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| Photo by: Daniel Dorta |
With a name inspired by Chelsea Cutler's “Your Shirt” and the 1975's “Paris,” Nick Babcock – a multi-instrumentalist from Kingston, and talented Toronto vocalist Laila Kharouba are now collectively known as up-and-coming pop/R&B duo Your Paris.
Formerly a member of Kasador and featured on the second season of CTV's The Launch, Babcock began dating and performing with Kharouba simultaneously during the summer of 2019.
Formerly a member of Kasador and featured on the second season of CTV's The Launch, Babcock began dating and performing with Kharouba simultaneously during the summer of 2019.
The pair reflect on their formation:
“We had a lot of people after our shows or open mics asking if we were a duo. For a few months we resisted the idea, mostly because it just seemed a little...dangerous. We ultimately realized that we had something really special together. So we decided to do this whole thing.”
Comparable to artists like Julia Michaels and Oh Wonder, the couple compliment each other perfectly – creating a fusion of genres while using personal experiences to deliver dialogue sure to resonate with any listener. Their sound is refreshing yet familiar – a unique blend of modern pop, R&B beats, lush harmonies with vulnerable lyricism.
Following the release of stunning singles “Standing in Your Doorway” and “The Internet,” Your Paris share their new track “About Love” – followed by an accompanying live acoustic video. Their latest ballad is a reminiscent and reflective call out to an ex lover in the form of a heartbreak track disguised as a love song.
“[About Love] is about being betrayed by someone you really loved, and pondering that relationship for all that it is – the memories and the heartbreak.”
Though new to the scene, Your Paris is determined to stay in the honeymoon stage of their career – in love with, and inspired by, their music.
Q: How would you describe your sound? Who are your musical influences?
We like to describe ourselves as heartbreak pop. Honestly, we struggle a lot with genres as we find the meanings are constantly changing, as is our sound. We're definitely pop. But when it comes to sub-genres, we're inspired by so many different artists – The Chicks, Jon Bellion, Chelsea Cutler, Donovan Woods... so we've got a little bit of everything in there. Right now we're really into an R&B duo called Emotional Oranges.
Q: Originally solo acts, how did merging your talents come about to form “Your Paris?”
We started dating and simultaneously playing together in the summer of 2019. We had incredible musical chemistry from the start, so music became a big part of our relationship from then on. We had a lot of people after our shows or open mics asking if we were a duo. For a few months we resisted the idea, mostly because it just seemed a little...dangerous. We ultimately realized that we had something really special together. So we decided to do this whole thing.
Q: What can you tell us about the creative process behind your latest single “About Love?”
About Love is a tune we (luckily) had written and was in the works prior to quarantine. The song is about being betrayed by someone you really loved, and pondering that relationship for all that it is – the memories and the heartbreak. Being stuck at home this spring gave us some much needed time and motivation to get a lot of stuff done, including finishing up "About Love" and getting it into the world. We worked with producer Damian Birdsey on this one, as our first released tune produced out of house
Q: You recently released another pop-R&B bop “The Internet.” What inspired that record?
The Internet is actually the first song we wrote together. Nick showed a half baked version of it to [me] the first time [we] ever hung out. It's the way our relationship sparked – romantically and musically. We both bonded over loving old 90s/early 2000s r&b, and in a lot of ways The Internet is an ode to that era. But at the same time it's super relevant to social media and modern relationships.
Q: As independent artists, how rewarding is it to watch your work come to life?
When we first started Your Paris, we were both really eager to put music into the world that felt genuine to us. Joining together is really what made that happen – we helped each other get over whatever reservations or insecurities we had about our music, and together we figured out what we wanted to say and how we were gonna say it. So we’re really proud that we’ve been able to do that. We’re definitely still experiencing everything on a very small scale, but we're incredibly grateful for the success we have seen so far. People are resonating with our songs, so that's a win in our books. And it's really awesome to have someone to share this experience with.
Q: Any advice / words of optimism for other creators during these times?
If you can be creative right now, then great. Run with that. People need art right now. If you're finding it a struggle to create amidst all that's going on, don't beat yourself up. We think that's how most people are feeling. Take this time to refresh and enjoy music, and it will make its way back to you.
Q: What’s next for Your Paris?
Our next single "Rooms" is set for release on November 6th. We haven't told anyone that yet!! It's another exploration when it comes to sound and genre. After that we're gonna take a nice lil break over the Holidays to sing Last Christmas and watch Elf. Then come back strong in the new year.
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