Paris From Tokyo is a producer/multi-instrumentalist from Detroit who is part of the exciting new wave of musical talent coming from the city. His latest singles "Granite" and "Agoraphobia" both dropped within the last week and were accompanied with stellar music videos. We had the pleasure of speaking to Paris about both his music and his life. Enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/parisfromtokyo/
https://linktr.ee/parisfromtokyo/
Remove Records: Thank you for doing this interview! Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
Paris: First off, thanks for having me! i love interviews and i don’t get to do a bunch of em. Second, I’m 21 years old, i’ve been making music since i was 13 and since then i’ve taught myself how to do everything i do now as far as art and what not
Where does the name Paris From Tokyo come from?
the name Paris From Tokyo came about when i was 15. i got it from the Lupe Fiasco song Paris, Tokyo and i just added a “from” lol. it’s really stupid in retrospect but it stuck and everyone pretty much refers to me as paris now so i just kinda roll with it
What do you hope people take away from listening to your music?
this is a hard question lol. i’ve made a lot of different stuff with varied intentions for all of it but i think above all else, i want people to walk away from my music feeling closer to me as a person. i put a lot of myself into everything i make. my hopes, my dreams, my fears and my general disposition toward the world all laid out on the table for the world to see and if they relate, that’s awesome but it’s more-so cathartic for me.
What have you been listening to lately?
it’s been a real mixed bag lately haha. i’ve been getting into a lot of older stuff like Tom Tom Club, Elliott Smith, a bunch of shoegaze stuff like my bloody valentine and cocteau twins, curren$y, jpegmafia, dorothy ashby, p funk. the list just goes on and on
Who are some people from Detroit that you think more people should be listening to?
Mykel Andre, Ziggy Waters, Kaio, Srch Engn, and plenty others that don’t come to mind off the top but they know i love them <3
What are some of your favorite venues in Detroit?
My favorite venues that i’ve performed at in the city were personally Trumbullplex and The Loving Touch
If you could collaborate with one artist/musician, who would it be?
this is a tough one too lol. i’d say it’s a tie between Chaz Bundick & Thom Yorke
What are you working on next?
many different things at once haha. i have a rap project called Agoraphobia produced by the brilliant Cam Spacely coming at the end of the year and something else that i can’t talk too much about. Agoraphobia is cool because i don’t usually let a lot of people produce songs for me let alone an entire project but i trust Cam a lot.
How do you feel about the future of art/music?
i feel like the future in that regard is in good hands. there are so many brilliant minds with interesting stories just waiting to be told and art itself is becoming so accessible that it’s gonna be impossible to ignore them.
