How to Turn Your 15 Minutes of Fleeting Fame Into a Lasting Legacy with Jennifer Paige

0:01Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Created with John Ushai. Today, we'll be breaking down how to turn your 15 minutes of fame, fleeting or not fleeting, into a lasting legacy. To draw these value bonds, I brought to Jennifer Page and the EO Fire Studios. Pop sensation, Jennifer is famed for Crush, which sold 11 million copies and topped the charts in 16 countries around the world. She's an accomplished recording artist, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur.

0:35where in today at Fire Nation, we'll talk about how she fulfilled a childhood dream. We'll talk about how the entertainment industry has changed over the years. What we would say to ourselves 10 years ago, if you're a creative, how to maximize your gifts and leave a lasting legacy and so much more. As soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors. The Next Wave, your chief AI officer, hosted by Matt Wolf and Nathan Lands, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Matt and Nathan are leading AI creators in your guiding light in the AI and technology frontier.

1:09AI technology is transforming the way we do business and the media landscape is fragmented. The Next Wave strives to be the leading podcast on AI technology and how you can apply it to growing your business. Listen to The Next Wave wherever you get your podcasts. Jennifer, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. What's up, Fire Nation? So good to be here. Thank you so much for having me. I, okay, what do I believe that most people don't about success? I believe that it's okay. And maybe people already believe this, but I think it's okay to really humiliate yourself in the beginning of your career, whatever it is you're trying to do, because that is such a stumbling block for most people that I kind of try and remind myself all the time when I'm beginning something new, that even if I make a disaster of things that I can always recover.

2:11So mine is just like, just do it, you know, do it however it needs to get done. Well, Fire Nation, we're talking to somebody who has lived that for a long time now. We're talking today about how to turn your 15 minutes of fleeting fame into a lasting legacy. And Jennifer, you had a dream as a child. And unlike most people, you fulfilled that dream. Tell us that story. So I am a singer, singer-songwriter, and I was raised in Georgia, a small town. And my aunt actually was a singer. She was a kind of local, famous singer. And so I had that kind of mentor, if you will, to just see that it was possible to become a singer, that that's how she made a living.

2:59And so I, from a very young age, especially from the age of 12 on, I really wanted to become a singer. And of course, I'm sure you know, many people say like, oh, that's really sweet. That's cute. And they really think it's an unwise choice to follow that path. But lucky for me, my parents were pretty non-traditional and they just said, go for it, you know? And so we started doing exactly like what I just said. And we, my brother and I started kind of singing locally and we just grew from there. It was really bad in the beginning and little by little, you know, the training wheels came off and I moved to California when I graduated high school, quickly got a record deal.

3:46You know, I'd never left the United States and I traveled the entire world. I feel like I've gone to most every country at this point. And and it's been a really crazy ride. And that was back in 1998. So I was such a youngster. I've seen a lot of life since then. And I've, you know, endeavored into business. Definitely that was not my typical nature. And yeah, I've just seen a lot of life since then. And it was such a wake up call of, you know, turning your dream into reality. You know, obviously it wasn't a straight path, but I'm really grateful that I just was able to accomplish the things that I've been able to accomplish so far.

4:28Getting prepped for this interview, you know, one of Jennifer's legacies will always be her song Crush, which now has 36 million views on YouTube. And that's just on one of the videos. I'm sure there's more other places. and I can remember so clearly 10 years ago when I first interviewed Jennifer watching it right before our chat as well and just being like, wow, like here's a person that just has it all together. She must be a natural. She must have been born with this gift but I love how you're talking about, hey, man, we made a lot of mistakes at the beginning. It wasn't pretty. We had training wheels on.

4:58Those had to come off because guess what, Fire Nation? It's all about putting in the reps, waking up every single day and getting a little bit better by putting in the reps, moving closer to your goal day by day, inch by inch. Let's just be clear. We live in a world of constant change. So I'd love to know how the entertainment industry has changed over these past, even let's say 10 years since we last chatted. You know, everything has changed. I mean, everything about the music industry has changed and entertainment, the way we receive entertainment is completely different. It used to be a big deal to go to a record store and, you know, People would be lined up outside.

5:36There was this place called Turtles in Georgia and Atlanta. And we would stand outside of Turtles on release day. And now, I mean, kids wouldn't know what you were talking about. And so it's just such a different world. We've got so much coming at us. It's really hard to find a favorite artist these days because the world is so fast. The way we consume music is typically on the go. And yeah, it's become a very different world. I think it, it takes a lot. It's like, you know, like everything it's, there were things about the old way that was, was really cool. And there's things about the new way that's really cool.

6:15And I would say the best part about the old way was that there was a lot of mystique. There was a lot of allure around, you know, the artists, it was actually better to be a bit, you know, removed from the audience because that actually, you know, made you different in a way than, than just the girl next door who also sings. You know what I mean? So it was a very different thing. And now it's like the fans really know everything about that person. So it's like it's not just the world that they make up in their mind, but it's like literally their world. Who are they dating? Where are they going?

6:51And kids are kind of growing up with that mentality. So I think it can be dangerous in a way, but also there's something really cool about the instant gratification that music can bring. And I guess music has always done that, but we consume music in a completely different way than we did then. Fire Nation, truer words have never been spoken. I mean, being in my 40s now, I can just remember back when I was young and just how I consume music. I remember always listening to the top nine at 9 p.m. That was a must listen on radio. I would always listen to that. I can even tell you what the songs were like in 1998, 1999 on those radio stations, because that was like how we consumed music.

7:35And it was amazing. And, you know, we've talked a couple of times already, Jennifer, about, you know, 10 years ago, we had our first interview and obviously a lot has changed since then. If we could go back 10 years ago and talk to ourselves, we would have a lot to say, a lot of recommendations. Yeah. What has the last decade really just taught you specifically? I became a mom, uh, so nine years ago and I have a little girl and that was kind of the first, um, real grownup moment of my life. I mean, being, you know, touring around the world and doing all those things, it was that it did fulfill that side of me that, that had a dream as a kid.

8:16Um, but you know, with that came a lot of failure and it came a lot of disappointment and heartbreak and different things, you know, that probably we don't have a lot of time to talk about today. But it really grew me up. And when I had a little girl, my, my, it's almost like the goggles just like came off the blinders, you know, just completely everything changed. And my perception of the world became so refined. And, and I began to see things through a child's eyes, You know, what is how would this impact her? What what would you know, what would this be like long term? And I don't know why we don't ask those questions for ourselves, but we do for our kids a lot of times.

8:57So that's kind of what started happening. And it really I think it it grew me up. It gave me a deeper depth. And now I I really I mean, I you know, we're entrepreneurs, right? Like this is a group of strong entrepreneurs. If you're listening to this and you're passionate about building something. and I think we were created to do that. I think every one of us was created to build something. It might be building a family. It might be building a business, whatever it is. We are created to build something. But for me, when I didn't know I wanted to be a mom, it wasn't like, I wasn't one of those girls that was like, I can't wait to settle down.

9:33And I'm from the South, so that's actually very rare. And so, you know, when it happened for me, it was crazy how it did impact me. And it just, it caused me to think like, yes, success is great, but what, what is, what goes beyond success? What does this success create in the world behind me? What kind of impact am I really going to make? What's the domino effect? And it can be just for my daughter, or it can be my daughter and her friends. It can be my husband, my, you know, my community. And then it's just, it caused me to just think outside of myself really for the first time. And I hate to even say that, but I mean, I think I was always a pretty good person, but I, and I was always cared about people, but I never, I never thought deeply about how will this impact, you know, the world around me.

10:25And I find myself thinking that way a lot more these days. Powerful conversations, Fire Nation, when it has such an impact on your life, when you look back and say, man, where was I 10 years ago? What have been these things that were just such life shapers, life changers? I mean, it's crazy to think about because, you know, it feels like sometimes the days are slow, but man, the years can be fast. I mean, I literally can just picture exactly where I was sitting when I was having this conversation 10 years ago with Jennifer. It feels like it wasn't that long ago, but I mean, in the big scheme of things, it was a decade ago.

10:57And it's just crazy when you think about these things. So we're really going to be honing in on creatives when we get back from thinking our sponsors. The overwhelm that comes with choosing the right software and tools for growing your business is real. With so many options and so little time, how are you supposed to know which platform is best? You've got your email marketing platform, payment systems, content tools, the list goes on. It can sometimes feel like you're spending more time organizing all the moving pieces and places than actually connecting with prospects and customers. And this is where HubSpot steps in.

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12:15Visit HubSpot.com to learn more. Employers are raving about our sponsor, ZipRecruiter, like how quickly it helps them find great candidates. Take the CEO of Walls Need Love as an example, who said, typically when I use ZipRecruiter, I can have someone hired within two to four weeks. I found my lead graphic designer within just a few days. So if you're hiring, find out how fast ZipRecruiter works when you try it for free at ziprecruiter.com slash fire. How does ZipRecruiter do it? Well, ZipRecruiter's powerful matching technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. In fact, immediately after you post your job, it starts showing you qualified people, just like it did for the HR director for ADMA Biologics.

12:57She said, within hours of posting on ZipRecruiter, we got two candidates that we're going to hire. See why ZipRecruiter is the hiring site employers prefer most based on G2 ratings. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, ziprecruiter.com slash fire. Once again, go to ziprecruiter.com slash F-I-R-E to try it for free. Zip Recruiter, the smartest way to hire. Jennifer, we're back and the reality is this. I have found that creative people have a hard time defining success. How do you think creative people should? Being someone who was always kind of intrigued by business people, for whatever reason, maybe because my father was an entrepreneur, I've always been drawn to entrepreneurial endeavors.

13:44I never knew much about it, you know, growing up. I had to basically teach myself. But because of that hunger, I found myself in a group of entrepreneurs a lot, you know, whether that be some kind of course I was taking or throwing myself into an uncomfortable situation with a bunch of people I didn't know. And little by little, I just I would find myself kind of pulling back, reserving conversation, not really speaking up because nothing that I had to say felt like it applied. And so it actually kind of made me crawl in a hole a little bit because I realized like my life doesn't really, it doesn't work in the circle.

14:26That's how I felt, you know? And so it took me a really long time to find my place and realize like, oh, creativity is just an expression of that, whatever that entrepreneurial endeavor is, you know? So with creatives, you might say, like as a business person, you might say, you put it out there and you promote it and you check the numbers and you do all the things that business people do. But with creatives, it's like you create this thing and then you put it out in the world and then the world really decides if that thing is something that the world needs at that moment. So specifically a song, you know, is that song going to relate to enough people around the globe that they're going to want to sing the lyrics to it and say, like, I never knew how to say that, but she just said it exactly how I feel it.

15:17And so I found I would struggle to put myself into, you know, into that that world. And it caused me to really pull back. but finally I think I realized that it's just an expression and we all have a form of that expression and you know even if I'm not as regimented as you know a typical business person or I might have not have the same type of structure I can use a lot of the same advice that I just have to use it in slightly different ways so creatives I think we have to you know just like business people we have to rep, right? So with songwriting, I have to write, you know, 10 songs to get a good one.

16:00And then I have to, you know, promote it, I have to share it with, you know, let's say 10 different music supervisors before one is going to choose it for their TV show. And then I'm going to have to share it, you know, 200 times online before, you know, people catch on to it. And so it's just like everything else. But I think because it's attached to your name, specifically, it feels so vulnerable. So creatives give up really quickly. But I think if we think of ourselves more like a business and take the pressure off of ourselves to be perfect out of the gate, it really helps a lot. So one thing, Jennifer, that we talked about really at the very beginning, and especially when I was going through your introduction about creating a lasting legacy, is just that.

16:46What are the best ways to leave that lasting legacy beyond just fame and fortune? Because there are people out there that are looking to do just that. What are your thoughts around that topic? I think it's good to have, you know, big goals and big dreams. And I think that, you know, God, whether, you know, I believe that God plants a vision in our heart, whether it's through dreams at night, whether it's through, you know, just a conversation that we might have, there's just all these, like some people call them God winks. Right. And so we, we get that, we get those in life. And I think when we really begin to tap into, you know, what goes beyond the expression here, what, yes, like I'm a singer, I'm a songwriter and that's how I express who I am, but what, like, what am I actually here to do and how can I use that expression to impact the world around me.

17:40So the big change in me over the last decade, I would say, is that I find myself asking myself that question all the time. It's like, yeah, it's great to have success. Success is fleeting. It can be fleeting. You know, we all have ups and downs. That's just how it is. That's how we grow. And, you know, sometimes we even lose interest in certain things. And for me, that was actually difficult when I started losing interest in certain sides of the music industry. I did not know who I was anymore because I had put so much of my identity into music and I didn't realize that I had done that. So when I lost interest in certain aspects of the music industry, I was like, I don't even know what to do.

18:24I don't, I don't know what, what I want to do anymore beyond, you know, what I've already done. And, um, and I think then like, that's when it's really important to start really listening, um, you know, really paying attention to the things that are coming in because so much of us want to do more and we have that burning desire inside of us, but we don't necessarily know what that thing is. I dealt with that for a long time, you know, in the, in that transition of like, okay, I've, I've toured, I've done the things I've done a lot of cool stuff. Um, musically, like, what can I do next? I really went through a, a difficult transition and now I just realized like, okay, music, that was an expression.

19:04And what does that expression allow me to do? So for me specifically, what that looks like is, um, I'm creating music that is like pop music, but it, it's, it's for the next generation. It's positive. It's encouraging. It's for kids. And so I'm like, okay, I can use my gift to impact the next generation, give them options to listen to beyond what's, you know, basically on the, on today's radio, you know, it's, it's, it's just an option that I can, that I can throw out into the world and then let the world decide, you know, if that, if that serves them, you know, and so that's what I'm doing now.

19:41So that's how I see it. And I appreciate your honesty about it being a difficult transition because, you know, I think a lot of people just see like the fame and the fortune and the lights and the camera and the action are like, oh, that person's set for life. And man, they're just going to be so happy because they're going to ride off into the sunset. But a lot of times, you know, when you see somebody that, you know, becomes famous, it is for a very short amount of time relatively. And then they still have the rest of their lives. You know, I even look at like college basketball players who are great in college basketball, but they're not quite good enough to take it to the next level.

20:13But I mean, they were so, and that was just all their identity for 22 years. They ate, lived and breathed it. And now it's over. And now they're like, I guess I need to go like get a job at, you know, who knows, you know, fill in the blank. Yes, it's very confusing. And I think business owners go through that too, when you either your business shuts down or, you know, maybe you lose interest. And I think that's just something we don't talk about enough is like, you know, how do you get out of that funk to rediscover your identity? So I think knowing, you know, the thing beyond your job, the thing beyond what you're building, knowing who you are and really what you're here to do.

20:54I think that is the way to get to that answer. At least that's been the way that I have gotten to that answer. So, Jennifer, you've shared a lot of really awesome things today. I would love if you could just say to Fire Nation what you want the key takeaway from our conversation being. What is the one thing you want to make sure that we get from our conversation today? The world defines success in a certain way. And we have been raised, you know, no matter what our upbringing was, we've been raised to believe that, you know, success equals this, you know, this is what it looks like. But I would challenge the audience to just consider, go deeper with the question and and ask, you know, what does success look like to me?

21:41What does it look like as I use my expression and how can I take that to impact the world around me beyond myself? And if Fire Nation wants to connect with you, wants to learn more about what you have going on, what is your call to action for our listeners today? I would love for you to go to popish.com. It's a brand new business that I've created with my husband. And, um, it's, it's really cool. I'm so excited about it. It's basically what I've been talking about today. It's music for the next generation. So if you have kids for sure. Um, and my daughter's also involved, my nine year old who is, um, just very outgoing girl.

22:21So, um, it's going to be a lot of fun. It's, it's music, art and, uh, entertainment for kiddos. Well, fire nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And You've been hanging out with JP and JLD today, so keep up the heat. And for links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com, type Jennifer in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up and go ahead and give a listen to our episode we did 10 years ago. It's a really cool conversation. I just listened to it the other day. It's a lot of fun. And Jennifer, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation.

22:55For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Jennifer for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, what can 4 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs teach you? How about how to achieve financial freedom and fulfillment? My first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, is a revolutionary 17-step roadmap that will lead you to the lifestyle you've been dreaming about. This book took me 10 years of accumulating the genius of the world's top entrepreneurs. and you can get it all in one place when you visit UncommonSuccessBook.com.

23:31I'll catch you there or on the flippity flip side. The Next Wave, your chief AI officer, hosted by Matt Wolf and Nathan Lanz, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Matt and Nathan are leading AI creators in your guiding light in the AI and technology frontier. AI technology is transforming the way we do business and the media landscape is fragmented. The Next Wave strives to be the leading podcast on AI technology and how you can apply it to growing your business. Listen to The Next Wave wherever you get your podcasts.