Jules Paymer
Artist, Songwriter
“No one was writing about these topics,” says Jules. “I wasn’t able to find the artists or songs that I needed when I was discovering these new truths about myself. Growing up, the only artists I could look to were confusing to me; they were flamboyant caricatures. I thought I was alone with my sadness because they didn’t show me theirs.”
At the age of 7, Jules Paymer (they/them) found their love for music playing bass in a garage band in their hometown of Los Angeles, CA, alongside Lydia Night, the future star of “The Regrettes”. They soon learned guitar and piano, and by age 9, they were writing full songs. After finishing high school in LA, Jules moved to Nashville to hone their craft in a city they call ‘Songwriting Bootcamp’. They emerged with bold, lyric-heavy songs with powerful themes and concepts exploring the world through new eyes.
Coming out in 2018 at the age of 18, first to their friends, Jules wrestled with the nature of explaining their ‘status’ to their family. “Relationships and sex are difficult enough to speak about with family, let alone your preferences on those matters. I kept thinking, ‘Do I really have to make an announcement?’”
“So much of being an artist is about convincing people to listen to what you have to say, but I had to be honest with myself before I could be honest with the world. Coming out gave me the opportunity to fully embrace myself and my voice as a human, as an artist, and to write the songs I wish I’d heard growing up.”
Jules’ early releases caught the attention of Spotify curators, landing placements on Spotify's New Music Friday, SALT, Fresh Dance Pop, and Young & Free playlists, as well as catching the attention of artists, producers, songwriters, and industry insiders alike.
Settling back in Los Angeles in the summer of 2022, Jules turned their attention to making friends, writing songs, and exploring their unique perspective through the prism of the modern music industry. Their original songs and song flips caught traction on social media, piquing the interest of artists including Fletcher, Noah Kahan, Joshua Bassett, and Royal and The Serpent. “Past Life,” a song about an ex who refused to acknowledge Jules’ pronouns after they came out as non-binary, sparked contentious debate online, making Jules a target for both praise and hate speech.
“Hate comments don’t bother me. I’ve got a lot saying ‘you’re going to hell,’ ‘you are lying to yourself,’ or ‘you’re a girl.’ Those I can deal with. But I’ve never gotten a comment saying ‘this is a shitty song,’ and that’s how I know I’m doing something right.”
Jules kicks off their 2023 releases with “The Daughter That My Mother Wanted,” a collaboration with Miki Ratsula, on April 21st, followed by singles “Mommy Issues” and “Girls Will Be Boys,” culminating in a 5-track debut EP in June.
