination, kids found ways to have these rap battles in secret which was “cool and rebellious to go to underground rap battles in the bathrooms.” After watching some of the battles, Russell met guys who liked to make music. From then on, they came together to write some songs.
Photo by Scott Yarberry Photography
Russell believes music is a great way to turn feelings into tangible creations, and seeing the effect of these creations on other people is fulfilling. After releasing two extended plays in high school, people from his town would approach him to tell him that they had listened to his music and identified it. He shares, “When I write music, I try to be as honest as I can about who I am and how I perceive my experiences, so it’s amazing to hear that other people understand what I’m trying to communicate and have felt the same way.”
His musical talent came in handy when he ran for the SA and released a promotional song as a campaign tactic. After hearing Russell’s successful song, candidates Jordan Berger ’17, and later Traci Celestin ’19, jumped on the opportunity to have songs made to promote their campaigns. He researched each candidate’s platform and came up with a parody of “Jordan Belfort” for Berger’s campaign and one of Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” for Celestin’s.
The first step in creating a parody song, Russell shares, is listening to and singing the original song a few times while typing out potential lyric ideas in the notes app on his phone. Original songs have a more thorough process though. For upbeat songs, he tries out some sounds or samples until he finds something cool and then writes the lyrics for it. For the melancholy songs, he tends to write out the lyrics first because they are almost always a direct response to something that has happened in his life. Russell reflects, “I remember writing multiple songs from my most recent album while walking home late at night. There is something about late night walks that make me think deeply about who I am as a person and how I see the relationships I have with the people around me.”
With success at hand, Russell says that as long as he isn’t running in that particular election, he “would love to write songs for more candidates.” However, as a rule he will only write music for candidates he personally supports.
Photo by Scott Yarberry Photography
Although Russell didn’t come to Cornell with intentions of pursuing music, he can’t seem to stop himself from writing songs. “I’ve always seen my musicianship and my career goals as two conflicting factors in my life.” He believes if he gives too much of his time to music, that he would be sacrificing his education and career. So when he initially came to Cornell he tried not to do much more than make music on his own. However, from seeing his music help towards SA campaigns, he has realized that it can be beneficial in other aspects of his life.
Although Russell doesn’t plan on pursuing music full time, he wants to leave the option open if any opportunities arise. In fact, the EBR team has spoken to him about pitching his music to larger labels in the future. If the outcome is successful, Russell says “I’ll certainly consider taking a few years to make music after college.” As for a career, Russell dreams of working in the political realm, ready to explore working for the government to working in the media.
For those interested in Russell’s music and don’t want to wait for his album to drop next month, don’t fret: you can check out Russell perform live at The Nines on April 15th, where he will be opening for a few local artists during a 10pm show. He will also be playing at a few other upcoming concerts to promote his album release. Although neither of the campaign songs will be played at these live shows, he assures that audience members can still enjoy the performances without them.
To get in contact, email [email protected] .
