Paul Russell, the 25-year-old rising artist, releases his viral hit single 'Lil Boo Thang' via Arista Records.
On the track, Paul commented: “First and foremost, “Lil Boo Thang” is meant to be a good time. When I wrote it, I was stressed out on a Thursday afternoon so I just turned on some of the music that makes me happy and imagined that I was celebrating something. I think what makes the song special is the fact that so many of us are ready to just forget about whatever is happening around us and enjoy the good things in life – not just thinking back to good times in the past but creating new ones in the present day.”
Interpolating The Emotions’ iconic anthem ‘Best Of My Love’, Paul teased ‘Lil Boo Thang’ on TikTok in June 2023, which garnered over 5.3 million views and helped generate 55,600 creations. He then remade the same post on Instagram receiving 10.4 million views and 355,000 reels. The record has received 20,000 pre-saves to date which accurately represents the level of digital momentum this track holds.
Listen to ‘Lil Boo Thang’ by Paul Russell on the F1 Tracks Playlist on Spotify.
‘Lil Boo Thang’ follows the success of Paul’s previous single ‘Ms Poli Sci’, which has gained 8 millions views on TikTok and over 15 million overall streams to date. ‘Lil Boo Thang’ also marks the first taste of new music to be released with Paul’s new label home Arista Records.
You’ve never met or heard anybody quite like Paul Russell. As a kid, the Dallas, TX native learned how to wail on trumpet in between spitting bars during lunchroom battle-raps and later crooning over ukulele. His musical DNA is just as wildly dynamic as his personality is. During his time at Cornell University, he often DJ-ed at parties. As such, he knows how to get a party popping. A wide swath of inspirations—from Anderson .Paak and OutKast to Louie Armstrong—impacted his own creative trajectory.
He gained traction with a series of early uploads and went viral a few times. Settling down in Los Angeles, his independent anthem ‘Hallelujah’ generated over 7.3 million Spotify streams followed by ‘Ms. Poli Sci’ with 14 million Spotify streams. He best describes his boisterous rhythms, ecstatic hooks, and buffet of R&B, funk, pop, and hip-hop as “cookout music you listen to outside with a bunch of friends.”
