Will Paquin never sought out the spotlight. He didn’t want it.
“I’d prefer listening to somebody live out their rock-star dreams,” Paquin says. “The upper level of my dreams was to play DIY basement shows in college.”
As a student, he studied advertising and played rugby. The future didn’t involve music. So, he kept recording in cars and sharing on social media. That’s where everything changed.
In 2020, Paquin uploaded the song Chandelier to TikTok and it went viral. Tutorials, covers and memes from others followed. Now he’s leveling up again with the release of his debut album, Hahaha, and its supporting world tour. That’s quite the leap for someone whose only music influencer was his audiophile dad.
Paquin got a Squier Strat for his eighth birthday and began writing. Years later, he gifted the guitar to a high school friend who gave it a facelift. Paquin shrugged his shoulders. He’s not sentimental about gear.
“I don’t like sticking with one thing,” he says. “New guitars excite me, but I only own old guitars. They mostly sound better.”
Paquin prefers wider-necked guitars for easier fingerpicking. His main axe is a 1983 Fender Strat, but he sometimes turns to his 1973 Guild S-100 or 1971 Memphis Travis Bean Clone. Over the years, plenty of gear passed through his hands – and under his feet. He stomps on Looper, OCD, and Big Muff boxes, all run through Fender amps.
The multi-instrumentalist wears his influences on his fingers. Tracks like Roll The Dice and Everything put his love of Brazilian jazz, samba and bossa nova musicians like Luiz Bonfá and Paulinho Nogueira front and center. The warm, melodic guitarwork echoes Paquin’s feelings on music: private, personal, intimate.
He says he’s just getting into some Nineties indie and alt-rock bands, and it’s evident on the album. The title track has a strong Flaming Lips vibe. Orangutan and I Need to Know meet at the intersections of Fugazi’s fire, Sonic Youth’s structure and Pavement’s placidity. The kid’s got range and good taste.
Paquin’s music is familiar and inviting. Hahaha welcomes you in with open arms but asks you to take off your shoes. It’s a reflection of who he is – but with the warm glow of a spotlight he’s reluctantly accepting.
- Hahaha is out now.
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
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