Rising singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist payton has released his bittersweet new single, “blame” from his upcoming debut EP, insomnia, out on his birthday, July 28th. Following the release of slow-burning lead single/video “all wrong,” “blame” ushers in a new era for payton, building upon his catalog of confessional yet hook-heavy songs. Listen to “blame” now below and pre-save insomnia HERE.
In bringing his new music to life, payton worked solely with producer Donny Bravo and dreamed up a more understated, R&B-infused sound than he’s ever attempted before. On Tuesday, August 2nd, payton will be celebrating the release of insomnia at The Echo in Los Angeles at 7PM. Tickets can be found HERE.
With his new music, payton looks forward to strengthening his connection with the countless fans who have come to rely on his songs for comfort and catharsis. “When I was on tour, I had a lot of people coming up to me and telling me that my music had saved them when they were going through tough situations in their lives,” payton says. “In my own life, I’m not really the type to be super-honest with the people around me if I’m having problems; I usually just deal with everything by putting it into a song. It means a lot to me that my music could end up helping people and making them feel better at those moments when they feel like no one understands them.”
Born Payton Moormeier in Georgia and raised in North Carolina, payton took up guitar at the age of nine and instantly showed a natural talent for the instrument. After getting his start posting covers on social media, he moved on to writing and self-recording his own material, mining inspiration from the free-flowing introspection of artists like Juice WRLD. At first, payton hesitated to share his original output with the world. “I had songs on my phone that I’d play for my closest friends, but the idea of letting anyone else hear them was so nerve-wracking,” he says. But with the release of “Love Letter”—an intensely vulnerable track about being ghosted by a former girlfriend—those anxieties quickly dissolved.
Since his debut, payton has released a string of buzzworthy singles that ooze emotion and vulnerability, inspired by challenging situations that he has allowed to transcend through his music. Creating songs that allows listeners to feel different emotions is what payton loves the most about making music and with each release, he offers his truth and inner-most thoughts through the best way he knows how: music.