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Some riders on the KC Streetcar recently got to enjoy a trip accompanied by the music of The Nicolette Paige Trio, as part of the annual Streetcar Holiday Jam.
The trio is made up of three veterans of the Kansas City music scene: frontwoman and guitarist Nicolette Paige, guitarist Rick Cole and percussionist/saxophonist Xavier Fleming.
Paige and Cole recently visited KCUR’s Up To Date, where Paige dedicated a live performance “to all my butterflies.”
Paige said the tune, titled “Butterfly,” emerged from moments when she got questioned for taking up space as an artist, and as herself.
“Sometimes in life, you get people who will look at you and say, ‘Who do you think you are?’ … Instead of returning that energy, I just decided to turn it into a song,” Paige told KCUR’s Up To Date.
“Butterfly” now serves as an anthem of self-acceptance: a call to embrace, as Paige puts it, “all the colorful things that live within us all.”
Paige, a Kansas City native, credits her parents for her musical taste and inspiration. Her father, a musician, introduced her to folk artist John Prine, who helped shape her songwriting alongside influences like Erykah Badu, Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix.
She has played everywhere from coffee shops and grocery stores to outdoor festivals and big stages like Starlight Theatre. Performing on the streetcar simply gives her another chance to meet Kansas Citians where they are.
“You have to be versatile and adaptable,” Paige said. “I am quite adaptable, and I just like to have fun.”
Backed by guitarist Cole and percussionist Fleming — whom she describes as musical “brothers” — Paige hopes listeners walk away from all her performances with something simple: a smile, a little more joy, and a song that reminds them they’re butterflies, too.
To find their next live show in 2026, check out Nicolette’s Facebook page.
- Nicolette Paige, Musician
- Rick Cole, Musician
