“Lil Boo Thang” singer Paul Russell joins Meghan Trainor‘s Timeless tour on Sept. 4. He’ll play that song and the other tracks from his new EP, Again Sometime?, including his duet with Meghan, “Slippin‘.” And for those who’ve never seen Paul perform, he says he wants to give you “something to smile about the whole way through.”

“I like to talk, y’know, talking about the songs and kind of what is behind them,” he tells ABC Audio. “But I mean, for me, it’s all about having fun. I want every show to not just be like, ‘All right, let’s listen to some music.’ Y’know, I want people to feel like they’re connected to it.”

Saying he’ll perform his new stuff, as well as covers — “things that I know that I like that aren’t even mine” — Paul adds, “I talk about ‘cookout music’ a lot. Like, I want my performances to kind of feel like you’re at a cookout sort of thing, or like you’re with family. Y’know, you’re connecting with the people around you and there’s something to sing along to and something to smile about the whole way through. So that’s the goal.”

Paul is thrilled to be on the tour with Meghan, who he calls “amazing” and “super nice.” And one unexpected benefit has been getting to meet her husband, Daryl Sabara, the star of the classic movie Spy Kids.

“I loved Spy Kids so much,” Paul laughs. “When I first met Daryl, it was, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s that guy.'”

Paul says he’s “obsessed” with the 2001 film: “The whole art direction of it is so specific and weird and, like, they just they knew what they were doing. They made something really unique.”

“So shout-out to Darrell,” he laughs. “That’s why I’m on this tour.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.