Paige on tall poppy syndrome - 'We act too cool to be fans of local artists'

In 2020, Paige's EP Always Growing was a massive hit in South Korea and at home earned her two Aotearoa Music Awards nominations and a Waiata Māori Music Award for 'Best Māori Female Solo Artist'.

Five years on, the 28-year-old songwriter cares a lot more about musicianship, lyricism and production.

The five intimate, acoustic songs on her new EP paigesspace explore toxic romance, turmoil with whānau and her own coming of age.

After playing to an excited crowd at her first-ever Asia headline show in Korea this year, Paige (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) realised how "insecure" she was and also how different self-respect can look for musicians in different cultures.

She was packing up her own instruments and pedals from the stage after playing a gig in Seoul when a Korean musician told her that wasn't the done thing.

"She's like, Why did you take all your stuff off? I was like, 'Oh, just because it's the respectful thing to do.' She's just like, 'No, no, no. That makes you look like you don't have any pride or something."

"As a Kiwi, you have like this shame maybe or insecurity, questioning yourself and stuff like that.

"When I went to Asia, it was kind of like, 'Why are you questioning it? You're mean as. People think you're really cool'."

In Japan, Paige filmed visualisers for some of the songs on paigesspace, which are all around two minutes long.

"Only one song has a bridge. I like writing bridges, but I'm just kind of like, 'Ah, I've said enough. I've said what I needed to say."

She wrote the "tongue-in-cheek" song 'Why Do We Want To Be In Love' with her friend Demi Louise in just 20 minutes.

A couple of years on, the track's difficult question - "Why do we go back to the toxic people if we're just in pain most of the time?" - is one that Paige is no longer tormented by.

"I know why I want to be in love now. Don't know if I did then."

'And my mother / She just wants a call', she sings on 'No Hoping '- a song written for her whānau about the heartbreak of close, life-long relationships hitting patches of turbulence.

"I never realised as a young person growing up that you can kind of drift apart from family members. I always thought they'd just always be tight. Doesn't happen.

"I was in a really tragic spot. Now we're good. Now me and my family are real close again and it's chill."

This year, alongside Huia and Makayla, Paige is again nominated for Best Māori Female Solo Artist at the Waiata Māori Music Awards.

As a student of te reo now exploring her whakapapa, she says she's still figuring out how she wants to present herself as a wahine Māori.

"It's still kind of a bit imposter syndrome-y for me. But regardless, I'm super grateful.

"I feel like in the Māori community we really champion each other, and that's really cool."