KAT REINHERT
Q: What inspired you to write “Paris in the Snow”?
A: It was January 2021 and we were still pretty much in lock down for Covid in NYC…and it was snowing and I was tired of being stuck inside and the outside just looked like a snow globe. So, I started using this chord progression and guitar shapes I’d just learned (this is actually the first song I wrote on the guitar) and the song kinda fell out…with a whole bunch of rewrites and re-working as I went. The rhyming of the French and English was the most fun, at least for me.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of setting the song in a snow-covered Paris?
A: I used to have this snow globe (see my first answer) of Paris and for whatever reason, that just sparked this whole idea for the song.
Q: The lyrics are so vivid and cinematic. Do you see the scenes you describe in your mind as you write?
A: Aw…thanks! Yes. I’ve been to Paris once – with my sister when I was in my mid-20’s. But it was in the summer…still, it’s easy to imagine the magic of the place in the winter…
Q: How important was it for you to capture both the personal and universal aspects of love in the song?
A: What a great question! It’s extremely important. Songwriting in this style almost necessitates having personal details – they make it, oddly, more relatable.
Q: Paris is described as a “mystery” in the song. What aspects of the city do you find most intriguing?
A: There’s just something magical about Paris to me. Maybe it’s just the stories I’ve read about, or the legends…but even when I went, it felt like the city holds mysteries that are there to be explored and unlocked – but are only really available to those who live there…kind of like NYC (where I currently live)
Q: Do you think the temporary nature of the snow adds to the magic of this setting?
A: Interesting. I hadn’t really thought about that, but yes. 100%
Q: How do you feel the wintry imagery in the song reflects the emotions of love and longing?
A: I love winter – but there is something about the cold that makes it feel like we’re waiting for something to change…it’s a hibernating feeling almost. That you can find what you need, but that there might be a different version…if you can just wait it out.
Q: Were there specific places in Paris that inspired the song’s lyrics?
A: Yes. The Eiffel Tower, of course. But also Mont Marte, the Pont des Arts (Love Lock Bridge) where you can find all these padlocks…it’s kind of amazing, the bakeries, the streets…it all kind of mushes together in a feeling.
Q: The song speaks about savoring the present moment. Is that a theme you often explore in your music?
A: These are great questions! Yes. I struggle with really being in the moment. I’m always moving, doing, making…so I’ve really had to work on being present in the present – being there for my art, for my work, for my relationships, for my students. I’ve gotten a lot better at it over the years, but I still have to always remind myself of the importance of the present.
Q: Do you remember a particular moment in Paris that sparked the idea for this song?
A: Not really. It’s more about just the overall city itself…
Q: There’s something bittersweet in the acknowledgment that the moment in Paris is not permanent. How do you balance that feeling with the warmth of the song?
A: I think this goes back to me wrestling with being in the present. Acknowledging that things change, and that if I can just hold onto this feeling and really BE in the moment, then I can come back to it in my imagination any time I want to experience that again. The idea of recall feeds the warmth of the overall characteristic and message.
Q: Is the city of Paris, in many ways, a character in the song?
A: Totally. Cities have personalities. I travel a lot…and LA feels so different than NYC…than Boston…than Portland…and they all have their quirks and fascinations.
Q: In what ways is your process different for writing love songs as opposed to other themes you work with in your music?
A: I don’t really write a lot of love songs lol I’m not sure my process is different, I just think I’m a little more shy about exploring that very intimate and vulnerable part of my life. Also, there are a LOT of love songs…so I think there’s also something in myself as a songwriter that just wants to do something different.
Q: The song captures the magic of ordinary moments like walking and sharing a kiss. How do you channel that simplicity into your lyrics?
A: I mean, it’s the simple things that really hold our thoughts, right? Sure, the big moments are memorable, but I feel they tend to be more broad in scope – like we remember the essence of the event. There’s too much information to really remember all the little details so the big events just get lumped into a larger bucket. But the smaller moments? The feel of holding someone’s hand walking in a magical place, the morning coffee looking out a window…these are things our memories hold onto – they’re what also create a universality in the lyric. Even if you haven’t been to Paris, you’ve probably shared a kiss somewhere special…so it evokes those memories in a person’s psyche…
Q: How do you want listeners to feel when they hear “Paris in the Snow”?
A: Nostalgic, solemnly happy, peaceful, relaxed
Q: Is there a particular lyric from the song that holds the most meaning for you?
A: hmmm…probably not one particular lyric, but one thing I loved about how this song evolved is the changing chorus. When I first wrote it, the choruses were all the same, but as I worked on the story, they needed to reflect what was happening…so they shifted…
Q: Do you think this song is more about a place, a person, or a feeling?
A: All of the above.
Q: If you could perform “Paris in the Snow” anywhere in Paris, where would it be and why?
A: OOoooo….gosh. Probably on the Pont des Arts…but anywhere would be magical….
