Paradame gives us a peek into her stance on Light vs. Dark, finding an ideal creative partner, and why only boring people are ever actually bored.

Seattle Rapper/Singer Paradame took some time from her creative pursuits to share with us (and you) some of the essence of what gives her the creative motivation to write, record, and release new music...

Coyote Music: Paradoxical Dame. Paradame. I like it! Can you tell us where that came from and what you see as your own personal paradoxes?

Paradame: Paradame has several meanings for me. It originally was a play on the term “paradigm shift”, which I’ve always felt society was in dire need of. My lifelong passion is the paranormal and all things high-strangeness. I’ll always be a spooky kid at heart. The suffix “para” means “beyond” or “beside” so that also speaks to me. I have one foot in this “realm” so to speak, but my mind is always elsewhere. As far as the paradoxical aspect, I have an intense fascination with the occult, witchcraft, and the dark side of the human experience. But I will always side with the light. I can be very easily effected by daily stresses and trivial matters, but have a very universal/spiritual perspective on life. I think life in general is paradox- we are waves and we are particles. I’m just a wacky girl constantly thinking about wacky stuff.

CM: Your partnership with J. Lee Mezus is pretty incredible. There seems like there's a musical chemistry that allows you both to do what you want to do, while also bringing out the best in each other's talents. How did you two begin working together and what's made it continue to work successfully over the years?

Paradame: We met the old fashion way (at a bar) almost 20 years ago and immediately hit it off. He had a studio at the time and I was just starting to write songs. It was very serendipitous- he really understood what I wanted to do and helped me to develop my style over the years. We’ve been together ever since (he’s my husband), so he has a pretty good idea what I like at this point. Our work is very collaborative.

CM: Your videos! They're so well produced and directed. Do you have a dedicated "video team" or have you worked with different directors across your history of video releases?

Paradame: My husband, J. Lee, does all of the filming, directing, and editing for my videos- he’s incredible. More often than not, it’s just the two of us on a video shoot, but I solicit help from friends and family when I need some “characters”. J is also a filmmaker and has been building a solid crew over the last few years, so we hope to get more cinematic with our videos in the future.

CM: Live shows. From your website, it looks like you used to perform live quite a bit but haven't in a few years. Have you made an intentional shift toward recording and releasing music, but not touring? Are there any plans to hit the stage again soon?

Paradame: I have definitely made a conscious decision to prioritize recording and videos. J and I own a business together as well (not music related) and my free time is limited. I’m in my 40’s and have become quite the homebody. I don’t have much interest in being up late at bars/venues or spending my evenings/weekends rehearsing. I would rather spend my free time creating, only when I feel inspired. The politics of the music scene are lame as hell, and I would rather spend time with my husband doing our own thing.

CM: Your AudioDose Records debut was releases in 2011-fifteen years ago! Can you talk about that relationship? Some artists have love/hate relationships with their labels but 15 years is a long time for any relationship. It must continue to be mutually beneficial?

Paradame: AudioDose is my crew. I would never sign to another label. More visibility would be great, but we are genuinely creating for the sake of creating. I gave up on trying to be seen a long time ago. I feel truly blessed that I can record in my personal studio, try different things, throw an idea out for a video last minute and we start packing….everything we do is mutually beneficial because we are a married couple. Our successes are always shared which makes the that much more amazing. Why would I want to trade ultimate freedom of expression to be a slave to more mainstream label?

CM: I'd love to hear about your inspiration. At least on "The Moon Is A Spaceship," your lyrics make some pretty bold societal statements. What is your muse, for lack of a better word, that inspires your songwriting?

Paradame: I read constantly. My inspiration is never-ending because I am always consuming information. It’s an obsession. What is the nature of reality? What is our true history? Where did we come from and where are we going? Non-human entities, parallel dimensions, hidden history, conspiracies, religion, ancient civilizations, politics, technology, philosophy, cryptids…..how can you not be inspired by the mysteries of this world? Only boring people are bored.

I am very passionate about finding the truth. How does the world really work and is there a spiritual battle going on, hidden in plain site? Have we been lied to about literally everything? I think so.

CM: Speaking of songwriting, are you primarily a lyricist or do you also create your songs' melodies and do composition-type work (arrangement, etc.)?

Paradame: I write all of my own songs, from start to finish. J perfects everything and gives me honest feedback, so it’s very much a team effort.

CM: The singles for The Moon Is A Spaceship have been dropping at YouTube videos for several years. What's been the process leading up to this year's release of the full album?

Paradame: I don’t have a process, so to speak. When J feels like making me a beat, he does it. When I feel like writing, I do that. There is no deadline- I hate deadlines. That’s why it take me a bazillion years to make an album, but I feel strongly that making a cohesive album is important and I try to do better each time. I like a nicely polished end-product. I’m not into putting out singles. I’m a bit more traditional, in both my personal and professional life.

CM: Now for the dreaded question. Sure you JUST released this record. But I always like to ask, "What's next?" The album's out--are you working on more videos, planning to tour, or something else?

Paradame: Yes- I will always continue to make albums and videos. They have to be better every time or what’s the point? We were playing around with the idea of different genres- folk or metal maybe. I feel like switching it up a bit.

We are currently working on a film project- a screenplay that I wrote that J is directing. I think film is where we are headed. Scoring a film is something that I am very much looking forward to: a new challenge.

CM: Fantastic! Can't wait to see and hear the film in its final form. Thanks so much for taking the time to share all of this with us and our readers.

As for YOU, you can (and should) check out more about Paradame at paradame.com.