With five releases in his catalog, singer/songwriter Paul Maged dropped his 6th release Crossroads on the 19th of August 2023. An EP with diverse sounds under one concept exploring the crossroads and struggles the individual and society face, and today we’re gonna have a chat with Maged and get to dig deep into his creative mind.
First, we’re happy to have you here with us on Rock Era, hope everything is going great.
- You have a distinctive blues-rock sound with powerful elements. Would you tell us about your early influences? and which ones affected your writing?
Hi Hazem and thank you for having me. My influences growing up were pretty diverse. I was into a lot of classic rock like Zeppelin and The Beatles but also soul music like Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. I think my writing is a mix of all those influences but also punk music and the 90’s grunge scene like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. I also listen to a lot of current music which gets sprinkled in as well.
Review – Crossroads by Paul Maged
- You started playing music at the early age of ten, what’s the instrument that you enjoyed learning the most?
The keyboard is my main instrument. It’s what I learned on and what I write all my music on, even the harder rock riffs I write on the keyboard.
- What made you decide to take music more seriously and turn it into a career?
It wasn’t until after my father suddenly passed away that I was really drawn back into songwriting as a form of expression and therapy. Then I just wanted to keep getting better at it and evolve with it and that turned into a string of album and single releases for me where I feel like I really created and owned my own sound.
- With 6 releases up your sleeves so far, how did your writing evolve throughout those years? and what makes each release stand out among the others?
Lyrically I’ve been pretty consistent with my songwriting. I’ve always felt strong about social issues and expressing how I view the world and also being honest about who I am and what I’m going through personally, navigating this life. I wear my heart on my sleeve, in my music. Musically I think is where the songwriting has evolved the most. I think my current album is the tightest and most melodic and realized piece of work I’ve achieved. I had a concept for these 5 songs and there’s a meaning for everything in the album, every word and note. Even the track list is purposely constructed to tell an entire story.
- How usually does your writing process go?
I usually have something in my head, either a melody or a lyric that won’t go away and if it’s something I really like I record into a voice memo. Then I start fleshing it out on the keyboard. Sometimes they will come to me when I’m sleeping and I wake up with an entire song. Those are the best. Sometimes I start with a concept of what I want to say like “Burn It To The Ground” on the new album and then I build it from there. I knew that would be a good lyric to a chorus and wrote the chorus to the song first. Then I wrote what it was that led up to the ‘Burn It To The Ground’ hook. I decided to lead into it by writing about our progress as a society that some are trying to destroy. So, I’ll have a concept or melody in my head and then I’ll dig into that on the keyboard.
- You released the concept trilogy Light Years Away, The Glass River, and Fight To The Death in 2017, 2018, and 2019 respectively. Will you please tell us more about the main concept binding these three EPs? And what usually comes first in your creative process, the concept or the music writing?
Well, I was originally planning on a full album follow up to “Diamonds & Demons” but I kept writing songs and it was taking a long time and we finally said you know I’m going on way too long without releasing something, so let’s put these out as EP’s and I came up with the idea of a trilogy and a common thread between the three. The first EP “Light Years Away” was about soul searching and trying to stay strong through personal turmoil. It’s slower and more introspective. The 2nd EP was “The Glass River” which is my favorite of the three. It was more socially conscious with songs about gun control and our dying oceans. The title track is about my parents and is one of the best songs musically that I’ve written. The final EP was “Fight To The Death” and that had a rebellious and driving tone, total opposite of Light Years Away, so there was an evolving arc and growth throughout the trilogy. The trilogy was about survival on a personal and societal level and by the end there’s a confidence and a ‘you will not destroy me’ attitude.
As far as what comes first it varies but more often than not, I write the music first and within the music a concept or lyrical phrase will be born out of the feeling that the music invokes.
- Your latest EP Crossroads draws influence from the crossroads you’re at as well as the country’s. How did that reflect on the songs’ writing and lyrics?
Our country has been at a crossroads for a few years now and it’s certainly at a fever pitch. I have felt that personally as well, some of it I think from what we as a people are going through and some from a personal and emotional standpoint. I felt like there was this really cool concept in there where the two are connected and I wanted to dig in to tie that all together. The larger crossroads of our country with my own personal crossroads and this EP was about exploring those two connections. This EP flows seamlessly to me, more than any other album I’ve written.
- How would you describe your sound?
It’s Maged music lol. I don’t think I’m part of any genre. But the genre “rock” would definitely be in there somewhere.
- If you could choose one song from yourcatalog for someone who wants to get into your music, what would it be?
“The Glass River”. It is not a commercial song at all. It has several tempo changes and is close to five minutes but if anyone wants to know anything about me, it’s that song.
- What are your plans for 2023/2024? Are there any live performances lined up?
I don’t have any plans or any performances lined up. I am retired from live performing as it doesn’t give me the same satisfaction as it used to and I’ve been doing it my whole life. Songwriting and recording still interests me but it’s longer and longer now in between releases for me to get back into it. I’m definitely closer to the end than the beginning and that’s why this latest EP is very important to me and I believe my best work.
- Thanks for your time, I wish you the best of luck. Cheers!
Thank you Hazem for your thoughtful questions and your time. Rock on.
