by Evan Schwartz ’13

This past week, I was fortunate enough to get in touch with the incredible talent, Doe Paoro. Doe Paoro, whose real name is Sonia Kreitzer, has recently hit the web with her haunting melodies and ethereal vocal range. “Can’t Leave You,” the first single off of her new album, is quickly gaining views on YouTube, and the second single, “Born Whole,” is set to do the same. Keep an ear out for big things from Doe Paoro this year and be sure to check out her freshman album, Slow to Love, to be released February 14.

Evan Schwartz: What are the dynamics of Doe Paoro? Is it just a stage name for Sonia Kreitzer, or a band of multiple members?

Doe Paoro: Doe Paoro is another incarnation of expression for myself. I’m backed up by cellist Yuri Hart and keys player Adam Rhodes, who also co-wrote and produced most of the songs on the album with me. We have only recently added a drummer to the mix. The three of us have an intuitive and organic way of relating to each other and the music.

ES: How would you describe your music? I know that you have referred to it as “ghost soul”; could you explain that anymore?

DP: “Ghost Soul” was a genre I coined because I couldn’t figure out how else to explain my music when people asked about what it sounded like. “Alternative” or “soul” doesn’t quite nail it. I conceive of a ghost as a spirit that is unable to make peace with the experience of being alive. For me, most of the songs on the album were driven by my realization of the suffering that comes with attachment in life and there is a sort of haunted longing that permeates the songs throughout. I had spent ten days meditating in silence and midway through I  started sobbing, realizing these negative aspects of attachment and how it has always been there and how weak I am.

ES: Popular artists today draw inspiration from many different places (i.e. their fans, politics, global issues, etc.). What would you say inspires you to write your music?

DP: Inspiration for me is a sine curve: on the low side, I am dulled to the world but when I’m in the flow of it, I am completely inspired by every moment. I find a lot of inspiration when I’m melancholic; art is a great use to transform your sadness. I really like that Lykke Li song “Sadness is a Blessing” for that exact reason.

ES: People have compared your sounds to the likes of Adele, Lykke Li, and James Blake; any comments on this? Who would you compare your musical styling to?

DP: I hear a lot of James Blake in what I do (and it’s a great compliment)–in terms of the almost mantra-esque repetition and reinvention of soul music. I think both he and Adele make healing music, and I try to do that as well. I was also deeply inspired by Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” when I wrote the album.

ES: You have been a member of previous bands, so how does Doe Paoro compare/stand up to the others?

DP: I think in previous bands, I had an idea of what I was trying to be, or who I wanted to sound like, so I studied a lot of other music I liked and tried to write similar songs or capture that vibe. With Doe Paoro, I am finally looking inwards to find my music and am making something that is 100% a reflection of my own experience on this earth; I think that is what successful artists do — they work with what they got and what they are and they find an articulation for that unique soul blueprint. Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone–all examples of that.

 ES: “Can’t Leave You” is the first single off of the new album, and the music video is gaining views quickly. At face value, the video is simply beautiful, but what is the deeper message?

 DP: Thanks for asking that! Yes, it’s a beautiful video, but really, what went into writing it was so dark.  The only constant in life is change — everything that comes to you will also leave. And this is the only truth we can rely on, yet it’s so painful to fully realize. This song is about the suffering that comes with failure to accept change and becoming attached to another person to the point of addiction. I really felt that way and the thing is when you are that stuck in the past, there is no future. 

ES: What should fans be expecting from the rest of the album? Songs similar to “Can’t Leave You”?

DP: Thematically, yes. But sonically, some of the songs tread more of an R&B or experimental path. “Body Games” is really probably the “biggest” song.  It’s an album about attachment, healing and forgiveness.

 ES: You have just recently done your first live performance at Pianos in NYC…success? Any more live performances coming up soon?

 DP: Great success! We just put a video up on YouTube of it so you can check it out if you missed it. We are throwing a record release party at a great venue in Brooklyn on Feb 13 – Glasslands Gallery.  And we will be in Austin, TX for SXSW!

ES: Many blogs and online sites have advised followers to look out for big things from Doe Paoro in 2012. What do you hope to accomplish this year?

 DP: I just hope that someone finds some comfort in our songs, and that the music reaches people where it counts.

ES: What advice do you have for other young people trying to break into the music industry?

DP: Really go into yourself and trust your intuition. Make music that no one else in the world could make but you. And recognize that we are at an amazing time in music with the internet and there are lots of ways for you to share your gift with people all over the world — YouTube, BandCamp, etc. Put yourself out there.