Who said that R&B is dead? Those people must not have heard of Kaash Paige. The 19-year-old singer from Grand Prairie, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has already established a successful music movement and it’s all about the vibe.
Born D’Kyla Paige Woolen, the songwriter was tired of being subjected to the preordained social constructs existing around her. It took a moment, but soon she was able to accept that being different was what made her special. Her revelation gave her the courage to walk in her truth. Inspired, Kaash Paige came up with an acronym for her name, “Kill All Arrogance, Stop Hatred.”
“Really just growing up and being around so many different opinions — you’ve ever been around so many different opinions you start to question how you should look or how you should dress or just in general, how you should think,” Kaash Paige said.
“So, when I came up with that saying, it was like I was surrounded by so much arrogance and I wanted to change how I thought about myself, ’cause I used to hate myself because I couldn’t be like these people,” she continued. “I couldn’t be a leader. I was always a follower. As I started to grow up and really, you know, learn what I really want and voice my opinion on how I actually want to live, that’s when I found my happiness. I found that being yourself is what it is.”
Listen To Kaash Paige’s Debut Studio Album Teenage Fever
Kaash Paige’s rise to music stardom all started in the 10th grade when she put her faith to the test and released music she recorded on the popular music streaming platform SoundCloud. Inspired by the likes of Drake, Frank Ocean and the late great Mac Miller, one of those songs was the dreamy single “Dnd,” produced by Dream Koala. Short for the smartphone capability “Do Not Disturb,” “Dnd” was relatable from the jump garnering 196,000 plays on SoundCloud.
Similar to the enchantment of her music, Kaash Paige’s discovery by an A&R rep going through his own “situationship” woes played like a fairytale. In a mood, the Def Jam A&R rep went on SoundCloud looking for music to vibe to and just like that, Kaash’s vunerable, slow-grind sound convicted his heart. The rest was history.
Over the next couple of years, the Dallas native would drop “Love Songs” from her EP Parked Car Convos. The single was a viral hit making its rounds on TikTok and eventually being certified gold and surpassing over 725 million streams.
When Kaash Paige first found out about her song being on TikTok she was at a Prairie View A&M University’s homecoming game. She couldn’t believe it.
“I just appreciate those influencers and kids and everybody for getting on there and doing that,” she said. “Any accomplishment you’re trying to achieve, any dream that you desire and you achieve it is success to me. Little things — it’s a marathon.”
She would follow up with a series of singles, including “Sobriety,” “Orange Sweater,” and “Frank Ocean” to the delight of a growing fanbase.
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Wearing a shirt with slain Texas native George Floyd’s face on it throughout the interview, Kaash Paige is very aware of the current times and what it means for her generation and community.
On her debut studio album Teenage Fever, released August 14, reading the room was extremely important to Kaash Paige. Led by singles “Jaded” and “London,” the 13-track album is broken up into mini EPs with their own categories for consoling the brokenhearted, consisting of EPs For Healing, For Bae, For The Soul and Toxic Princess.
Kaash Paige’s plight has always been about energy. It’s the very reason why she works so hard to be the conduit of emotion through her music. “I try to protect my peace and energy,” she said.
For Millennials and Gen-Zers, it comes at no surprise that social media has a major influence on the energy of humans and oftentimes, it ain’t good. It’s the very reason why Kaash Paige is not a big fan, despite benefiting from the virtual mayhem.
“I’m not going to hold you, I hate social media,” she said. “But, it gets you to where you need to be. It brings more awareness. More people listen to your music. More people know what you look like and what you got going on, especially Twitter. I really don’t like Instagram and a whole bunch of other stuff because I feel like it’s too ‘business-y’. I like Twitter. I can just be myself.”
“Don’t give a fuck what anybody thinks about you, always do what the fuck you want and just live life and always be happy, bro,” she advises. “Just put out that energy. Always just put out great energy, anyways.”
