Paytra
Originally from Michigan, USA, at an early age she booked a one-way ticket to New York - the city of dreams - with a high ambition to make it big. In a whirlwind of adventures, Paytra is now living the dream with a strong footing in the music and acting fields.
Her notable work include performances for New York Fashion Week, Disney World and Memory Motel Montauk; TV appearances for MTV as well as Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; and radio specials on The Beat and Sirius XM.
Paytra has just released her brand new single ‘ToTo’ which is wonderfully seductive. With the release of this new song, we were able to chat with Paytra about her story…
Tell us about yourself and how you got into music.
I’m Paytra! I don’t even remember a time where I didn’t play music. I started playing piano at age 4 (which I think is when your memory starts? lol). I remember my dad somehow got a-hold of this old upright piano from a friend, and brought it in the house against my mom’s will. I immediately started playing and my Dad taught me “Let it Be” by The Beatles. I started begging for piano lessons, and by that time both parents were like “wow - this is strange for a 4 year old to be obsessed.” They’ve been huge supporters, even today!
You took a huge leap of faith at a young age to pursue your dreams in the big apple, can you tell us a little about this journey?
My journey of coming to NYC at 16 was a lot easier said than done. I thought it would be like the movies and all my dreams would come true - I mean I was from a small-town in the midwest so I had NO idea about city life. It was a culture shock, and there was a lot of crying and calling home. I guess I just decided that this was what I was going to do, and it got easier and easier! I forced myself to go to every event, class, and open mic until I met connections. I definitely got caught up with the wrong people. They took advantage of my age and lack of experience - but name one artist that hasn’t faced that. I’m lucky I did at such a young age so I have the ability to navigate this industry now. I overworked myself to exhaustion because I wasn’t physically ready for this type of lifestyle. Lotta anxiety attacks. It’s so easy to look at me now and be like “oh she’s confident,” but it’s taken a big toll on me. I’m here because I really want to be a musician - not “famous.”
What were the ideas and inspiration behind your new track ’ToTo’?
“ToTo” is a very intimate record about my love life lyric-wise, which is hard for me because I keep that very
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