Adam Paddock is a rare breed of pop vocalist in today’s day and age. He began as an instrumentalist, playing brass and guitar throughout high school, before falling in love with singing after joining a show choir. He’d go on to create his sound as a solo artist based on the contemporary pop melodies and songwriting styles of the artists he admired most and the live instrumentation, big-band style of musicianship he was used to previously. He combines the pop and big band with a little blue-eyed soul, and the results are staggering.
“I think I am a better vocalist than a musician now,” said Paddock. “I’ve just had a lot of experiences that have instilled a lot of confidence in me, and opportunities that have shown me that this is where I’m meant to be.” It all started when he joined that show choir, when he almost immediately became the Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss’ character on “Glee”) of the club, serving as the group’s main soloist. Ranked second best in the nation, Paddock’s group was not just a leisurely after-school hobby. “I kind of stumbled into something that was already great,” he said. “They helped me become better. I’ve had a lot of people lobby for me and believe in me. They believed in me because of potential that I had versus what I did in the moment. The product of where I am right now, which is, even still, not that big, is so much further because of those people seeing more in me.”
Paddock’s earliest inspiration was none other than Frank Sinatra. Sinatra was a crooner, a master of live performance who never needed fancy tricks or smoke and mirrors to make an impact. He, along with Elvis, Barbra Streisand, and The Beatles, to name a few, were the epitome of what “pop” music was back then. Today, the definition of pop has expanded beyond imagination. Paddock now looks to artists such as Jeremy Zucker, Blake Rose, and Ben Platt for inspiration. “I am such as lover of modern pop,” he said. “I listen to a lot of indie pop, indie alt, alt itself… I also grew up on worship music, so that definitely shaped some of the ethereal sounds, the atmospheric stuff you hear in my music.” His love for worship and Sinatra bleeds over into his ability to craft and curate live performances, many of which include a live band. “It’s so much fun to show off true craftsmanship with the entire band,” he said. “They are as big a part of my live shows as I am.” He gives them permission to engage with the crowd as much as possible, so everyone is feeding off each other’s energy. It is a formula that has allowed for so much growth in such a short amount of time.
While some young artists tend to beat you over the head with “Yeah man, the grind never stops!!” or other statements in a similar vein, Paddock maintains a passionate yet grounded demeanor, despite a quick ascension in stature. While he enjoys the notoriety and the opportunities he has been given, he realizes that this is all about much more than just him. “I think I have a good skill to build a community quickly,” he said. “Whether it be with a new group or with one that I’ve fostered, which I’ve seen more of in my headline shows. It’s like, ‘Wow. People here love each other and I’m the only common denominator. Now, at this point, for some people, they come to my shows secondarily to see me. They come to see the other people at Adam Paddock shows.”
Expanding on that, he explains what he views as his brand, his mantra: “people are the point.” “I think that is the most appealing part about me as an artist,” he said. “During every show, I take 90 seconds to say, ‘Alright, you guys all have one common denominator. It’s me. Make friends, go say hi to someone you don’t know. That way, at the next Adam Paddock show, we can all have an even better time.’ Those 90 seconds turn the tide. Like, completely. As soon as I do that, even if I’m opening for someone and have maybe half the crowd, people see other people rocking with Adam Paddock and then they just want to be a part of it. ‘people are the point’ just breaks down to lifelong connections.” He has doubled down on this idea of connecting, explaining how he puts his money where his mouth is. “Anyone who has ever been to one of my shows… I have their number, their email address, I have everything,” he said. “And they’re not on a text list. No, no, no. I text everyone individually after every show. It’s a lot of work, but it works. I want to show them, ‘I care about you. I care that you are there. You’ve taken the time to come see me, I’ll take 30 seconds to send you a text and say thank you.”
Paddock recently made the move from Columbus, OH to Nashville, TN, but makes frequent trips back to Ohio to play shows. While Columbus may not be as big of a market as New York or Los Angeles, Paddock has taken the city by the horns and established himself as one of its premier acts. “I think the key to building community in a city where music isn’t THE thing is making music THE thing for me, and then finding ways to have it connect with people,” he said. “Just because it’s not a ‘music city’ doesn’t mean that people aren’t having these exact shared experiences of the music that you’re writing about. I think the bedrock has to be fantastic music, but if you build a community on grounds that are greater than yourself, they will come.”
Despite believing his purpose as an artist is to be able to bring people together, Paddock’s love for the music itself is evident. “I don’t process my emotions well unless I’m doing it through music,” he said, candidly. “It’s like, ‘Oh, God, I need this.’ I didn’t know that I needed it for all these years, but now that I found it, there’s no other way. If no one was listening to my music, I’d still be making it.” He recently opened for pop mainstay Jake Miller and rising star Anna Vaus, and walked away with some valuable lessons. “I learned to prioritize everyone who walks in the door, especially if they walk in before doors open,” he said, acknowledging the many, many people that make live shows happen. “I also learned to never get a big head. Jake doesn’t have one, and I think that’s the reason why he’s still doing it.”
When asked where he wanted to take his music career on a long-term level, his answer was quick and poignant. “I want to be playing shows till I physically can’t,” he said. “I want to be like Phil Collins singing in a wheelchair at 80 years old. I want to be playing big shows with people that I love and a community I’ve fostered. I just want to keep releasing music and seeing how it shapes me, and seeing how it shapes others.
Follow Adam on his social media: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube // Tik Tok // Website
