Paul Bellantoni has always turned to music to find a way to make sense of the world. Raised in New York and Florida, Paul taught himself how to play piano by picking the lock of a caged baby grand backstage in a closet of his high school auditorium (he never did like closets).
Paul inherited a love of classic rock bands (the likes of John Lennon, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, and Queen) as his father ran the Palladium Theatre in New York City in the 60’s and 70’s. He began to compose his first songs in the mid-to-late Nineties, taking inspiration from the strong female artists of that time, such as Tori Amos, Ani Difranco, and Fiona Apple. As a young gay teen without much representation at that time, Paul credits them as artists that paved the way to his message and writing style.
Paul began playing in LGBTQ nightclubs in the early 2000s, making his way to mainstream venues and separating his time between South Florida and Los Angeles by the mid 2000s before settling in Nashville. The Tim Burton of singer-songwriters, Paul’s vocal stylings and percussive keys has been described as edgy, creative, piano-based pop rock. His songs are powerful, heartfelt stories, with performance to match.
Musical Influences: Tori Amos, Amy Winehouse, Ani Difranco, David Bowie
