“STOP !”: THE ON-AND-OFF AGAIN RELATIONSHIP ANTHEM BY PAXTON SMITH
Paxton Smith expresses her talent through various media, sharing relatable and raw feelings with the world. Her viral 2021 valedictorian speech against Texas’s abortion ban launched her into global headlines and interviews with CNN, MSNBC and Teen Vogue. She leaned into her virality, becoming a co-author on A War on My Rights in 2022, and getting involved with the board of a nonprofit abortion fund, Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project. Smith became a voice for her generation's frustrations, speaking out against injustice and continuing to provide strength and relatability through music to an audience that sees her experiences reflected in their own.
Earlier this year, Smith debuted her musical career with her single, “Belong Here,” as a reflection and diary of how activism took a toll on her mental health. Now, with her most recent alt-pop single, “STOP !” is the fourth track on her coming-of-age debut EP, But I Love It. The single was created in collaboration with Matt Wolach, a mixing engineer who has produced with artists such as Peter McPoland, Kesha, 070 Shake and many others.
Graphic by Paige Wallner
Image via Paxton Smith
Built around a pop-filled, playful melody, Smith captures the push-and-pull of her own situationship with a polished mixture of gritty electronic textures. The track opens with a distorted and reverbed opening credit of “Paxton Smith” layered on top of a muffled bass. Smith admits to the start of yearning and daydreaming about this person, “I’ve been waiting all day” echoes the lyrics right after, “to see your face.” However, the production cuts this daydream with heavy bass and blunt lyrics, “Just stop being so goddamn respectful,” ushering this person to make a move or a change in their relationship. Smith feels that it’s not right to continue with this person, but can’t seem to stop thinking about them anyway.
Highlight lyrics and repeating chorus, “Don't stop, don't let me stop, if you say it's over / Can you stop, I don't wanna stop, over and over,” loops with a hypnotic bounce that musically captures the push-and-pull feeling of the emotionally confusing cycle. But the thrill and tension of this relationship can make it difficult to pull away.
INTERVIEW
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INTERVIEW ☆
Crave Music Magazine had the opportunity to talk with Paxton Smith about her participation in activism and how that shaped her into the self-producing musical artist that she is, where we took a deep dive into the inspiration, production and importance of the single, “STOP !”
CRAVE: You’ve brought your platform and transformed it into something equally as powerful through music. Was there a defining moment that redirected your path from activism to music?
SMITH: I actually decided to pursue music about a month before I got involved in activism. Activism wasn’t part of the plan — it was a reaction. When Texas passed the six-week abortion ban, I knew I had to do something, so I used my graduation speech to talk about it. It resonated with people, and suddenly I had a microphone and an opportunity to be louder. I couldn’t pass that up, so I spent about a year and a half doing activism.
But it was never my passion, music always has been. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, I was at the Supreme Court, and after that, just thinking or talking about abortion became incredibly anxiety provoking. It’s still hard to talk about. So I decided to step back and return to what’s always brought me joy, and where I’d always intended my life to go: music.
CRAVE: It takes courage to speak out against discriminatory policies. How has your activism work shaped you as a person, and do you feel that same confidence or passion when producing music?
SMITH: This feels like a bit of a loaded question, truthfully. It’s one thing to have strong opinions
and be outspoken, but it’s another to be the person on stage talking about them. You’re constantly under scrutiny. Anything you say or do, the way you look, the way you dress, it can all be misinterpreted, misconstrued, used against you, or used to bolster you. You become the object of a lot of people’s strongest feelings.
I don’t think that made me stronger or more confident — it honestly brought up anxiety and insecurities I didn’t even know I had. In activism, I felt like I was constantly trying to control how I came across. I wanted to seem like this perfect person with a level head who spoke eloquently, so that people might pause and actually listen to what I had to say, instead of dismissing me as some kid.
But I think I shrunk a little as a person. With music, it’s different. I get to embrace all of my insecurities, my anxieties, the contradictions and nuances of who I am. I don’t have to run from those. The music I put out is unfiltered. It’s the version of me who likes to party, likes to cuss, has friends who are nothing alike, likes boys and then doesn’t like boys, gets confused, gets unconfused, and then gets re-confused. You name it, it’s all there. I get to fully exist in my music.
That’s what feels empowering. I feel more confident because I get to be who I am, and it’s embraced. Unlike in activism and political culture, where I felt ideology and palatability came before just being a person.
CRAVE: How did the virality impact your creative growth, especially with significant attention from global press outlets? Was it overwhelming for you?
SMITH: Yeah, virality on that scale was definitely overwhelming. Within a week of giving my valedictorian speech (the second activist-related thing I’d ever done) I was getting calls from CNN, being booked to give speeches across the country, and asked to join the board of directors for WRRAP, a national abortion fund. It was a lot.
What made it even more intense was that I hadn’t changed — I was the same person from week to week — but suddenly the whole world treated me differently. It was crazy. In terms of my creative growth, I think that experience gave me the chance to embrace a storytelling side of myself that I hadn’t really been encouraged to follow before. I’ve always been a musician and thrived academically, but storytelling through research, and with the goal of showing people the emotional and human side of what abortion really means—that was new for me.
CRAVE: When creating this track, were there any musical influences that guided you? Or is there a recurring production theme across your most recent singles?
SMITH: Oh yeah, all of my music is naturally influenced by the music I adore. I’m a big fan of artists like UPSAHL, Lilyisthatyou, and producers like Evan Blair. I’m really into blending rock, electronic pop, and creative sound design — just smashing it all together. I get a real kick out of it.
I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from those artists and producers and have used it to shape my own sound. I’d describe it as airy, gritty electronic pop — very upbeat and party-esque — but with lyrics that dive into things that aren’t always parties. Sometimes it is parties—I love to party—but other times, it’s uncomfortable or confusing things made fun and danceable. That’s what I do.
CRAVE: The track feels like it’s wrestling with contradictions, with the heavy bass and background vocals. Were there specific production choices you used to capture the temptations and reasoning of being in an on-and-off relationship?
SMITH: That’s a great question, and I love that you asked it because I am a producer, not just an artist, and I don’t think many people know that. For this song in particular, you might be a little disappointed — there weren’t any production choices that leaned into the on-and-off-again feeling.
But in terms of songwriting, absolutely. The song is meant to feel like a loop, repeating over and over, but with the meaning shifting slightly each time. It’s this constant back-and-forth between stop and I don’t want to stop, which I thought was such a fun part of the song. That’s exactly how those on-and-off-again things feel. Deep down you know you should stop, but it’s just so tempting to go back.
CRAVE: Are there any emotions and/or thoughts you hope listeners can reflect on after listening to this single?
SMITH: This is a good question and one I’m always kind of underprepared to answer. Truthfully, I write songs like diary entries, just to get something off my chest. It’s like, this is how I feel today — tomorrow might be different — but I need to express this now. And then I almost forget what the song is about and then just enjoy the process of producing and playing with sound.
I just hope people feel that it’s fun. I hope they have fun with it, and maybe find something relatable, like I captured a feeling they haven’t heard expressed quite like this before. But mostly, I just hope they enjoy it. It’s a fun track, it’s bouncy, and I had fun making it. That’s what matters to me.
CRAVE: Do you have any upcoming projects that you’re excited to share?
SMITH: Yes, absolutely! I’ve got a song called “Stop !” coming out on September 26, along with
a music video. The video was so fun to make — it’s a little weird, kind of like a look into my internal world. I have this chronic inability to take things seriously, so the video really reflects that. It’s fun.
“STOP !” is part of my upcoming debut EP, But I Love It. It’s my coming of age EP — a collection of thoughts and feelings, both contradictory and looping, plus parties, made into songs. It starts with the first song I released, Belong Here, and tells stories from there. I’m still in the process of releasing the full EP, so there’s more to come and I’m really excited about it.
“STOP !” is a confession for anyone who knows that it’s for the best to walk away, even though they find themselves back in the same position. Smith’s participation in activism and her creative work, including producing music, reflect her passion for making others feel heard and feeling a little less alone in their experiences. Her journey from a viral valedictorian to a talented self-producing musical artist proves that self-expression can be heard through different art mediums.
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