Nathan-Paul: Most Interesting People 2022

Why He’s Interesting: Nathan-Paul first picked up the saxophone at the age of 11 and now has nearly 20 singles, six EPs and five albums out. He’s also in a band, Nathan-Paul and the Admirables.

Genre Bending: “We do a little bit of everything. We cover the whole spectrum of black music … you’ve got gospel in there, you got blues, you got jazz, you got rock, you got hip-hop, a lot of different things.”

Just Out: Funk Me, the band’s first full studio album, was released last summer.

How It All Started: “Growing up, my father always let me play my music as loud as I wanted. I would go to sleep listening to it blasting … all the time. I don’t remember ever having any limits as a creative person. I was never discouraged, not once. That was my childhood.”

Cleveland Love: “I want to help my city grow and do its thing. I’m invested in the city of Cleveland and teaching our youth. I want people to want to say that they are from Cleveland.”    

Day to Day: For the last four years, Nathan-Paul has served as the band director at Richmond Heights High School. “Pretty much everything is about the kids … without the kids, without investing in them, you’re not investing in the future. I wouldn’t be where I am without adults investing in me when I was a kid.”

Up Next: He’s working on a duet with Cleveland pianist Jon Thomas and a project with local musician Marcus Alan Ward. “I’m just going to keep releasing. I’m probably going to put out between four to seven projects this year. The floodgates are open.”

Click here to meet the 30 Most Interesting People of 2022.