Butcher speaks to Nostalgia Is the New Black about his first original song and music plans for the future.
It’s been nearly a decade since Paul Butcher left Pacific Coast Academy and his Nickelodeon alter ego, Dustin Brooks, behind. While Zoey 101 will always hold a special place in his heart — and he’d definitely be down for a reunion in the near future — Butcher’s main focus right now is on his music career.
He dropped his first original song back in August, and it’s been a long time coming. After studying music at UCLA, Butcher caught the internet’s attention with his amazing covers of Justin Bieber, Zayn Malik, and Shawn Mendes‘s songs. From there, he collaborated with Taylor Hill to create “Blood,” a powerful anthem about the dark times we’re living in today.
But, he was soon ready to create his own original music. Cue: “Ain’t Hurtin Nobody.”
Working with Grammy-winning producer Harvey Mason Jr. and songwriter Britt Burton, Butcher began mapping out the track in April. “We wanted a song that was light and fun for summer,” Butcher told Nostalgia Is the New Black. “The music video is about two people who basically get in with each other and they’re not hurtin’ anybody; they’re enjoying the life. They’re just happy to be in their lives. Even though there are ups and downs in the relationship, it’s all good and they want to stay together.”
While the music video perfectly embodied that carefree summer fling, fans couldn’t help noticing how Butcher wasn’t a kid anymore. He’s now an adult, doing adult things. Thankfully, comments, such as “Dustin u cant have sex u are only 10 omg” and “Zoey would not be proud of you,” only make Butcher smile.
“I never get irritated by it, because I’m so thankful that I even got the opportunity to be on that show,” he said. “It just baffles me because it was so long ago, but people are still like, ‘Oh my god, you grew up. You grew up so fast!’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean fast? It was like 13 years ago!'”
One person who probably had a harder time accepting the fact Butcher is all grown up was his Zoey 101 co-star, Victoria Justice. She gave his song her stamp of approval on Twitter shortly after it dropped.
Butcher was surprised to see his friend’s tweet, and confessed he immediately showed his family the good news. He was understandably nervous about dropping his first single, but his fears were quickly assuaged after Justice chimed in — not to mention the overwhelmingly positive feedback he’s received from fans.
It’s this response that pushes Butcher to continue working with Mason to create more music. Butcher’s currently writing six songs and will probably add more to the eventual album or EP. But, he may just continue to release songs as singles. “[This track] is kind of like a preview … created with the intention [to be] like a stand alone single,” he explained, while noting his upcoming music is “a little more darker, but still fun, still dancy, upbeat.”
Guess we’ll have to drink some Frazz to keep our energy up while we wait for his new music to drop.
Butcher’s new jam appears in several Digster playlists. You can check them all out below.
Featured Image: Courtesy of Paul Butcher