In the Country with Dave Woods:
Paige Rutledge

My guest for this month’s column is Paige Rutledge. From her first single “Take Me Back To Tiki” in 2020 to the recent release of her debut EP Break Up Rules, Paige Rutledge has steadily made a name for herself on the country music scene in Ontario and beyond. Whether it’s playing full band shows at venues like the Stampede Ranch in Guelph and Big Texas in Niagara Falls – or country music festivals – or songwriter rounds, Paige shines with a genuine star quality and a love for what she’s doing. And in case you didn’t know, her sparkly guitar – which she designed herself – is named Dolly. One of Paige’s favourite songs to cover is the Dolly Parton classic “Jolene”. Now, let’s get to know Paige a bit better as I put her in the spotlight!

Congrats on the release of your debut EP Break Up Rules, which you celebrated in September with a full house – and special guests Jessica Sole & Gabe Grieve – at The Rivoli in Toronto! How does it feel to have your first EP out?
Thank you so much, Dave! It was honestly such a surreal feeling. If anyone reading this has put on a show before, you can understand how stressful it is to sell tickets. Haha, so it was such a special moment to see the room fill up and hear people singing along to the songs I had written for this project. I felt so loved and supported, and it was such a special way to kick off the release of the EP. There is a lot that goes into putting together and releasing an EP, so it’s a great feeling to have it out into the world.

What’s the story behind the EP’s title track, “Break Up Rules”?
I have known for a while that I wanted to release an EP, but I was not always sure what it was going to look like. When Matt Koebel and I started brainstorming this project and figuring out which songs would be included, I didn’t know exactly what the title of the EP would be.

I had a write scheduled with Ajaye and Cassidy Cummings in April 2023 and had the title Break Up Rules in my phone. I did not know exactly what direction I wanted with this song, but I threw the title out that day, and we immediately all just jumped right in. We really wanted the song to be more of an empowering feeling for the listener, and as soon as the song was finished, it felt like the perfect title track for the EP. I am a big fan of breakup songs in country music, and this EP is meant to take you on a journey of all the different aspects of breakups and the stages of a breakup. Break Up Rules, as a song, just felt like the perfect way to sum up the entire EP.

One of my favourite tracks on the EP is “Dive Bar Romeo”. It’s so catchy. Tell us about that song.
AW THANK YOU! “Dive Bar Romeo” is such a fun tune, and I absolutely love this one. It’s funny, too, because this was the song that almost did not make the EP. We had done a few different demos to try and find the right vibe for this song, and I am so glad that my producer, Matt Koebel, and I did not give up on it.

I’ve always loved the idea of “Romeo and Juliet” in country music- this probably goes back to listening to Love Story by Taylor Swift! I had the title Dive Bar Romeo written down in my phone for a long time and was just waiting for some inspiration to write the song. I was out at Red Door one night in Nashville and had met a guy who, to me, was the exact definition of a Dive Bar Romeo. I also happened to have a write scheduled the next day with Ryan Sorestad, and we immediately ran with the idea. Felt like a very Taylor Swift full circle moment!

What advice would you give to a young artist who is just starting to write songs?
Don’t be afraid to throw out your ideas! I was definitely guilty of this, thinking that none of my ideas are good enough, but the really beautiful thing about co-writing is that another person in the room might hear your idea and be like, “ok, cool, let’s try to take it this way,” and then suddenly you have this song!

The other piece of advice I would give is to put yourself out there! Do not be afraid to take every opportunity and put yourself in rooms with writers who are better than you; there is always something that you can learn, and that part is just as important.

This answer can change over time. Right now, who would be your ultimate duet partner – male or female – and why?
I love this question!! There are so many people that I would love to have a duet with. Some of my forever answers are Taylor Swift and Shania Twain.

My current ultimate duet partner at the moment would be Sabrina Carpenter! I absolutely love what the pop female artists are doing and think it would be so fun to have a country/pop crossover, especially with Sabrina’s songwriting style and how fun her songs are.

What goal do you have for your music career over the next year?
My goal is to always continue growing from the previous year that I had. I am so proud of everything that we have accomplished over the past year, including Sirius XM and playing festivals, and I would love to just see that growth continue. It’s funny to say because the EP has been out for only just over a month now, but I am excited to start releasing new music again and hopefully continue to reach more listeners with it!

Who are a couple of artists on your playlist that you would recommend to us?
I’m really digging what so many artists are doing in Canadian country music! Right now, I am loving “What If I” by Annika Catharina and have Dayna Reid’s album, “She’s Me” on repeat!!

Thanks for being my In The Spotlight guest for November, Paige! I know 2025 will bring you even more success than this year has.
Thank you so much for having me! Always such a pleasure to get to catch up, and thank you for being a supporter- it does not go unnoticed!

Listen to Paige’s Break Up Rules EP here: https://lnk.to/breakuprules

Paige’s Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paigerutledge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigerutledge/

TikTok: paigerutledge (@paigerutledgemusic) | TikTok