Alluring, captivating and sensual. These are just a few words that describe NYC born, London-based queer performance artist Garrett Paknis. Following a string of releases throughout 2021, Garrett rounds off the year with his most exquisite release yet - his brand new single ‘Paris'. The track is accompanied by an artistic visual filmed in the streets of Paris.
Effortlessly blending elements of house, dance and electronic music with his hypnotic vocals, ‘Paris’ showcases Garrett’s effortless and natural gift for storytelling. Naming Sofi Tukker, Hercules & Love Affair and FKA Twigs as his biggest inspirations, Garrett thrives on being able to experiment with the emotions and feelings he’s able to convey through his music. The accompanying video is a piece of art in itself, and captures Garrett’s ability to transcend art and music, plus his spellbinding allure as he explores the streets of Paris.
Speaking of the piece, Garrett says, “I’ve been sitting on this project for two years, but I feel like now is the perfect time to share it with the world because it feels like the full representation of my art. I wrote the lyrics in the Montmartre district in Paris, a few months after a breakup changed my life back in Berlin where I was living at the time. I was quite literally looking back, grateful for where I was, but reminiscing on the thought of 'What if we could go back…?'".
"I remember the energy pulsing through me emotionally... it just flowed so seamlessly, and the entire afternoon was like a dream. It was wonderfully sunny, and hot, and I was heavily caffeinated. About four months later, I was in the studio with my friend Denis (whose producer/artist name is DAYNE S) and we started making this track. It was just…electric. We lost all sense of space and time. It was pure art… we weren’t thinking of commercial appeal, or anything else, and I loved those years of my life in Berlin because I was creating so much just to create."
"We wanted to tell the full story, and capture the entire vision and feeling of ‘Paris’ through the visual. It has elements of French Disco, and all the instrumental parts are “real”, meaning… not digital or soft synths. There’s the warm acoustic guitar intro which gives a gooey romantic vibe…and then it really grows into quite an unsuspected banger from there.”
Having grown up in New York City, Garrett has been “moaning poetry” into microphones since his teenage years, and brings a soulful energy to his house-infused dance music which contains raw and vulnerable yet conscious lyricism.
Garrett has built up a fanbase of over 80.000 followers and listeners across his platforms, as well as amassing over 2,000,000 streams and has performed in venues all over the world, all as a completely independent artist.
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