Identity and Tradition Color the Music of Black Belt Eagle Scout

“A lot of the stuff on the album is just stuff that popped out of my mouth ... I don’t really write lyrics. I use voice memo on my phone a lot.”

The record draws on themes of mourning, love, and hope. Written during a rough patch in her life (a romantic relationship was nearing its end, a lifelong mentor and friend had passed away, and the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock were unfolding), its songs largely deal with loss and heartbreak, often getting both personal and political.

“It was a hard time to be Native,” she says particularly of Standing Rock. “Imagine hearing on the news that the government doesn’t support you as a human being and never has …

“ ‘Indians Never Die’ (a track from Mother of My Children) is a call out to colonizers and those who don’t respect the Earth ... Indigenous people are the protectors of this land. Indians never die because this is our land that we will forever protect in the present and the afterlife.”

Paul's writing process focuses heavily on personal experiences, life history and relationships, but she doesn't start off writing a song with a particular theme in mind. "Most of the time I’ll just start singing. A lot of the stuff on the album is just stuff that popped out of my mouth ... I don’t really write lyrics. I use voice memo on my phone a lot. I’ll record what I’m singing and then I’ll listen back to it and then I’ll write down what I said. Then maybe I’ll tweak something a little bit. That’s how I write out the song."

The album's opening track, "Soft Stud," is defined by Paul as her "queer anthem." "There are a lot of songs on this album that are about a heartbreaking time in my life" says Paul. "The song is actually about this person that I was dating. I was in this open relationship, and those can sometimes be hard because you’re sharing a partner with somebody. There’s jealousy involved."

Now, Paul is excited for the next adventure. "My music that I’m working on now is about community and love and how people in your life can lift you up and create support for you,” she says. “It’s about how love is really special, all kinds of love: love for your family, love for other people, your friends. So that’s where I’m coming from. How I’m living my life right now is just trying to create a loving community around me."

The idea of being pigeonholed as a strictly Native American artist doesn't seem to phase Paul one bit. "You know," she says, "it doesn’t bother me. I want to be the Native musician because there needs to be more Native musicians and there needs to be more visibility. So if you call me the Native musician, that’s totally chill."

Paul is now paying it forward as her music, which reflects her identity, gains wider exposure: “I want more people who are like me, who have similar identities, to feel like they’re worth something—to feel like they’re validated and that they can see representation of themselves in music and art.”

Black Belt Eagle Scout is a showcasing artist at the SXSW Music Festival.