Meet Philip Paulsen

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Philip Paulsen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Philip, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic comes from discovering something I truly loved at a young age. When I started playing guitar and found rock ’n’ roll at 15, it became a lifelong obsession.

I’ve always believed that if you’re going to do something, you should do it wholeheartedly. That mindset shaped me early on, and it’s how I approach everything I build creatively today.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a Norwegian guitarist, songwriter, and producer based in Los Angeles. I moved here ten years ago, and it’s been a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Over the years, I’ve toured North America multiple times, played major rock festivals like Aftershock and Louder Than Life, and worked with incredible producers and musicians in some of LA’s most legendary studios and venues. There have been ups and downs, but those experiences shaped me both creatively and personally.

Being in a band has always been at the core of my drive. I currently play lead guitar in Velvet Chains, which I joined last year. The brotherhood in that band means a lot to me. We’ve toured Brazil, opened for Stone Temple Pilots, and had songs chart on Billboard. Moments I’m incredibly grateful for.

At the same time, I’ve been building something deeply personal: my new band, her fever. It’s the culmination of 20 years of experience as a songwriter, producer, mixer, and guitarist. This is the fully self-produced project I’ve always envisioned creating.

The band consists of me on vocals and guitar alongside bassist Radu Chiruta. Sonically, we blend modern alternative rock with industrial textures and garage-rock inspired riffs. Influenced by bands like Nothing But Thieves, Royal Blood, and Nine Inch Nails.

We launched our debut single, “So Hollow,” on March 6, 2026, with several more releases planned in the coming months. It feels like the beginning of an exciting new chapter.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Never quitting.
No matter how defeated you feel or how slow progress seems, the key is sticking with it. Year after year. Doors will eventually open. Patience and love for what you do are essential, because you’ll always find yourself coming back to it.

2. Progress over perfection.
This is something I’ve struggled with myself. The pursuit of perfection pushed me to grow, but it also held me back from moving forward. You have to accept you’re going to make mistakes. I’ve learned that “imperfect” forward momentum is more important than flawless execution. Making a decision and moving ahead allows you to learn faster and refine as you go. Progress compounds and can perfection stall you. The key is finding the balance here

3. Learning from failure.
It may sound cliché, but it’s true. Every setback contains information. Instead of taking failure personally, analyze it. What went wrong? Why? What can be adjusted? If you treat failure as feedback rather than defeat, it becomes one of your greatest strengths.
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We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I believe that when you’re young, you should go all in on your strengths first. Follow your passion and discipline as far as they will take you.

Build one skill that becomes truly invaluable.

As you grow, you can adjust along the way. See how far that core skill takes you, but when something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to learn something new that can become an additional asset. Ideally, that new skill should support and strengthen the foundation you’ve already built.

This has absolutely been my experience.

My passion for music started with the guitar. In the beginning, I went all in on that one skill. My dream was to be in an original, successful band as a lead guitar player.

That said, I quickly realized I needed to develop additional skills to make that dream realistic.

That realization is what led me into music production. I needed to create fully realized demos that I could present to the music industry for different opportunities. It’s also what led me into mixing.

I realized how expensive it was to hire someone to mix every new song. Especially as a young, independent musician. So I decided to invest the time to master that skill myself. That gave me complete control over the sonic presentation and made it far more sustainable to release music consistently.

What I didn’t expect was how much I would genuinely enjoy producing and mixing.

What once felt like obstacles ultimately became a blessing in disguise.

In my new band, her fever, you can hear all the skills I’ve acquired over the years coming together in one project, which I’m incredibly proud of and excited about. It feels like a full circle moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.herfever.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philippaulsen?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://www.instagram.com/herfeverband?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: I added both my personal and my bands IG. If you can add both that would be great!Also, here is the Spotify link to my band “her fever” latest single:https://open.spotify.com/track/3943niEppFhOBtVeQMeWZk?si=uVOEKfJBSlaLzSpu6t6Aaw&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0cuWNSSUw2Eg2C4kip44Rd

Image Credits

Band photos: Azat Rashit
Live Photos: Leonardo Xavier