Hi! I’m Step Pażernov.
I’m a composer, vocalist, and piano-attacker based in Los Angeles, CA.
More accurately: I’m a musical storyteller.
A trauma-dumping, self-effacing, chaos gremlin with a penchant for deeply theatrical dark cabaret, mid century jazz & Soviet era symphonic music.
And that’s why my latest EP,
“Entropy” came to life…
Click below to preview a track from the record
[while you scroll]
Entropy is a chamber pop album I wrote while beginning to navigate chronic illness. Entropy is a collection of five songs designed to feel like diary-level confessionals with a dark cabaret twist, inspired by femme piano-pop icons like Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, Sara Bareilles, etc etc etc.
These songs are catharsis incarnate (but, like, let’s not take ourselves too seriously about it). They’re tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecatingly candid little vehicles for transmuting grief into a reclamation of empowered self-expression. Fun stuff!
I made this album in bits and pieces between 2019 and 2023, as a reckoning of sorts. It’s an ultra-personal, ultra-theatrical meditation on illness & wellness. It’s a series of musical anthems celebrating the exquisiteness of melancholia and the power of levity. It’s a bunch of melodies & words delivered via catchy earworms and painstakingly-crafted orchestrations.
Entropy is the perfect entry point for you to discover my music.
Here’s what I’m offering:
“Entropy” on Compact Disc (CD)
PLUS the digital download
A gorgeous sticker feat. mystery art
Autographed upon request :)
All for FREE!!!
You just cover shipping ($5)
So what is “Entropy” really about?
This album is about my experiences with depression, surgery, and existential dread. Isn’t that fun? Very uplifting, very light stuff!
The title comes from a lyric that acts as a thesis statement for the whole record: “Chaos is my color, but I can’t stand entropy.” Duality on its way to holism. Process over progress.
For me, Entropy also represents my relentless, and oft-futile, pursuit of certainty in an inherently uncertain and unstable world. Being a human person in a meatsuit.
Plus, all the paradoxical nonsense that comes with that reality.
Who is Step Pażernov?
“Pażernov” is a reclamation of my ancestral surname, intended to honor my roots, queerness, & inexplicable obsession with early 20th century Eastern European neoclassical music.
“Pażernov” speaks to the distinctly odd music that comes out of my high-entropy brain. Biting lyrics, chromatic chord clusters, and a mosaic of anachronistic musical influences wrapped in one theatrical package.
“okay, but why are you doing this?”
We (Step & the team of pals who help keep her afloat) mail CDs because it helps create a personal relationship with our fans.
You get some new music and a free piece of art; and we get an opportunity for a new listener.
In a world of fake streaming numbers, fake followers, fake AI slop… We’re real humans making physical media for our real human fans to enjoy.
We’re also taking a bet that, if we offer you something special, we'll create a relationship for years to come. Hopefully we’ll see you at a venue, a house show, a concert hall, whatever!
So, if you’re still reading….what the heck are you waiting for?
– Step Pażernov