Meet Doe Paoro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Doe Paoro.

Doe, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a self-taught singer and songwriter from Syracuse, New York. I made my first album when I was 15. Winters in Central New York offer a certain extremity that was perfect for getting lost in creativity. We had blizzards, and the entire city would be shut down; music became a sort of personal echo into the silence. When I was 22, I moved to New York City and started an eight person soul band that went nowhere. Because of my lack of technical understanding of music, I didn’t have the confidence or maturity to lead a band, and my live shows were a mess.

After a few years of trying, I decided I was going to give it up, and took off for India to pivot directions and study to become a yoga teacher. When I was in India, through a series of fortunate accidents, I ended up discovering a conservatory for Tibetan music in the Himalayas and began studying Tibetan Opera Singing. Studying “Lhamo,” the name for Tibetan Opera, taught me to sing in a way that I didn’t know was possible. I felt I met my voice for the first time in my life.

After a few months, I returned to the states and self-produced a record with my friend Adam Rhodes in New York. I put the record under the name “Doe Paoro.” Paoro means something like “goddess of echo” in Maori. I wanted the name to be a space to narrate new myths about women and to recreate the myths I have of myself. I went on to make a second record with members of Bon Iver in their Wisconsin studio and signed to ANTI- Records soon after.

My third record, “Soft Power,” just came out this year and was produced in London by Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Sia). It’s a reflection on power dynamics, both internal, professional and political.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anything but that. It seems every step of the way, my resilience has been tested. I have dealt with managers with substance abuse problems, my own #metoo experience, and having to walk away from some pretty powerful opportunities because I saw they were tied to people who didn’t align with my own sense of integrity.

In addition to that, there is always the self-doubt. The challenge of continuing to make art while working other jobs and maintaining enough energy and optimism to create is a common one. I like to return to that expression “don’t quit before the miracle.”

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a songwriter, and I write songs with the intention of carrying healing to those who hear them. I come from a family of healers and myself have a background as a yoga teacher, reiki and shamanic practitioner.

When I am not touring or writing for myself or other artists, I lead sound healing workshops, and I like to think that this work informs the music I write. I have been fortunate enough to also train in the healing music of Tibetan and Andean traditions.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have had so many people help me along the way, and if it were not for my community, I don’t think I would have been able to see through a second or third record. My family has been extremely emotionally supportive of my dreams, and that has been integral – also, my best friend, Miranda Siegel has been someone who has always held space for me through the years and helped me see above water.

Cary Caldwell — he works over at SXSW – he heard my first single that I self-released and got me into that festival, and from there I met my EU booking agent. Andy Kaulkin, president at ANTI- Records– he signed me and had always understood what I was going for artistically and has been a huge angel in my journey.

My teachers in India – Keya Goswami and Samten Dhondup — have both taught me how to use my voice in different ways and understand the power of the voice. Adam Rhodes — my childhood friend who wrote and produced my first record with me, which set the tone for everything else.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.doepaoro.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/doepaoro
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/doepaoro
• Twitter: twitter.com/doepaoro

Image Credit:
Enrico Policardo, Truthgun, Ben Shmikler, Nic Crimando, Son Little, Gipsy Kings

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