A Singer Reborn
an interview with Paula Cole
by Craig Marquardo

A long time ago Paula Cole saved radio. The grunge scene just started to hit, and the only other music being played in America was not pretty. So I, like many others, tuned out radio and resorted to our personal cassette collections. Then came ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone’, and the song that would eventually go on to be the theme song to the hit TV show, Dawson’s Creek, ‘I Don’t Wanna Wait’.

Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morrisette were the female saviors of radio that brought normalcy and talent back to the pop music scene. But Paula was different. Each of these artists had their own special style of music, their own ‘brand’, an identity that was exclusively their own. Every time Paula Cole had a hit song, it was vastly different from the last one.

Her uber-sultry song ‘Feeling Love’ was used in the sex scene between Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage in ‘City Of Angels’. It is a breathy, naughty, and sometimes outright dirty song that, according to Paula, tells of a sensual experience from a woman’s perspective. Since then, it has been used many times to ‘set the mood’.

But then she disappeared. At the height of her fame Paula Cole stopped making music. It was partly due to a disagreement with her label, Warner Brothers. But it was also due to being a new Mom to a very sick child. So she chose motherhood over fame and fortune.

She is now divorced, a single Mom, and embracing a newfound passion for her music. Her tour will bring her to Portland, and she couldn’t be happier to share it with old and new fans alike. Her new record ‘Courage’ is a stunning piece of work. It’s not as angst-ridden or eclectic as her previous work, and that’s not a bad thing – not at all.

She is admittedly a very shy introvert, so we appreciated the near hour she was able to give us for the interview. Once I was able to stop flirting, we got to discuss some very personal issues about her life and her music.

MS – Where have you been for the last eight years?

Paula – Gosh, I had to leave my career behind because I felt inauthentic. I didn’t feel comfortable in the spotlight. Then I had a baby, and she was very sick and at risk. Being a celebrity just wasn’t where I needed to be anymore.

MS – Clearly it all took a toll. And then there was a divorce.

Paula – Yes, I am finally divorced after a two year nightmare. It took so much out of my life, just to get free. Getting to where I am at hasn’t been easy. Taking care of my daughter, getting out of the marriage, and back then getting out of the my record deal, it was a long road. There have been times I thought about doing something, but I just haven’t been able to work as much as I would like.

MS – So how are you now able to be Mom AND be ‘Paula Cole’?

Paula – There’s a really great thing called Grandma and Grandpa. (laughs) I’m a single Mom who is trying to make it work. I have such a profound respect for my parents all of the sudden. I need help, and I need family. It’s humbling, but it has put me in a better place in my life now.

MS – And where is that place for you?

Paula – When I had my ‘moment’, I hated the loss of anonymity. I’m such an introverted private person, so the attention was difficult. I got my ass kicked so hard in the last seven years that now I know that the people coming to see my shows are sincere, and real fans.

MS – So what do you find your inspirations now?

Paula – In music, I look for honesty. I started as a jazz singer, grew up in the real book. My ex-husband was an African from Morocco, and I have a mixed daughter. I tend to be drawn to things different
from myself.

MS – Being in your new ‘Mom’-mindset, do you still play your more overtly sexual or songs where you scream?

Paula – I did ‘Feelin Love’ over the weekend for the first time in years, and it just felt so good. I mean, my boobs may be different, but I still have my libido, my passions. I still have myself. And it’s not such a scream, silly. It’s more like a high F, sung with passion. Where else can you express that kind of emotion safely and constructively?

MS – What will make this second go-round a success for you, by your own measure?

Paula – I have my music. I don’t judge my success by money or album sales, because none of that can make you happy. My joys come in smaller and more direct packages. I mean, I know I need a certain number of people to come see the shows, you can’t perform in a vacuum, you don’t want to sing to no one. But it is important to find your happiness in things more directly personal to you. That’s the way it has always been for me. This time around, it is about bringing me and my fans back together again, rekindling our little relationship.

Paula Cole plays the Aladdin Theater on June 5th. Her new album ‘Courage’ is on sale now.