Seattle’s Parisalexa today shares the Finishline EP, her debut for legendary hip hop label, Payday Records, listen HERE and watch the new video for “Lucky” HERE.
 

With a distinct aptitude for songwriting that crosses time, genre and influences “…Better Than Being In Love” starts the EP off strong, produced by B HAM and Grammy-nominated producer Bizness Boi, who, having previously worked with the likes of Lil Nas X, Summer Walker, Swae Lee, 6LACK and more, is recognized for his ability to seek out and develop ascendant hip hop and R&B talents. Her next single “Vroom” is another lusciously confident, gorgeously winding road full of quick runs, leading into the infectiously upbeat “Lucky” – and the pace keeps up throughout the entire record.

Originally founded in 1991, the iconic Payday Records was responsible for helping to break the careers of hip hop luminaries Jay-Z, Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), Showbiz & A.G., Jeru the Damaja and more. In November 2017, Payday relaunched as an imprint of electronic music label Ultra Records, under the stewardship of Patrick Moxey. For an artist such as Parisalexa, who draws plentiful inspiration from 1990s and early-2000s hip hop and R&B, Payday Records is a fitting, natural home. 

While 23-year-old Parisalexa has written songs for the likes of Ciara, Normani, Brent Faiyaz, and more, her own recording career has always remained at the forefront. Since her 2018 debut Bloom EP, Paris has won praise from NPR Music, MTV, DJ Booth, UPROXX, KEXP, Seattle Times, HotNewHipHop, Billboard, and more for her artfully genre-fluid celebration of Blackness, body image, and self-worth.

Parisalexa‘s newest creative output out today, Finishline, is an alt-R&B-leaning project that lives in the same sonic world as artists like Kehlani and Willow Smith, with influences from Erykah Badu, James Fauntleroy, and more. The heart of the project is about that concept of reaching a destination, and for Parisalexa, that destination is going everywhere she can. Of the new EP, Parisalexa says, “I wrote the Finishline EP for myself… to remind myself of how capable I am, and how independent I am, at a time when I was moving to another state alone for the first time. In so many ways, I needed to push myself – from my metaphoric finish line to completing each song on the EP. I hope this project gives you the gas you need to get where you’re going, just like it did for me throughout the process. Love, P.”