Photo by Alexandra Gavillet
[PAYDAY](https://www.instagram.com/everyonelovespayday/) can’t be stopped. The 17-year old rapper/singer has been making music before she could even see PG-13 movies without a parent. Several years since the start of her music journey, PAYDAY has amassed a cult following, and it’s well deserved.
Her genre-defying sound and lyrics make her a name to remember. It’s hard to put into words how her music sounds, as each track and project of hers is so uniquely it’s own, so you’ll have to listen for yourself. Within the numerous songs she’s put out over the past few years, it’s impossible to not find something that you’re bobbing your head to, thrashing around your bedroom to, or mouthing the words to.
Today the newest addition to her P.U.K.E Tape series is available to stream. Themes of women empowerment and toxic masculinity are explored throughout the EP. To accompany the four track project are three new in-your-face music videos.
Read our conversation with PAYDAY and check out some of the tracks from the EP below!
* * *
**Tell me how you became PAYDAY and where your relationship with music started?**
I feel like since I was little I always wanted to be like a rock star and shit. Just famous and shit, just because Hannah Montana and all the shit I would watch on TV and stuff. So I always wanted that. But when I started making music, I feel like I really started to realize this could happen, like it's not just the dream.
**How old were you when you started making music?**
I was like 12 or 13, because I remember being in sixth grade. So like 12 or 13 was when I first started making music.
**How did you end up landing on the name PAYDAY?**
I mean, everyone loves payday. It's like the best day of the week. Everyone loves getting money, getting paid. So, I just want to be loved by everybody. Just want to be a part of that. You know?
**Did you have a plan when you first started making music back in sixth grade to have a stage name? Or did you ever consider going by like your actual name?**
I really don't like my name. I don't even go by my name. Normally I go by PJ. So I just hate my name. So no, I would never want to do that. I like PAYDAY better anyways, it's not even that different from my name, but it's just like, cool. You know what I mean? It's only a three letter difference. My name is Payton. But yeah, I don't think I’d ever go by that. Who gives a shit? It's not fun, you know?
**So you blend a lot of genres in your music. How would you describe your music and your sound to someone who has yet to listen to you?**
I would say there's something in there for everyone. Because I have so many different songs that are completely different vibes that there's definitely something in there for everyone. So like, you can't say you hate me unless you listen to it all.
**How has your sound changed from back when you were in sixth-grade and 12 and you started making music?**
Confidence, definitely. Because I feel like you can listen to the old songs and hear that the confidence wasn't all there yet. And my delivery wasn't as good. Like, it wasn't as on beat or as loud and confident. And obviously, the production value is way better now, because I was recording on my laptop. But yeah, I would say the biggest thing would be confidence.
**How did you build up the confidence, was it just getting older?**
Yeah, just getting older and just realizing nothing matters. There's no point in trying to impress people. So just be yourself and have fun. I've always been myself, but I feel like over time I realized more and more like it really doesn't matter.
**Who would you say some of the biggest influences on your sound and your music?**
I would say Tyler definitely, just because I liked how in a lot of his songs it felt like he was rapping through character more than himself and I like that. I kind of adopted that a little bit early on with some of my weirder songs that aren't—they're not public anymore, but they used to be really weird. So that definitely and also I listened to a lot of emo shit so like the sad songs, just like the lyrics and all that shit definitely inspired by Paramore and My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco, those kinds of things.
**Who would be your dream person to collaborate with? Would it be Tyler or any of those people?**
Lil Uzi Vert. I forgot to mention that. I love Lil Uzi Vert so much.
**What do you think of the diamond that he put on his forehead?**
I love it. I think it's so fire honestly. I'm pretty sure he said it cost like, how much did it cost? Like 40 million or something ridiculous. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it didn't cost as much as they're like saying it costs, but I don't even care, I think it's so fire and it's honestly like, you know, you have a net worth. That's like the money you've made in your life, or whatever, the money you've grossed, his net worth is literally like a physical number, because he has that shit. You know what I mean? It's just stupid \[laughs\].
Anyways, I like him a lot and that's fire. I wouldn't say my music is inspired by him at all. I don't take inspiration from him for music but I just love him in general and I love his music and I’d want to collab with him one day.
**I want to talk about your next project that's coming out, _P.U.K.E Tapes Vol. 3_, what can listeners expect to see from that?**
P.U.K.E Tapes Vol. 3, I think it's the best tape yet. It's got the most opposite end mixtures, like we got Big Boy, we got Dolphin, Meow God, and Cry are all completely different. None of them have anything in common. Even just as far as instrumental—the vocals, they're all completely different. So this one is the best, because there's going to be something for everyone in there, I feel like even though it’s just four songs.
**Do you think you're going to have a favorite song off of it to perform hopefully later this year?**
Yeah, definitely. I love Big Boy and everything but performing it is really hard. Just from doing a music video and doing a little video thing we did for SoundCloud, the thing where I was performing, it was really hard. There's so much words, I can do it, but it looks like I'm having an asthma attack towards the end. I think Meow God is gonna be my favorite to perform, because it doesn't have a ton of words and it's just like a vibe. It's chill, but it's fun.
**What would be your dream like gig or event to play?**
It's hard to think about that, just because of everything going on. But I want to perform at The Crocodile in Seattle. Just because I'm from Seattle, I’m not really from there, but I'm from there. I really want to perform there.
**Where’d you get inspired to write Big Boy?**
Big Boy is basically a big fuck you to everyone that hates. It's like, be self aware before you hate. You know what I mean? Like think, think about yourself and how you're doing, how you are in your life before you start shitting on other people, you know what I mean? That's like the whole point of Big Boy pretty much.
**Do you have a favorite lyric from it?**
‘Calling me a loser like I never really got far. Your whole crew got more pigs than a cop car.’ My favorite one. Just because some people just suck. It's literally most of the people that hate are the people that are homophobic and racist and like gross and terrible. Those were most of the people that hate it's like, look at yourself, you suck.
**If you could give a message to those haters what would it be?**
Get fucked \*laughs.\* I don't know. Take a look at yourself before you start judging other people.
**How do you come up with your music video ideas?**
I feel like for the videos, I just listen to the song, me and the team, the boys, the gang, everybody, we listen to the song and you figure out the vibe from there on. If it was a slow sad song we might do a little animated video or a stop motion video, like ‘Guts’ or ‘Molang’. But if it's a really high energy crazy, we're like I need to be in this. If it's gonna be crazy like ‘Dolphin’ and I just wanted the crazy visual to match the crazy audio. It's just matching an image to a sound I feel like most of it.
**I read a quote from you and I don't remember exactly how it went, but it was something like, ‘I don't want to be your favorite female rapper. I want to be your favorite rapper.’ Do you have a message to any young girls who want to get into rap but are maybe intimidated?**
My biggest tip would be don't ever mention the fact that you're a girl. Don't, just don't even bring it up. Just go into it full full force. Put yourself all the way out there. Just don't even mention it, just go right into it. Because people, that's all they'll have to say about you.
**What are your goals for the rest of 2021?**
I really want to do a Genius interview. I know it's big because I don't know when they're doing them in person just because I know COVID and shit, but I really want to do a real genius interview. I've always wanted to do one of those.
**Can we expect more projects or albums to come out of this year?**
Of course, there's always gonna be new shit. Can't stop now.
.jpg)
