Catching Up With ...Paul Alan
Most remember him as the lead singer of Nouveaux back in the '90s, but today the singer/songwriter still enjoys radio success as an independent solo artist.
by Andy Argyrakis | posted 8/18/2008
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It's been more than ten years—what are your fondest memories of the Nouveaux period?
Paul Alan I have a lot of great memories for a variety of reasons. Some of them make me laugh about all the crazy things you see and the folks you meet on the road. But probably one of best memories was playing Jesus Northwest Festival in Oregon, in front of about 10,000 people. The people in the crowd didn't really know too much about us at the time, but there was still something awesome about that moment. We sang our songs and the audience responded. During the same show, I felt compelled for whatever reason to quote John 3:16 and say, "We're not here to see Newsboys or Nouveaux, but to glorify you." And the entire crowd just put their hands in the air—it was a moment that transcended us. It was such a humbling feeling knowing we were involved in something that pointed a group of people to something much greater and more worthy of attention than we were.
You had several singles with the group throughout the '90s. In your opinion, what elements helped radio embrace the material?
Alan I think we were pretty honest with what we wrote, and I think people liked the vocal harmonies. The lyrics were infused with a certain amount of realism and empathy for the average person out there who might not be a "super Christian"—who might have problems, asking questions like, "Where is God?" and "Am I the only one who feels God is angry with me?"
And then there was "Maybe Tomorrow," which was about being ready to someday meet the girl we would marry and spend our lives with. When we wrote that song, we weren't trying to write a hit single and had no idea it would connect with people so much. To this day, people still say, "Thank you for writing that song. We played that at our wedding!" or "I cried because I was lonely, but when I heard that on the radio, I felt encouraged because my future husband or wife may still be out there waiting for me." What I learned is you cannot manufacture hits—they just happen in spite of us! Why did Nouveaux connect? We weren't trying to write hits, we were just trying to connect with people's hearts.
What was the transition like to start your solo career in 2001?
Alan It was a pretty easy transition. I love the guys in the band and there were no feuds—we're all still friendly. But [in my solo career], I don't have to expend any energy on trying to get somebody to play this part and then have hurt feelings if one of their parts wasn't accepted. Now I just do what's in my heart and tell [my studio band] where to play the drum part or how soft to play something. I didn't have to expend energy on logistics, and of course, the personality differences are the hardest part of being in a band. Being married to one person is hard enough, but being married to four—someone is always having a bad day every day and we had to deal with that!
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