When it comes to a long-term relationship, Greg Paddock reigns supreme on Love Me Forever.

The Detroit alt-rock singer-songwriter celebrates a regal connection with his romantic partner and muse on his latest EP.

“After Cotswold was released [in 2020], I was quite happy performing and promoting the music and letting it fuel my passion. But I was also quite content being alone and having no relationships,” Paddock said.

“However, as fate would have it, I was introduced to my ‘queen,’ and she hit me like a storm (in a good way) … it was love at first sight and what she taught me was that I was not happy being alone. I don’t think I’ve ever felt love like that … and she inspired me to start writing a love song to tell the world how it felt being with her.”

Throughout Love Me Forever, Paddock documents the cyclical nature of relationships, including finding true love and overcoming heartbreak. He wraps listeners in a warm embrace across four tracks filled with spirited vocals, heartfelt lyrics and cinematic instrumentation.

“When I was writing my last EP, I had gone through a few years of turmoil from recovering from a head injury, losing my father, seeing a nephew battle cancer and ending a long-term relationship at the end of all that,” he said.

“I remember one comment after that EP of people saying, ‘Geez, when are you going to write a happy song?’ I would jokingly say, ‘Well, give me something happy to write about.’ For the record, I am a very happy, outgoing person; the previous music was just my outlet for some things that weren’t so happy in my life.”

To learn more about his current release, I recently spoke with Paddock about Love Me Forever’s tracks, his writing and recording process with former Dishwalla frontman J.R. Richards, his live Sugartips Acoustic gigs with guitarist Ryan Harrison and his upcoming plans.

Q: How are things? What’s been inspiring you lately?

A: I started the year off in Oxfordshire, England working on the new EP Love Me Forever, and then I hit the ground running upon my return to the U.S. both doing acoustic and full-band performances as well as promoting the new EP. My inspiration has been pouring myself into this new music to get it out to everyone as well as a rejuvenated energy for doing live performances after a couple-month break while overseas.

Q: How did 2020’s Cotswold help set the tone for Love Me Forever? How has your sound grown over the last three years?

A: Cotswold was such a different experience as it was my first EP, so I was learning how to promote the music and also how the music affected people hearing the songs that were telling my stories. What it taught me was how people were interested in hearing original music … and how the stories [from the songs] related to their own experiences.

I think it helped me grow as a musician to know that my stories were things people wanted to hear about. I think doing these songs at live performances helped me learn more about people and helped me overall as a vocalist.

Q: Love Me Forever’s “Queen Heart” highlights the progression of a passionate relationship from an instant attraction to a long-term commitment. How does this track reflect your past or present experiences with relationships? How has being in a relationship made you feel like a “king” and allowed your partner to feel like a “queen?”

A: I have always prided myself on treating my significant other with love, respect and commitment. What gives me pride is being recognized by comments my kids have made … that I treat a woman that way and that I would want them to do the same in their relationships. I think if you are in a relationship with someone you should treat them like royalty.

When I met [my partner] Sarah for the first time, I can tell you it was an instant mutual attraction. I’m sure the room could feel it, too … but it also felt natural and just right from the get-go. I could feel early on that we both felt like this wasn’t a fling or short-term. As much as I wanted to put a crown on her and put her on a pedestal, I felt like she did the same to me. At some point, I would refer to her as my “queen,” and she would refer to me as her “king.”

I can honestly say I have never called someone that before or have had them call me that. [Sarah] inspired the title of this song because her contact is in my phone as “My Queen,” so whenever she calls me, my car would show “My queen heart is calling.” I always found that to be cute and thought it worked as a perfect lyric for a song that is a tribute to my love for her.

Q: “We’re Not the Same” chronicles how a friendship deteriorates over time and how a friend can eventually become a stranger. How was writing this track a cathartic experience for you? How do you hope this track helps others who are facing similar struggles?

A: It was born out of disappointment in the actions of a former friend … it’s kind of more about unsupportive people we, unfortunately, come across in our lives, especially in this day and age of social media where people sit behind their laptops or phones and try and knock others down. For anyone who has been betrayed by someone very close to them—whether it’s a significant other or a friend—it’s a terrible feeling. Your best bet is to not feed into them and just walk away.

Q: Why did you cover Billy Joel’s 1977 track “She’s Always a Woman?” What’s special to you about that song and the album The Stranger? Why did you decide to close the EP with a piano version of that same track?

A: “She’s Always a Woman” has always been one of my top three favorite Billy Joel songs. The album is special to me because I remember my dad and sister being Columbia House music club members. They ordered that album on 8-track along with 52nd Street, and I’d listen to both endlessly. Singing the songs, I would emulate Billy Joel’s voice and singing style, which have heavily influenced me over the years and still do to this day. I’ve also always liked his storytelling style.

The song itself I thought fit well with the theme of this EP because the song was written about loving someone for who they are … even their little quirks that can drive you crazy sometimes. When you are fully in love with someone, you take them for all that they are … and I thought it was a good way to say how I feel about my “queen.”

I wanted to use the piano version on the EP because J.R. [Richards] played piano on it, and he’s brilliant at it. I also liked both versions we recorded because the final piano version is just so intimate and highlights the feelings in the vocals with the piano.

Q: What was the writing and recording process like for Love Me Forever? How did J.R. Richards help shape the EP’s overall sound?

A: I had lyrics that I had been compiling for a couple of years on “We’re Not the Same.” For “Queen Heart,” I would just jot lyrics down randomly as my relationship with Sarah grew, and I would have little thoughts about what she did to make me love her and would write them as they came to me.

When I arrived in England, I was staying at a tavern, and outside of it, they had a big sign that advertised how their big garden space was great for events like weddings. The banner displayed, “Marry me now. Love me forever,” and I remember taking a photo and sending it to Sarah and saying, “Well, what do you think?” But I also thought, “Man, those words would fit great in this song I’m writing for her.”

Once J.R. and I sat down to start writing the music for “Queen Heart,” I started piecing in the lyrics I had written … and we would fit them in as the song materialized. There wasn’t anyone I wanted to work with more on these songs because piano and keyboard are J.R.’s specialty, and he’s a brilliant songwriter.

He gets my vocals, and I can’t say enough about my respect for him and the inspiration he has given me since his mid-‘90s Dishwalla days. His fingerprints are on every piece of Love Me Forever, and he provided all of the instrumentation.

Q: You and Ryan Harrison continue to play live regularly as Sugartips Acoustic in metro Detroit. What do you enjoy most about performing with Ryan as part of that duo? How do your live performances continue to evolve?

A: I couldn’t imagine doing Sugartips Acoustic without Ryan. He is quite simply the most talented and knowledgeable musician I have ever worked with, and I’m proud to say that he’s been my music partner for over five years now.

We just have the perfect dynamics with my vocals matched with his guitar style. It’s a great feeling when we do a show, and there are people there who gush about his guitar skills or [give] compliments on the vocals. It’s just the perfect combination, and we also mix it up well so everything doesn’t sound the same.

There are times when I can feel him changing something up in a song that we’ve played countless times. He has a way of making his guitar sound full. It’s also nice having him do backing vocals … it adds a lot to the performance.

Q: What’s up next for you? Any plans to write new material or go back into the studio? 

A: The big thing is promoting Love Me Forever, and the singles “Queen Heart” and “We’re Not the Same.” I’ve also been nominated in seven different categories for the 2023 International Singer-Songwriters Association Awards [on Aug. 5 in Atlanta] … it makes me enthusiastic about making more music even though I’m promoting a newly released project.

I’m always jotting down lyrics and having ideas for new material. It will be a matter of working hard and making money to turn those into studio projects, but I would like to get back to it as soon as possible.