Vancouver singer-songwriter Emily Pegram explores heartbreak, illusion, and emotional honesty on her self-produced second single.
Vancouver-based indie-pop singer-songwriter Emily Pegram has released her new single, “Paper Town,” alongside an accompanying music video. The emotionally reflective track marks Pegram’s second official single, following her debut release, “Kingdom,” which arrived in July.
Written, produced, recorded, and mastered entirely by Emily Pegram, “Paper Town” highlights her hands-on approach to music-making. Through personal songwriting and expressive vocals, the emerging Vancouver artist explores the complicated space between perception and reality, particularly the pain of losing something that may never have truly existed.
Emily Pegram Explores Illusion and Heartbreak on “Paper Town”
“Paper Town” examines the emotional weight of holding onto something that feels real, even when the reality tells a different story.
“‘Paper Town’ is about how painful it can be to lose something even if it never really existed in the first place,” says Pegram. “Sometimes no amount of care can force something to be real if it just doesn’t exist, and no amount of pretending can stop the illusion from falling apart.”
The single offers another glimpse into Pegram’s emerging indie-pop sound, combining lyrical vulnerability with emotionally honest storytelling.
A New Voice in Vancouver’s Indie-Pop Scene
A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Pegram has been creating and performing music from a young age. Accompanying herself on guitar and piano, she has developed a musical style rooted in expressive vocals, authenticity, and personal storytelling.
Following the release of “Kingdom” in July, “Paper Town” represents another step forward for the emerging Canadian artist. By handling every stage of the recording process herself, Pegram continues to establish her creative identity as both a songwriter and producer.
With two official singles now released, Emily Pegram is beginning to carve out her own place in Canada’s indie-pop landscape.
Watch Emily Pegram’s “Paper Town” Music Video
“Paper Town” explores the pain of losing something that, in hindsight, may never have truly existed. What inspired the song, and when did the idea of a “paper town” become the right metaphor for that experience?
A paper town is a real concept used in map making, a fake town added to a map to prevent plagiarism. I really liked this as a metaphor for something that looks completely real even though it never was and then connecting that to how it feels to be in that kind of situation. Expanding that metaphor to living in an actual town made of paper, and trying so hard to make it real when you know deep down it’s not.
There’s a tension in the song between what we want to believe and what’s actually real. Was writing “Paper Town” a way of gaining clarity on that experience, or did the meaning of the song reveal itself more over time?
A lot of this song revealed itself to me as I was writing it. When I started, I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going with it, I just had a feeling and this vague metaphor that kept coming to the front of my mind. The process of writing the song really let me figure out what I was trying to say.
You wrote, produced, recorded, and mastered “Paper Town” entirely yourself. What does having that level of creative control allow you to bring to a song, especially one that’s so personal?
I really love getting to dive into all the little details for a song like this. Bringing it all together in a way that feels really connected and serves the story.
“Paper Town” follows your debut single, “Kingdom,” which came out this summer. What do you feel these first two songs say about who you are as an artist and the kind of music you want to make moving forward?
I love songs that tell a story and have a strong emotional core. Lyricism has always been my first love when it comes to music, and with “Kingdom” and “Paper Town” I’ve really been enjoying combining that with composing and producing to elevate and complete the story/feeling. I hope to keep making music that feels authentic and resonates with people.
You also released a music video for “Paper Town.” How did you approach translating the song’s themes of illusion, perception, and things falling apart into the visual world of the video?
I took a lot of cues from the lyrics. I knew from the onset I wanted to take the Paper Town metaphor to the extreme and build an actual town out of paper and then burn it down to reference a line that’s in the bridge. I’ve also always loved dance and the way it encapsulates emotion and thought it would be a great way expressing the themes of the song. I’m really grateful my friend Denisa helped to choreograph the dance, and I’m really proud of how it turned out.
What’s next for you? Are you planning to release another single, or maybe an album in the near future?
I actually have another single coming out later this month called Autumn. It’s very reflective and has a slightly more mellow vibe than my previous two songs, I’m really excited for people to hear it.
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