Born in Ohio and based in Los Angeles, Paravi is a singer-songwriter, artist and UCLA alumni. With the release of her debut original EP Paravi on September 15th, Her Campus at UCLA had the amazing opportunity to chat with her about her childhood, music inspirations and her latest releases. This is her story:
HC: When did you first know you wanted to be a musician?
PD: I’ve always been singing and dancing and creating, so it’s just been kind of in my blood since I was a baby… I used to have this binder where I would print out lyrics from my favorite artists like the Jonas Brothers and put it in there and then I would scribble my own songs in there too. I was, like, a seven year old writing about never falling in love… I was very emo!
HC: You graduated from UCLA this year—how did going to UCLA potentially help you get started with your music career?
PD: UCLA definitely changed my life for the better! I’m so grateful to have gone to that school. I think the most valuable things that I got from it were the connections and the experiences. Freshman year obviously got cut short because of COVID, but I joined an a cappella group on campus. I also did my first musical student production in class. Being in musical theater productions really reignited my love for theatricality and like this whole cinematic world that I love to build. I think that’s going to be very much demonstrated in this EP when it comes out on Friday!
HC: I love the creative ways you promote your music through social media, such as the funny skits on YouTube Shorts. What are some things you keep in mind when you’re promoting your music on social media?
PD: I love content creation, so spending time editing videos is really fun for me. But I think, lately, my relationship with social media has been a little bit rough. When you don’t see the numbers that you’re hoping to see after spending hours making content, it definitely takes a toll on you mentally. So now I’m trying to keep in mind things like, “am I making something that I would like to see? Does it feel fun for me to create – not just something that I should create in order to promote it and then make it go viral?”
HC: That’s an important mindset. What are some reactions you’ve received on your latest single “Skeleton”?
PD: The reactions have been just so heartwarming. Even if they’re not from my background, my culture or my heritage, people are still finding ways to relate to this sense of, “oh, there’s something bigger than me in this world”. All those types of manifestations that I put in that song are really resonating with people, which is a beautiful thing. On my Instagram, I’ll see comments on my posts saying how empowered, confident or capable it made them feel. It just feels like the best feeling ever to make somebody else feel how they deserve to feel.
HC: What personal experience helped you come up with the song?
PD: We started talking about Halloween decorations and I said something like “why do people hang skeletons outside their door for Halloween decorations? Like those bones are inside of all of us. Why are we scared of who we are at our core? Why are we scared of our humaneness?” I think it’s my favorite song I’ve ever made so far! It just developed into this kind of cinematic powerhouse of creation and I’m just so proud of it.
HC: How was it filming the music video for “Angry”?
PD: I actually wrote the concept for the music video. I came to the table with a PowerPoint, Pinterest board and the looks and what scenes I wanted. It was also around the time Roe v Wade had been overturned so I knew that I wanted to say something about the political climate and I wanted it to be a song that got people to the polls, whether or not you agree with my views. We collaborated with headcount.org to get people to register to vote, which has been really successful and I’m very proud of that. But it was also just an amazing day on set. It was my first music video experience. I still haven’t done one since, so I’m really excited for the next one and to see how we can learn and improve.
HC: How are you feeling about your debut original EP PARAVI which is about to be released on September 15th?
PD: I’m so scared. I’ve been working in therapy for the past few months and talking with friends who are in the industry. I have some really good communities around me which I’m so grateful for, but this kind of anxiety that I get about releases doesn’t go away very easily. I’m trying to stay grounded. I’m trying to just zoom out and get some perspective and remind myself that I’m living the dream.
HC: What is the story behind the song “Revenge Body”?
PD: I’ve always been a little bit bigger than most girls my age. So feeling beautiful was very difficult for me up until these past few years. I’ve managed to have a much healthier relationship with my body and with food, but it still lingers. I just knew I wanted to write a song about this for the longest time because it’s been something that I’ve dealt with every single day of my life. I’m very proud of it; it feels so anthemic and feels so inspiring to me.
HC: That’s great! What advice do you have for other young women hoping to break into the music industry?
PD: I think this industry and all the different things that come with pursuing this career will try and change you. It will try and warp you into something that you think you want to be (but not really what you want). My advice is just to make sure you stay grounded. Remember who you are. Don’t let other people’s opinions and thoughts and worries influence how you live because at the end of the day, this is your life and this industry is difficult, it’s hard and it’s not going to be very nice to you all the time. You just have to trust and love who you are. Be ferocious and fearless and attack life because nobody’s going to hand anything to you.
Paravi’s desire to cause a positive, meaningful change in her community can be felt through her powerful, refreshing songs. Interviewing her was an absolute pleasure—she was very sweet and down-to-earth! Don’t miss her debut original EP PARAVI, which was just released last week!