Peyton: H-Town Legend
We’ve been listening to Peyton for years. And for years, we’ve been so impressed with her mature and inventive sound, her expansive knowledge of music, and her genuine nature. Her sound is characteristically Houston, caught between a nostalgic disposition and cutting-edge experimentation. She sings in love letters, in special secrets, in a way that’s cool and sincere all at the same time.
Peyton’s relationship to music surpasses genre. The great intangible thing that moves you when you listen to good music? That’s what she seeks. She can bless your feed with music recs from all different eras, styles, and places.
Some of our staff picks include “Verbs” and “Tell Me”. Her songs, “Sweet Honey” and “Lifeline” have also been featured on Insecure. Plus her latest single, “Swag” (available on all streaming platforms) is a hit. Yes, she’s pretty awesome. Yes, we’re her biggest fans.
How have you practiced self-care in quarantine? What have you learned about yourself?
I would just say I’ve learned to give myself some slack. I think a lot of people deal with that, I guess because we’re in an age where we’re moving so quickly and we’re involved in so many things. It’s just taught me to slow down a bit. I’ve just learned to relax a bit and take time. There’s no need to rush.
What’s your own favorite song?
I’m making some of my favorite music right now. Released? I really like the song I did with Chase called “Shine”. Pink Destiny. Also, “Verbs” is a good one. People like that one. I was finally able to put it on all streaming platforms, which is awesome.
I was hype when you put out Roller Coaster and “Verbs”.
Yes, I finally own the masters to both of those projects.
What are some of your non-musical inspirations?
Cooking. For sure. I like alot of stuff. Fashion. Those are the top things that inspire me. Just because they are both their own worlds. You know, when you look good, you feel good. That inspires me, too. Whatever you’re wearing can influence your mood or even your day!
What are three words you would use to describe your music?
I would say down-to-earth, timeless, and sweet.
Sweet! I love that. I also notice that you listen to lots of different genres, eras.
Yeah, I be posting a lot of shit on IG. I’m always getting messages about it, like, “oh you put me onto this song”, or, “damn that’s crazy, I grew up with this”. It’s really cool to have those conversations. I’m grateful I do have the taste that I do. I just give all the thanks to my upbringing, really, and all the environments I was in. That’s another reason why I love Houston so much cause it’s such a melting pot. That’s the only reason my taste is the way it is. Learned from so many different cultures. It was inevitable.
Houston, there’s a respect for our musical history. I was wondering if you thought that Houston has a sound? How would you describe the music scene here?
Yeah, it’s so funny because a lot of great artists in all different fields came from Houston. When you think of the Houston scene, surface level, you think of screw music, and now Travis Scott. People think that’s the Houston sound. I just feel like since it is a melting pot of culture, we just have a universal sound. That’s why I can connect with someone from South Africa. I don’t know how to explain it, we’re just on another plane.
So if you had to describe your music taste in three words?
Ahhhh… I don’t know. Honest. Classic. I really like classic sounds. And it’s funny because you meet certain people and they think you listen to a certain thing or that you wouldn’t like a certain thing and are surprised when you do. But when I listen to stuff, I don’t listen with a bias. I actually give things a chance, open mind, open ears.
I listen for something that gives me an unworldly feeling, almost spiritual. And it doesn’t have to be a certain genre. You can find that in anything. Classical music, hip hop… anything. If they are tapped in, you feel it.
How do you respond to people that make assumptions about your music?
I just tell them: “That’s interesting” (laughs). Sometimes we make assumptions about people. I don’t reveal a lot about myself online. And so when people make assumptions…”Oh ok. That’s interesting”.
You’ve brought up social media a couple of times. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about. Do you feel like social media affects your artistry? Do you feel like there’s a challenge being an artist in the social media age?
I feel like everyone feels the pressure of that. It wasn’t always that deep for me, although I can be a bit obsessive. Sometimes if you look too deep into it and ask why someone has certain opportunities and you don’t…you know. Why do people like this and it’s not even that cool? Whatever. (laughs) You can stress yourself out because once you come down to it, we’re all on different paths. We’re always comparing ourselves to others. Luckily, my whole life I’ve always felt that I needed to be myself. I try to be uplifting to others even if I don’t get the same back.
Do you ever feel disconnected from generation? Because you listen to all different music. And the stuff that’s popping on social media sometimes fits a mold.
I feel connected to my generation. We just live in explosive ass, technology-driven, ego-driven times. It’s not all negative. There’s some good people. There’s some great, genuine people out there. I’m not like dang, I wish I grew up in the 90s. I have noticed a lot of people are waking up. I’m really lucky I have friends my age that are like-minded. People like that just make you happy to be alive.
We knew each other back in the day. High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. How do you think you’ve changed since then?
I dealt with a lot of social anxiety my whole life. At this point, I am way better. When I was performing in high school, I didn’t give it my all. I guess because I was scared that I was being seen for who I was. But that’s all of what art is about, being vulnerable. I guess I didn’t want to be vulnerable fully with anyone. Especially with music because it was always a solace for me and it was private, in a sense. I was involved in a lot of ensembles and things, but I felt safe because I was hidden. When it was just me, I didn’t want to give my all. Or I did, but I crippled myself. And then after, I would be like WHY DID I DO THAT?
How do you overcome that?
I’m not perfect. It’s something I always have to think about. I just think about people I admire. When you half-do it, you get half the hype or whatever. It’s not as good. I’ve been finding that balance between maintaining my cool and being full-out. But yeah, I just had really crippling anxiety. When I was a kid, I did not want to be looked at when I was walking down the hallways. I would hide. I just did not want to be seen. It was crazy. I think it was my eighth grade year where I said I want to fight against this because I just can’t live my life like this. I want to move someone with my talent. And I felt like I needed to make a change. It’s still a work in progress.
Do you have any advice for independent, upcoming artists?
It’s gonna sound really basic, but (laughs) don’t lose sight of yourself. Go back to the things that first inspired you, the things you’ve always loved. The most important thing is to always be yourself. For the most part, I’ve been myself even when it was not acceptable to many people or I got picked on or whatever. The simplest things are the biggest lessons that we need to instill.