Jan 9, 2022

Paul Cafcae Reinvents The Holidays With New Single, “Every Day is Christmas”

Paul Cafcae has managed to flip your standard Christmas love song on its head, and we are eating it up.

From an early age, Russian-Canadian artist Paul Cafcae developed a love for blues and rockabilly music, heavily inspired by musicians like The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King. This passion led him to begin studying various instruments as early as 6 years old. Years later, Cafcae has made a name for himself as a passionate performer and songwriter in the Americana music scene.

Putting forth his most recent single, “Every Day is Christmas," Cafcae catapults listeners back to the early ’60s, filling this track with rockabilly guitar riffs, boisterous saxophone lines, and drums that carry the listener along through the cheerful yet cheeky single. With the help of Toronto-based producer Christian Anderson, Cafcae has created an upbeat, full-bodied track, heavily inspired by Phil Spector’s “wall of sound.”

Paul Cafcae’s lyrics guide the listener through a different kind of Christmas story than what they may be used to hearing around this time of year. He brings light to the fact that while most holiday songs reflect the love one share with partners or family, many people may be living a more solitary holiday experience than was is reflected in the media.

Cafcae notes, “We are always being told that we have to spend these types of holidays with a special someone…And it feels like it’s not inclusive of people who are happily single…It’s a shame that we don’t have more songs that tell us that it’s OK to be in a relationship with yourself.”

Throughout “Every Day is Christmas," Paul Cafcae helps to support listeners who are not conforming to traditional experiences around this time of year, and beautifully empowers them to embrace this path.

Welcome, Paul Cafcae! A huge congratulations on the release of “Every Day is Christmas”. We love your fresh new take on the standard holiday love song. Was there a specific moment that inspired this single?

Thank you so much for having me, BuzzMusic! I don't think there was a specific isolated moment, more like a build-up of emotions. I know that people who are single by choice or by circumstance around certain traditional holidays feel pressure. Sometimes it feels like they are not allowed to be happy about their relationship status that way. Such lack of inclusivity feels unjust to me, and I wanted to do my part in making them feel accepted and equally entitled to share in the joy. So that's how I came up with the idea of this song, the character being someone coming out of an unhealthy relationship... And the rest is just a process. :)

How would you describe the process of recording this song? How did working with Toronto-based producer Christian Anderson help to bring the track to life?

This was my first time working with Christian in a producer capacity. I worked with him earlier this year when I was recording vocals and some acoustic instruments for my 2021 album "Where I Am," and I really enjoyed that experience!. I esp[ecially appreciated his feedback and suggestions on the vocal performance. Around that time I also heard some of the other work that Christian had done as a producer and composer, so I asked if he'd be interested in working on a single, and I played the demo for him. He enjoyed it and said that he always loved the authentic 60s sound and would want to take on this tune. We recorded everything in his studio, Cerebral Studio in Toronto, we tracked the drums, the upright bass, the saxophone, and the percussion with the musicians over a few days. The band greatly contributed to the arrangement and I am very grateful to them for their help! And the rest was just Christian working his magic, trying to get us as close as possible to the famous Phil Spector's "wall of sound." I am so fond of the result, and no doubt will come back to him to create more songs!

Who do you hope this song resonates with the most, and what do you hope listeners will take away from this song?

I of course hope it resonates with everyone, I hope it makes the listeners think about the inclusivity and the multitude of life values and priorities. But I know that it may not be a song for everyone, since the message may swing quite far away from the traditional view of Christmas. I got some pushback from a few Christian radio stations because of the song that "mocks family values," and I accept that point of view from their perspective. Art is intricate and inherently subjective, so I just hope everyone can get past their backgrounds and views and just dance along to this very cool groove.

Do you have any advice for listeners who are spending this holiday season alone?

Oh, I am the last person to give any kind of advice, hahaha. I just really hope they enjoy themselves, enjoy the peace, and practice self-love. And if they are struggling, - as we all are today, one way or another - I hope my song adds even just a tiniest sliver of joy and happiness to their life.

What's next for you?

So hard to predict these days, the virus keeps putting cranks in our wheels. I hope I can tour around, even a bit when the weather gets a little warmer. But I will for sure continue working on more new music. I definitely plan to work more with Mr. Anderson on some songs in 2022. I set a goal to release at least one new single per quarter, and I hope they turn out as good as my latest releases.