‘Lil Boo Thang’ Singer Paul Russell Went From Working in Finance to Touring with Meghan Trainor in One Year (Exclusive)

Russell’s latest song “Slippin'” featuring Trainor was released on July 12

Paul Russell is here to tell you he’s next.

The 26-year-old musician took the world by storm with his hit single “Lil Boo Thang,” and now the Georgia-Texas native, whose Instagram bio reads “up-and-coming two-hit wonder,” tells PEOPLE he’s just trying to ride the wave.

“I try not to think too much about, ‘Am I going to make another hit?’ Of course I want to keep doing this, that’s why the emerging two-hit wonder is there. But it’s fun and it’s cool to have a fan base now that’s excited about my music and have the opportunity to go to crazy places and do so many fun things. I just enjoy it,” he says.

Russell, who is signed to Arista Records, released his latest single, “Slippin’,” on Friday, July 12. The song features vocals from his new girlfriend Meghan Trainor, with whom he will tour this fall.

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

For Russell, the opportunity to work with Trainor was beyond anything he could have ever imagined.

“It was crazy that I could make something and then say, ‘Oh, I’ll send it to Meghan Trainor and see if she likes it,’ that was pretty crazy,” Russell recalls of the song’s first release with the pop star. “She’s just such a fun person and she’s super welcoming. I’ve met her whole family and they’re all so nice. It’s just been a good relationship. She’s the buddy. The tour is going to be great.”

Before going viral last August, Russell began his musical career performing in church choirs in the Dallas area and even learned to play the ukulele for a girl he had an early crush on.

“As I describe it in this song with Meghan that’s coming out soon, I was definitely always the kid your mom wanted you to date. I’m definitely a parent-accepted person,” he says with a laugh, and preparing to cross the United States with a megastar like Trainor is a completely different situation than the one Russell found himself in just a year ago.

“Music was a hobby of mine, and when I look back, I think I’ve been making and releasing music for a few years now. But I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God, I’m trying to become the greatest musician in the world.’ It was just like, it’s fun,” he says.

In fact, it was that fun sentiment that led Russell to tease the chorus of viral sensation “Lil Boo Thang” on social media in the first place. Before the song’s global success, Russell worked in the finance department of a technology company, something he “wanted to do forever.”

“I’ve been working in Excel! So yeah, it’s cool. It’s weird. And after doing the music thing, I’m so glad I’m not working at a desk anymore,” Russell admits.

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He adds, “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,'” Russell says. “It’s not something you can really plan. 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.”

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