3 Feet High & Rising: Viral All-Black Pop-Punk Band The Paradox’s Frontman Eric Dangerfield Talks Upcoming Debut EP
The Paradox, L-R: Percy “PC3” Crews, Christopher “Xelan” Bernard, Eric Dangerfield, and Donald “Rayman” Bryant (CREDIT: Freya Smith)
The Paradox is a viral all-Black Pop-punk band hailing from Atlanta with, at the time of this article’s publication, only three (maybe, arguably four) released original tracks to date. Even in its early infantile stages, The Paradox has still received co-signs from legends like blink-182’s Travis Barker, Hoobastank’s Dan Estrin, Green Day, Lil’ Nas X, Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden, Simple Plan, and Third Man Records’ co-founder/co-owner Jack White.
Formed as recently as June 2024, The Paradox consists of Eric Dangerfield on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Donald “Rayman” Bryant on bass, Christopher "Xelan" Bernard on lead guitar and background vocals, and Percy "PC3" Crews on drums, swiftly became a force to reckon with in the Pop-punk scene. Their rise, propelled by their distinct identity as young, African American musicians, led to an early opportunity opening for Green Day at their Truist Park stadium show in the band's backyard. After discovering one of their videos online, Jack White, then, direct messaged the band asking them to open for his intimate show at Basement East in Nashville.
From their very first performance, The Paradox made waves online, capturing an audience that The Internet wasn't prepared for; their debut video went viral, and within just three weeks of launching their social media presence, they amassed over 110,000 Followers. The band hopes to use their platform to inspire kids who, without them, may not have a band to look up. After a stellar performance at the When We Were Young Festival this past October, the band is now in the studio working on their debut EP.
The group's undeniable energy and ingenuity positions them to be one of 2025's most promising new acts. It took a bit of persistence and digital sleuthing over a few months, but I finally recently got in touch with The Paradox’s manager, Darrion Tate, who graciously granted me access to the band and helped me set up an interview with The Paradox’s founder, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist. Shout-out to Darrion!
So, on the heels of The Paradox’s third single, “Do Me Like That” (formerly and quite infamously known as “Subaru,”) you’ll see the interview below. It was conducted with Eric Dangerfield earlier this month. The text below has been lightly edited for general clarity. The Paradox’s single “Do Me Like That,” “Ms. Lauren,” “Imani,” and “Kaitlyn”—somewhat strangely billed to “Eric Dangerfield, The Paradox”—are now all available on streaming services. The Paradox’s debut EP is coming soon on Hundred Days Records.
I. Who are the members of The Paradox and what is each player's role within the band?
Eric Dangerfield: Eric Dangerfield: lead vocals and rhythm guitar,
[Christopher/]Xelan: lead guitar and background vocals,
Donald[/Rayman]: bass,
[Percy/]PC3: drums
II. When did The Paradox initially start up?
Dangerfield: June 2024 and started social [media pages in] July 2024
III. What made you want to form your own band?
Dangerfield: I saw groups like blink-182 & SUM 41 and it looked like fun and made me want to do it myself.
The Paradox pictured backstage meeting members of Green Day (CREDIT: Freya Smith)
IV. How would you attempt to describe The Paradox's overall sounds, style, and musical vibe for someone who has never heard their music?
Dangerfield: Catchy melodies with simple chords and slightly juvenile.
V. What would you attribute your early success to—especially, with having only released a handful of songs, thus far?
Dangerfield: Doing a genre that not a lot of people are doing right now, especially, people who look like us.
VI. How did the gigs opening up for Green Day & Jack White, as well as playing Lil' Nas X's sister's wedding, come about? What were some of your favorite memories from these landmark gigs?
Dangerfield: [Green Day’s] Billie Joe [Armstrong] reached out to me on Instragram. We asked for tickets to his Atlanta show and he asked us if we wanted to open the show instead. Lil’ Nas X reached out to us on Instagram and asked us if we wanted to play background for him at his sister’s wedding. Jack White’s manager reached out to us in Instagram and asked if we wanted to come out to Nashville to open a sold out show. Favorite memories: watching Green Day play live, getting to play Jack’s signature guitar, [and] Lil’ Nas X’s brother requesting us to play “Imani.”
VII. Who or what would you cite as some of your biggest sources of inspiration and influence that helped shape The Paradox's overall sound?
Dangerfield: blink-182, Green Day, The Beatles, SUM 41, [and] New Found Glory.
VIII. Would you mind sharing with us your personal Top 5 formative Punk/Pop-punk albums and why for each selection?
Dangerfield: Enema of The State by blink-182: [the] first Pop-punk album I listened to all the way through. Dookie by Green Day: every song is a banger! All Killer, No Filler by SUM 41: [the] first album I learned how to play that has songs in drop-D tuning. Take This to Your Grave by Fall Out Boy: Patrick [Stump’s] singing had a big influence on me. Masked Intruder [by Masked Intruder]: it’s Pop-punk with a lot of Doo-Wop elements.
IX. Do you have any immediate plans to release proper full-length studio recorded versions of any of your "viral" covers from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Reels, etc.?
Dangerfield: Not right now.
X. Can you briefly describe to us the process of creating, writing, recording, practicing, fine-tuning, playing live, and ultimately releasing your latest single, "Do Me Like That" (formerly known as "Subaru")?
Dangerfield: We went into the studio with ZK Productions, Zack [Odom] had the “why you gotta do me like that?” tagline and I wrote the rest really quick section-by-section and laid down a demo. We posted a video that went viral, which convinced our label to [do] the song, so we recorded and released it.
XI. For someone who enjoys The Paradox, would you be able to recommend a few newer bands that might sound similar?
Dangerfield: Riffwood, 408, [and] Games We Play
XII. If you could take any artists or bands (living or dead/active or inactive) on tour with The Paradox, who would it be and why?
Dangerfield: blink-182, so I can watch them live over and over.
XIII. How do you go about deciding which composition will be The Paradox songs vs. Eric Dangerfield solo songs (ie: "Imani," "Ms. Lauren" vs. "Kaitlyn," "Trust," "Memories")?
Dangerfield: I was working on my original music before starting the band. I wrote “Kaitlyn,” “Ms. Lauren,” and about 10 other Pop-punk songs that I wanted to do with a band. My only focus right now is The Paradox. My solo stuff was just from before I was able to start a band.
XIV. What are some of your personal favorite songs to cover live and/or on livestreams and why for each selection?
Dangerfield: [Taking Back Sunday’s] “Cute Without The 'E' (Cut from The Team)" because of the two vocal parts that Xelan [and I] sing. [blink-182’s] “Dumpweed” because it’s a good song. [Green Day’s] “2,000 Light Years Away” because we play it fast.
XV. Where were some of the earliest The Paradox videos that were uploaded to TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Reels filmed?
Dangerfield: My old apartment.
The Paradox pictured with (left) Jack White and (right) Joel Madden (SOURCE: Instagram / photographers unknown)
XVI. What type of role (if any) did Black bands/artists like Gym Class Heroes, Travie McCoy, Magnolia Park, Bad Brains, Living Colour, and Breezy Supreme have on the formation of The Paradox?
Dangerfield: I wouldn’t say they necessarily played a role. Most of our influences [came] from the Pop-punk groups of the late 90’s/early 2000’s. I didn’t find out about a lot of these bands until we started posting, but looking back, it’s cool there are other people that look like us in this space.
XVII. What were some of your favorite or most clever nicknames jokingly assigned to The Paradox from those early viral TikTok video comments (ie: black-182, Jerome Eat World, Breaking Into Benjamin's House, Death Cab for Chicken, Parole Jam)?
Dangerfield: black-182, System of A Brown, Panic! At The Cookout, Jamal Eat World, [and The] Smashing Watermelons.
XVIII. As a guitarist and song-writer, how did it feel to be able to visit and perform "Imani" at the infamous Norman's Rare Guitars store located in Tarzana, California?
Dangerfield: It felt amazing and like a full-circle moment because ever since I started playing guitar when I was a little kid, I would watch Norman’s Rare Guitar videos. So, to be able to play something I wrote on a platform I grew up watching, it felt surreal.
XIX. What is the significance behind using woman's names as The Paradox/Eric Dangerfield solo song titles (ex: "Imani," "Ms. Lauren," "Kaitlyn," and the as-yet-unreleased "Ansley" and "Elise")?
Dangerfield: There wasn’t any at first. The names were just placeholders until I could come up with [names,] but people started referring to those songs by those names. And, yes, the songs are named after the girls I wrote them about.
XX. What can you tell us about The Paradox's very recent studio sessions with blink-182 drummer and super-producer, Travis Barker?
Dangerfield: He is a really cool guy. We worked on some great songs with him, John [Feldmann] (Goldfinger,) Nick Long (Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani,) Nick Furlong (Good Charlotte, The Used,) and Robopop (Lana del Rey, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness) and I’m really excited for you guys to hear the music we made.
XXI. What are your current plans for releasing additional singles, an EP, and/or a debut full-length album?
Dangerfield: We are looking to release another single in June and every six weeks after. And have an EP out before October [2025].
XXII. What's planned next for The Paradox?
Dangerfield: Games We Play tour in June, Warped Tour in July, Riot Fest in September, and The Rock Boat [XXV festival/cruise] in January [2026].
Games We Play’s The “Hello Ladies” Tour with The Paradox, Vans Warped Tour - 30 Years, Riot Fest - 20 Years, and The Rock Boat XXV show flyers (SOURCE: Facebook)
