Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Peyton

Peyton’s connection to music has always been tied to his religion, so, when he made the decision to leave the church, he put a halt on singing. It was by chance that in 2003, a single he had written was released and topped the dance charts around the world. It was in that moment that Peyton realized he could pursue a career in the industry outside of the church. Fast forward fifteen years later and Peyton has built an illustrious career and became a global superstar. This year, he dropped his soulful sophomore album, Sinners Got Soul Too, which encompasses all he’s experienced. Pop Culturalist had the opportunity to chat with Peyton about his path and journey.

PC: When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?
Peyton: That’s an interesting question. I grew up singing in church my entire life. My dad was a preacher, but he’s retired now. I grew up in the church singing gospel music and for me, music was very much connected to God and the church. When I was around twenty-one or twenty-two, I left the church and was no longer religious. At that point, I stopped singing because I never imagined pursuing a career in music that wasn’t church-related. It was all started by a weird fluke in 2003, when a song that I had written got released and signed by a well-known British house music label called Hedkandi. They released the song and it went #1 all around the world on the dance charts. It all happened without me trying. Everything fell in place. It was the first time since I left the church that I thought that maybe this is what I wanted to do with my life. Fifteen years later, I’m still doing music full-time. It was a late awakening, but it was an early passion.

PC: You’re originally from Virginia but now spend your time in London and Ibiza. What impact has that move had on your career?
Peyton: I moved to London nearly twenty years ago. Now, I live between London and Ibiza, because I married a Spaniard based in Ibiza. In the U.K., dance music has such a mainstream audience. When I came, I was waiting tables; I was doing anything but music. It wasn’t only here that I got back into music, it’s also where my career took off. I don’t think I would have had this career in the States. Maybe I would have done something else or pursued a different genre. Dance music doesn’t have the same audience in the States that it does around the world, and fortunately, my career has actually taken me all over the world. I sometimes see the States, but not much. R&B, pop, country, they rule the mainstream audience in America; house music doesn’t have the same opportunities that it does elsewhere. It’s given me a much more global prospective. America is such a big country and it’s so easy to be insular. When you’re in the U.K., you’re around all these other countries and it gives you a much wider view.

PC: Earlier this year, you released Sinners Got Soul Too. What was the inspiration behind the album?
Peyton: After making dance music for so long, I was ready for some sort of change. I was at the point where I was no longer enjoying what I was doing. I realized then that it was either get out or change things up, so I started working on a few projects that weren’t dance music related. One of the first songs was “The Way I Love You”, which I was commissioned to write by a fan for his wife for her fiftieth birthday and it was a total surprise—he actually flew me from London to Los Angeles. He had told me their story and I took that information and sculpted this song from the story of their love. I, then, performed it on the night of her fiftieth birthday, and that was how it all started. From that ballad, I wrote another ballad for my own wedding, which was almost three years ago. That song is titled, “Be My Enough”. It felt good, so I kept going. Then, I was asked to write a song for the All Ways Up Foundation based in Los Angeles, which helps kids from low-income families pursue a higher education. I got involved with them and then the song became the anthem for their organization. I kept going and going until I had a full album. I took a few of my dance tracks and stripped them down to do an acoustic version for the album. I was intent on making an album that had no filler. Most albums these days have only one or two good tracks, then there are nine or ten you could live without. All of the songs on my album I feel deserve their place on it. It took some time, but I got there.

PC: We read that it took you roughly three years to complete the album…

Peyton: Oh, yeah! Albums have become almost obsolete. People aren’t buying albums—actually, they’re not even buying music. I released a proper studio album on Hedkandi a few years into my career, but I hadn’t released anything since then. I’ve been in the business for sixteen years and only had one studio album. It was a labor of love. I had to release an album. For me, it needed to be a very bold, well-thought-out departure from what I had done, but it also had to make sense. That was challenging, but it was also what was fun about it.

PC: How has your creative process changed throughout the years?
Peyton: I used to work more like how people imagine artists work, where you’re sitting around waiting for a muse to come along and knock you in the head. Once you’re doing it for a living and you’re seeing it as more of a job, you start to learn how to be creative even when you don’t feel creative. You look for ways to create at times when it’s the last thing you want to do. In that sense, I’m always looking for new ways. It was an eye-opener for me to write a song for someone else about someone else’s love. Sure, certain parts of my life, experiences, and love played a part, but to actually write a song that wasn’t about my personal experience was so liberating. Now when I’m writing, I realize I can write from someone else’s voice. That has given me a new area to work in.


PC: We read that as a child, you were bullied a lot. If you could give your younger self a piece of advice or anyone who’s in a similar situation, what would it be and why?
Peyton: I would say, “Hold on. It’s going to get better.” When you’re in that place, try to find people that you can trust and find true friends. There’s always someone in the storm to hold onto. They may be going through something similar. You just need a few people. At that time point in my life, I could have never imagined what was coming. It would have never occurred to me that I would be traveling around the world, meeting these wonderful, beautiful human beings who have filled my life with so much love. If I had given up then, how sad would that have been? Everything changed so drastically. Kids can be really cruel and it’s a lonely feeling. When you’re being bullied, it’s humiliating. It’s terrifying. At that time, I remember deciding to lay low. There are probably two approaches: you can come out of your shell and be the biggest, brightest version of yourself and say “F*ck it”, which is probably the right thing to do, or lay low. In my case, I laid my head down. I withdrew the choir. I laid low until I didn’t care anymore. You just have to find any means to get through and know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Make sure to follow Peyton on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and pick up Sinners Got Soul Too today.

Photo Credit: la skimal