Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Paper Idol

Paper Idol is the brainchild of Matan KG. The Milwaukee native is redefining the indie electro-pop scene with a trademark sound that can best be described as “fantastic.” A few years back, he made the trek to Los Angeles to pursue his musical dreams and put his unique stamp on the industry. He’s received praise from publications such as Earbuddy, Beats Per Minute, Grimy Goods, and Under the Radar and solidified his place as an artist to watch in 2020. Today, he releases Money for Flowers, the perfect introduction to his latest project. Listen to the EP below, and read our exclusive interview with Matan!

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Paper Idol: I grew up in a musical family. My father is a musician. He was basically a rock-and-roller in the seventies and eighties. Then he turned to world music and started playing a bunch of multicultural world music events. He was playing a lot of African, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and South American music. He fell in love with world music. Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by the craziest array of stuff from sixties, seventies classic rock to Egyptian music to Brazilian music—pretty much everything. That’s how it started. I picked up a lot from my dad. He was really involved.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Paper Idol: Good question. I would definitely have to say my dad’s probably the biggest musical influence that I’ve had. I was really lucky to have him as my mentor and teacher. I play guitar, bass, drums—all that stuff. He learned it and then passed it on to me at an early age.

PC: You were part of a group, the Double Twins. What was the biggest lesson you learned from that experience that you’ve been able to apply to this next chapter in your career?
Paper Idol: The Double Twins was the first iteration of this project. It was my dance-punk band in college. This project is a continuation of that. It’s not too different, but I learned a lot. I had to balance being a producer, making my own music, recording almost everything, and then playing with the band. It was an incredible, fun challenge.

When we were starting off, I would make a song in my bedroom. Then if it was a drum track, we would say, “You’re going to play this. The drummer is going to play this.” Then take another track out that was the synth and say, “Okay, the synth player is going to play this part.” It worked out pretty well because the Double Twins as a band had a really fun live energy playing these electronic beats from my computer. It worked out well, and I definitely learned a lot.

The live show is much more in depth now. The other half of Paper Idol is Adam Rochelle, and he’s our synth player. He’s taken it to a completely different level of almost to a science of tearing these tracks apart and trying to represent them live in a really fun and interesting way. That’s one of the things I took away.

PC: You have a new single out now. Tell us about “Ready For Love” and the inspiration behind the song.
Paper Idol: My manager at the time asked me to write ten songs in ten days. We’d just started working together. He said, “All right, I want you to write ten songs in ten days, no excuses.” At first, I was pissed off. I was like, “I can’t. I don’t want to do that. It’s impossible.” I got in the studio and the first thing that came out was “Ready for Love.”

I wanted to go with something that’s chill, loungey, and sort of French. I’m very inspired by French music, and there’s even a French woman speaking in the beginning of the song. I love that loungey French vibe. So I was going for that. It flowed out. I was thinking about relationships and the different expectations in relationships. That’s really interesting to me: how two people come together and it can work really well. But it’s also about finding a balance of keeping yourself as a person intact and not falling too deep into something. I won’t get too specific to protect anonymity, but that’s how the song came about.

PC: You’ve got an upcoming EP coming out. What can fans expect from Money For Flowers?
Paper Idol: Money for Flowers is a great introduction to this project. Musically, I try to really hone in on a certain sound or have a pallet of instruments that are mine. It’s kitschy-sounding drums and playful synths. The EP is a nice package that brings all that together. Philosophically, it’s my perspective of the world with a tongue-in-cheek apathy—a certain playfulness with the darkest things in life. The songs are tied together by that. At the same time, there’s a wide array of genres that I touch on. “Money for Flowers” is a rock song. Then there are a couple of city pop electro. It bounces around a bit. So I definitely don’t stick to one genre.

PC: If you had to pick one song off of the album that best encompasses who you are as an artist, what would it be and why?
Paper Idol: Good question. I think I have to say “I’m Fantastic.” It encapsulates the character of Paper Idol, lyrically. The other reason is because it’s that sort of in-your-face genre smashing that I love, starting off with a Fatboy Slim hip-hop beat and giving people a really hard French electro breakdown. To me, that song is great because by the time you get to the chorus, you either turn it off because you hate it or you keep listening. If you keep listening, that means you’re a Paper Idol fan. It’s like the litmus test for this project.

PC: With this being your first EP with this new project, what’s been the biggest takeaway?
Paper Idol: That’s a good question. Every project that I do, I want to be more interesting artistically in every aspect: the visual, the album art, the music video, the songs. This is my first splash in that realm. But I think great artists have a way of combining all that together.

I think that this project does that well. I think the biggest takeaway was how far am I willing to go to make this entire work of art cohesive. From the visual aspects of the video to the music, that’s what I want to test myself on. Not how can I mix it cleaner.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Paper Idol: That’s such a good question. I love that. There are a couple. There’s a Papa Roach song that I was really impressed with: “Last Resort.” I went through a phase with that song. I was listening on repeat because it’s so good. It’s such a genre that I don’t know anything about, and even my friends were surprised that I’d never heard it. Falling in love with that song, I realized that I’m attracted to well-done stuff. I don’t care too much about the genre. I love folk music, I love future bass, and everything in between.

PC: First album you bought?
Paper Idol: Oh, great question. I think it was The Very Best Of Cream. Here’s the full story. I went to Borders bookstore and went into the album section. My dad got me three records. They were all compilations. It was like Best of Dylan, The Very Best of Cream, and Best of Led Zeppelin. I got those three that day. That’s what I lived on for that year.

PC: First concert you attended?
Paper Idol: First concert I ever attended was Britney Spears in a stadium in Milwaukee. Somehow a friend of ours had front row tickets so I had a front-row concert experience at Britney Spears. That was my very first concert.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Paper Idol: Oh, wow. That’s actually an easy one. Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was obsessed with this album. I learned every part of every song on any instrument that I could find. I was obsessed. That to me is such an incredible achievement. No small part to Rick Rubin, who is one of my favorite producers. That’s when I started getting into Rick Rubin. You listen to the Chili Peppers before that album and then after, and that was the peak combination of production, sexual energy, and songwriting. It is pinnacle to me. It changed my life.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Paper Idol: Red Rocks

PC: A must-have on the road?
Paper Idol: That’s another good question. I guess t-shirts. T-shirts are good. At our last show, we almost had no merch. I was going to order a bunch of t-shirts and it was too late to order the batch that I wanted. Adam, my bandmate, was like, “Why don’t we make our own?” The night before the tour, I ironed a bunch of shirts that said “I’m fantastic.” People really liked them and bought them. If you can bring some sort of merch like that on tour, I think it’s a great thing.

To keep up with Paper Idol, follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up or stream Money for Flowers today!