[Courtney Paige Nelson](https://www.instagram.com/courtneypaigenelson/) pours her heart and soul into her music, and you can hear it with each release. Born in San Francisco, California and raised as an only child by a single mother.
At age 17, Courtney was out of the house due to her mother’s own personal struggles. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Courtney had dreams of modelling: standing tall as a 5’6” girl with hunger in her eyes. After working odd jobs and reaching a breaking point, Courtney was scouted for _America’s Next Top Model Cycle 23—_reaching the final round and placing 4th.
Sporting an unconventional path to music, it wasn’t until one decade later at age 27 when Courtney was in Australia that she took off. Making a fun song in the studio, she first rewrote and created a jazz version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.” Suddenly, she realized the poetry she’d been writing for years were actually song lyrics.
Having battled her own bouts of depression and thoughts of suicide, she landed in a treatment center in 2019 for childhood trauma and a tough breakup that ultimately left her looking inward. Suddenly, she found music to be her safe haven. Now, she unleashes her newest song titled “ANDY,” following her last release “Cease & Desist.”
_Flaunt_ caught up with Courtney, who was posted inside, working from home and chillin’. Read below as we discuss her roots in music, new single “ANDY” inspired by her ex, studio essentials, her coffee company, forthcoming debut EP, and more!
**You didn’t start singing until 3 years ago, that’s wild.**
I wrote poetry all my life, but nobody in my family is musical. I didn't know that was even an option for me.
**What sparked this? I'm sure you loved music your entire life.**
What sparked it was a really bad breakup and then a suicide attempt. I checked myself into residential treatment. While I was in there, we have 6, 7 hours of therapy every day. I broke everything down that I was going through. I wrote a song about what happened in my relationship, that became my first single "Sorry, I'm not Perfect.”
**How is music a coping mechanism for you?**
For me, music has been an outlet that I've never had. As humans, we like to talk, but you don't always have that outlet of people or support group to talk to. Music’s become my therapy. It's a way for me to put everything that I'm feeling and thinking into a song, also transfer that so that other people can relate to it and not feel alone.
**What was it like coming up in the Bay Area?**
The Bay Area is so different from LA. Adapting to this city has taken me a little bit longer than most people. I've been here for 6 years, but I only really started to like it about 3 or 4 years ago to be honest.
**New single "ANDY" out now, how are you feeling?**
I feel amazing! That song in itself was therapeutic. I pulled a Taylor Swift moment, because I did write it about somebody I was dating last year that wound up in the pandemic. I named the song after his first name. \[laughs\] You know what, I gotta be honest. I gotta be truthful. This is my truth. I let him know ahead of time because I didn't want it to be a complete shock. It wasn't taken very well, but at least I was honest. “Hey, you never gave me closure. We never talked. You never communicated with me. You ghosted me so I wrote a song about how I felt on my side. I want you to know ahead of time before it's released so you aren't shocked by it."
**So he knows it's about him?**
He knows it's about him. I was very upfront about it. The song’s called "Andy", which is his name. So he knows. \[laughs\]
**Talk about how the song’s a new sound and style for you.**
When I first released music, I was going through a very dark time. It was all the music that I accumulated while I was in treatment. Telling the story of how that whole situation went from "Sorry, I'm not Perfect” which was my breakup, "Saved Myself” which was getting out of treatment, and "Better Now” which was before all of that when I tried to take my own life. It was a dark place for me. I've spent the whole of 2020 transitioning into this new sound and new artist to where I'm trying to create more of an electro pop realm. I spent all of 2020 focusing on who I want to be as an artist, what I want to sound like so I can really hone in on it. The pandemic gave us that opportunity to really know who we are and what we want.
**What is it you want people to get from "Andy"?**
There's always that one breakup song you listen to like “okay, this resonates with me." I want people to listen and feel empowered, empowered to accept it and literally say “fuck you!" I don't need closure, I don't need you to break it down for me. It's okay.
**Your last single "Cease and Desist,” what you were trying to convey in the visual.**
“Cease & Desist” was about a situation I went through where something I worked hard on, got taken for me. As a songwriter, I use it to storytell and tell people how I'm feeling, what I'm going through and what I've been through. I use that opportunity to explain my side of what happened, but in an artistic way.
**3 things you need in the studio?**
Sparkling water, I got my Topo Chico right here. I swear to God, I go through a case of these every two days. A comfy couch to sit there and write. I hate when you go to a studio and everything you sit on is uncomfortable. Fuck, I'm going to be here for hours and my butt hurts. \[laughs\] I love it when the producer that I work with has mood lighting, it changes different colors. I love it because it sets the mood for you really sitting down and songwriting while they make the beat. I'm not a producer, but I'm in there while they're making the song. It's nice to have the mood lighting, sparkling water. \[laughs\] I sound so bougie.
**What's the premise of 28 Coffee Co?**
As an artist, we're usually broke unless we come from money. You have to have different ways to monetize. I've been looking into ways to monetize the whole pandemic to prepare for all the money I'm gonna drop for my EP coming out. I started a coffee company because I love coffee, but don't love how acidic a lot of coffee is. I spent a long time researching coffee that tastes good and doesn't make you feel like you're gonna burp it back up. I started 28 Coffee Co and we got 19 different flavors
**19?!**
19\. We got Cinnabon, Pumpkin Spice… it's so good. I have the Cinnabon always stocked, so good.
**What would you be doing if you weren't doing music?**
That's really hard, because I look back on my life, everything I ever did led up to me doing music. If I look back, I look at all the choices and things that happened, I don't see myself ever doing anything else. I don't know if I ever could. Music’s the only thing that makes sense. It's the only thing that I could wake up every day: I love sending emails, I love reaching out to people. I love writing. I love sitting in the studio for 10 hours, in the dark writing. It takes a certain kind of person to like that.
**What is it you want people to get from your story?**
I've had a pretty crazy life, I've been on my own since I was 17. I haven't really had a voice up until a couple years ago. I was very private. I didn't have a platform. It's super important for me to be able to write things that I've never been able to talk about, or to write things I'm going through and have people relate to it. Especially as a mental health advocate, there's not enough resources out there, even virtual therapy. I do virtual therapy, but that's still $300 a month. A young person who's 18 or 19 years old who might’ve been kicked out like I was, how can they afford that? They need it in order to live. That's where music comes in, music can be some people's therapy. I want to offer to people not to just focus on hard struggles, but I want to make songs that make people happy and they can have fun to.
**What can we expect from your debut EP, coming in May?**
They're all songs I wrote on my own with no co-writer, a huge accomplishment for me. It's a new sound and a whole new vibe. It's a whole world I'm creating. I'm super excited to show people how I've developed over 2020, how much work I put in to making sure I can make it. I want a deal, that's my goal. I've really, really, really fucking busted my ass over 2020 to make some stuff happen.
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