Published on June 8th, 2021 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0P.J. Pacifico On His Latest Single “Every Little Heartbreak,” Writing With Garrison Starr, Future Plans, Christopher Cross & More
After years of being immersed behind the scenes as a songwriter, scoring a multitude of sync licensing placements for commercials and popular television shows (e.g. Shameless, Hard Knocks, Teen Mom 2), P.J. Pacifico has returned to his roots as a solo recording artist with his new single “Every Little Heartbreak.” Speaking to a world eager to embrace a fresh new day after a time of intense challenges, “Every Little Heartbreak” features singer/songwriter Garrison Starr on harmonies and production duties. The track was written by Pacifico, Starr and Valerie Broussard, the latter being Pacifico’s partner in his band Signals In Smoke, whose song “Coming Up For Air” hit #1 on iTunes’ Singer/Songwriter chart after appearing on Grey’s Anatomy; the same song was later featured on The CW’s Legacies.
P.J. Pacifico’s perspective on the ups and downs of being an indie artist and songwriter are profoundly colored by his experiences as a survivor of Hodgkins Lymphoma. He was diagnosed during Christmas break of his senior year at the University of Hartford. Beating cancer after undergoing months of chemo and radiation — and even having his spleen and part of his liver removed — made him feel that the universe had given him a second chance, but there was an intense psychological downside: survivor’s guilt. When he started achieving success in music, he struggled with what is known as “imposter’s syndrome,” a related emotion which has often made him feel unworthy of his hard-earned blessings. Eventually he would sign to Viper Records in 2006, and ink a licensing deal with Razor & Tie Publishing (now branded within the Concord musical umbrella) in 2015.
On June 8, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with P.J. Pacifico via Zoom, as embedded below. More on Pacifico and “Every Little Heartbreak” can be found by clicking here, here, here and here.