Premiere: Portair Evokes Weightless Folk Pop Wonder in “Paper in the Sky”

Portair © Ashley Osborn
Portair © Ashley Osborn
An ethereal, sweet folk pop surrender, Portair’s “Paper in the Sky” blends nostalgia and wonder in a wide-eyed song about time, growth, and entering into an unknown full of possibility.
for fans of Smith & Thell, SYML, WILD, Of Monsters and Men
Stream: “Paper in the Sky” – Portair



There’s no telling where time will take us: Life is a wonderful mystery, and while we can assert control over our world in any number of ways, the only way for us to really know what tomorrow brings is to get there ourselves. Patience, humility, and trust are more than pretty words in this regard: They are essential parts on never-ending personal growth. Up-and-coming singer/songwriter Portair captures this ethos in his new single: An ethereal, sweet folk pop surrender, “Paper in the Sky” blends nostalgia and wonder in a wide-eyed song about time, growth, and entering into an unknown full of possibility.

Paper in the Sky - Portair
Paper in the Sky – Portair
We used to race drops of rain
On the glass inside a car
Built model trains and paper planes
Just to see how fast and far
They could go
I’ve read the books and I’ve learned all I could know
So I fold a page into wings out the window
Watch the paper in the sky float
I follow it wherever it goes

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Paper in the Sky,” the first single of 2021 from recent Nettwerk signee Portair. An Australia born, Los Angeles based singer/songwriter with his feet on the ground and head in the sky, Portair’s music is a as much a blend of worlds as it is one of sounds. His music is both ethereal and grounded, his lyrics rooted in lived experience and flooded with dazzling metaphor and imagery.

Portair © Ashley Osborn
Portair © Ashley Osborn

While he has been releasing music independently since 2018 (his debut “All I See” is a delicate, soaring indie folk immersion), “Paper in the Sky” serves as a vivid introduction for those just now discovering Portair’s art and artistry. The song bustles with gorgeous sonics, soothing whistles, and Portair’s own stunning falsetto: His golden voice is smooth, crisp, and brimming with emotion as he gracefully sings atop a pool of evocative instrumentation.

“This song is written from a childhood to young adult perspective,” Portair explains. “It’s all about nostalgia and where life takes you. The paper plane in the sky is a metaphor that I thought of for throwing your faith into the unknown of where life may take you and following it wherever it goes. It’s about being unafraid and trusting in yourself and believing in the power of your own mind.”

A wooden bridge across the sea
That I would cross when I would dream
The longer road that I would take
Just to find a new escape

As relatable as his lyrics are, Portair’s sounds are truly stunning. Akin to Brian Fennell’s SYML project and some of the past decade’s most popular folk pop from artists like Of Monsters and Men or Smith & Thell, “Paper in the Sky” is both urgent and effortless: A dramatic, sweeping effort that takes the ears and mind by storm.

Stream “Paper in the Sky” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this artist over the coming year!

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Stream: “Paper in the Sky” – Portair



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Paper in the Sky - Portair

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? © Ashley Osborn

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