Christiaan Padavan Talks 'Songs for My Grandparents' EP

Family has long served as a source of inspiration for singer-songwriters. From Horace Silver’s jazz classic “Song for My Father” to John Lennon’s therapeutic release, “Mother,” there’s no shortage of songs and albums inspired by loved ones.

Among those to be inspired by family is East End native Christiaan Padavan, a young singer-songwriter best known for his appearance on season 17 of American Idol who performs regularly across the East End year-round. Known for his expressive, crooning-inspired style, Padavan released an EP in May titled “Songs for My Grandparents” in honor of some of the most important people in his life.

Padavan, a Hampton Bays High School graduate, was inspired to record the EP after two tragic events last year. First, the house of his paternal grandparents in Remsenburg burned down. Weeks later, his paternal grandfather, Louis Padavan, died at age 88. Padavan said that these two events inspired him to get to work on the project.

“I always wanted to get something out like this,” he said. “And with the passing of my papa last summer, I was like, alright, life moves pretty fast and I want to get something out for my remaining grandparents so they can have something to listen to.”

Padavan was also inspired to record the EP after numerous experiences where people would come up to him to share stories about his grandfather, who was a teacher at Westhampton Beach. That was something that really resonated with him.

“It shows just how much of an impact he had, not only on me, but on people that I wouldn’t even know walking past on the street,” he said. “It’s amazing to see that affect he had on so many different lives, especially local lives.”

The five song EP features covers of songs from The Great American Songbook and Rat Pack singers like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. Padavan recalled that he gained a love for these singers after inheriting a CD from his late great uncle when he was 10 years old featuring songs by Bobby Darin and Dean Martin. The singers and their songs resonated with him and still do to this day. Padavan said that each of the songs he picked for his EP have some connection to his grandparents and family as a whole.

One of those songs is Dean Martin’s 1960 classic, “You’re Nobody ’Till Somebody Loves You,” which is the EP’s opening track. Padavan explained that when his mother was growing up, she would listen to that song a lot with her parents, and passed that experience along by sharing it with him.

Though each song has a special meaning, perhaps the most meaningful to Padavan is Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.” Padavan said that when his late grandfather would come to his shows, he would always ask him if he was going to play it, as Nat King Cole was one of his favorite artists.

“He was a big Nat King Cole fan, so he would always look at me and mouth ‘Unforgettable,’ or he would come over to me and say ‘You’re gonna do ‘Unforgettable’ for me, right?,’” he said. “So that was the first song I picked for the project.”

Padavan recorded the EP at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove with Ted Firth, a New York City-based musical director who accompanied him on piano. Unlike other recording projects Padavan has done, every track was recorded live instead of the usual process of tracking each instrument separately.

“This was the first project that I had ever recorded completely live,” he said. “So we just live-tracked it a few times and went back in and decided which ones we liked the most.”

Padavan said that he wants to record more themed EPs like this one, though it will be tough to come close to the meaning of “Songs for My Grandparents.”

“I always meant to get a project of great jazz standards out to the world,” he said. “And I can’t imagine a better reason to get it out than for my grandparents.”

In addition to his recording projects, Padavan can be found performing all across the East End this summer, including at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehamptonan where, on Wednesday, August 28, he will be performing the national anthem.