“I try not to think too much about life”: Paul Russell on his journey from financier to touring singer

26-year-old musician Paul Russell has garnered major attention and catapulted himself into the spotlight with his hit single “Lil Boo Thang.” According to PEOPLE, the Georgia native, who now lives in Texas, describes himself as an “up-and-coming two-hit wonder” in his Instagram bio, suggesting he wants to maintain his success.

Russell shared that he’s not too hung up on trying to copy another hit. He’s focused on enjoying the ride and appreciating the support of his growing fan base. He says, “But it’s fun and it’s cool to now have a fan base of people who are into my music and have the opportunity to go to crazy places and do so many fun things. I’m just enjoying it.”

New music and collaboration

Paul Russell recently released his latest single titled Slippin’ on July 12th of this year on Arista Records, which features Meghan Trainor on vocals. He will also be joining Trainor on her Timeless Tour this fall.

The Timeless Tour begins September 4 at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, followed by stops in cities such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, Toronto and Phoenix before concluding October 19 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

Reflecting on his collaboration with Meghan Trainor, Russell described it as an unexpected and surreal opportunity. He expressed his disbelief at being able to create something and just send it to Trainor, saying, “Oh, let me send it to Meghan Trainor and see if she likes it.”

Russell also had high praise for Trainor, saying she was a fun and friendly person. He also had the opportunity to meet her family, who were also very nice. He said, “It’s just been a good relationship. She’s the best friend. The tour is going to be great.”

Viral fame gives rise to a church choir

Before Russell rose to viral fame in August of last year, he began his musical career by performing in the church choir in the Dallas area. He even learned to play the ukulele as a gesture for a girl he liked. Laughing, he mentioned that, as he describes in the upcoming song with Meghan, he was always the boy that mothers wanted to take their kids on dates with and he is definitely a parent-approved person.

He mentioned that music had been a hobby of his, and when he looked back, he realized that he had been making and releasing music for a number of years. However, he clarified that he wasn’t out to become the greatest musician in the world; it was just something he enjoyed.

Still, it was this excitement that led Russell to mock the chorus of a viral song called Lil Boo Thang on social media. Before his music’s global success, Russell had worked as a finance clerk for a technology company and believed this was his forever career.

Russell was honest about working with Excel and finding it cool but weird. He expressed his relief and joy at not working at a desk anymore after his music career.

He continues, “When ‘Lil Boo Thang’ came out, I think that was the first time in my life that I was like, ‘You know what? I think I want to be a musician.’ You can’t really plan something like that. I just had to keep doing stuff and if the opportunity came up, I would love it, but I never imagined that I would do this as my actual career. It all just happened. It’s the dream.”