Jason Paige (born January 6, 1969) is an American singer, writer, record producer and actor best known for singing the first theme song for the English version of the Pokémon television series.
Paige is best known for singing the first theme song for the English version of the Pokémon anime. He also sings "Viridian City" and sings as a background vocalist for the Pokémon 2.B.A. Master soundtrack. In an interview with the New York Post in 2016, Paige said he did not expect the song to become popular. In fact, he said that he "didn't really know much about Pokémon when I did the demo, other than [that] a scene in the cartoon caused a giant bout of epileptic seizures in Japan", referring to the infamous episode "Dennō Senshi Porygon."[2] As a vocalist Paige toured for a year as the lead singer for the band Blood Sweat & Tears.[citation needed] He has sung and beat-boxed with Aerosmith on tour and on the Howard Stern re-mix of the hit single "Pink".[citation needed] Paige sang backgrounds for Michael Jackson and was the rap soloist for the song "Black or White" when it was performed at Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. [3] His one-man show is filled with socio-political sexual musical parody, confessions and impersonations.
As an actor, he can be seen as Peter in An Argentinian in New York, as a choir singer in A Walk to Remember, as the voice over for Buttmeister in Meet the Spartans, as a medic in Make Yourself at Home, as a student in Election and as a parent in The Hustler. From 1995 to 2000, he produced and starred in his own musical comedy sketch show, The What's Up Show, which showed on Manhattan cable TV.
He has co-written two musicals, "BOX" and "Writing Pictures" produced at Hartford's Bushnell Theatre for Black History Month, based on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and "A Tribute To Irwin Price" Performed at Open Fist Theater.
During the 2012 primary election, Paige himself sang a parody of the Pokémon Theme in support of the Republican candidate Ron Paul.[6] In an interview with Spin Magazine in 2016, Paige said he was inspired by Paul's message of liberty.[7] Later that year, Paige completed a year-long run as the lead singer for Blood, Sweat & Tears[2] and recorded a rock interpretation of the carol Silent Night for an episode of the YouTube series Hellbenders.[8] He is a long time member of Broadway Inspirational Voices and has appeared at Mandalay Bay's LIGHT in For The Record Baz named after the director Baz Luhrmann.[9][10]
Paige is also opposed to infant circumcision, having undergone a botched one during his own infancy for religious reasons that resulted in a skin bridge.[11] His mother, Charlie Paige, stated that she regretted having him circumcised.[12] Paige performed and released a song called "Circumcision", a parody of Stevie Wonder's song "Superstition".[13] He has endorsed brit shalom, an alternative religious ceremony, and produced music for it.[14]
In response to the massive popularity of the Pokémon Go mobile game, Paige re-recorded the theme during the height of the game's popularity in July 2016.[15] Later that month, Paige sang another parody of the theme song featuring Dwayne Johnson as a Pokémon.[16] He performed the song in Los Angeles as well.[7]
In October 2016 he released his anthem "a tribute to Pokémon Go" as a sister theme to the original.
In February 2018 he recorded a metal cover of the original Pokémon theme with Jonathan Young.[17] In December of the same year, he released a long-requested extended version of his interpretation of Silent Night for Hellbenders, stylizing it as a power ballad.[18]
