The Grammy winner recalled James Van Der Beek as “an angel incarnate.”

Paula Cole says income from Dawson’s Creek theme song allows her to run her record label

The Grammy winner recalled James Van Der Beek as “an angel incarnate.”

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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September 16, 2026 12:50 p.m. ET

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Paula Cole shared that the use of her song ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’ on ‘Dawson’s Creek’ has helped her maintain independence. Credit:

Robert Okine/WireImage; Fergus Greer/Columbia TriStar Television/Courtesy Everett

- Paula Cole said that the success of her song “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which was largely due to its usage on *Dawson’s Creek*, has allowed her to “be like Robin Hood.”

- The money from the song has allowed her to run her independent record label, 675 Records.

- Cole recalled meeting the *Dawson’s Creek *cast, noting that the late James Van Der Beek was “an angel incarnate.”

Paula Cole revealed that *Dawson’s Creek* has allowed her to maintain her independent record label.

Cole’s 1997 hit “I Don’t Want to Wait” became the theme song to the WB teen drama, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003. While her music had been used in pilots before, she said in a recent podcast interview that those shows typically “would just die.” But with *Dawson’s Creek*, her song “became so much bigger than me.”

“Kevin Williamson, the creator of *Dawson’s Creek,* called me very passionately, got my phone number, explained the premise of his drama and said he was a fan, really wanted this song,” Cole told Danielle Fishel on the Wednesday episode of *Teen Beat**.* “He knew what he wanted, and that made me feel more trust about the usage.”

Paula Cole's 'I Don't Want to Wait' is back as the 'Dawson's Creek' theme song on Netflix

'Dawson's Creek' pays tribute to James Van Der Beek after star's death: 'Helped define a generation'

The show came at a time when Cole had stepped away from the music industry to focus on her family and personal life. Although sometimes she was frustrated by the popularity of *Dawson’s Creek*, which had “surpassed” her, the Grammy winner shared that she feels gratitude toward it now.

“After getting over my ego about that, I’m very moved,” she said. “I am very moved, especially at this point in my life. And I went to the set, and I met James [Van Der Beek] and Michelle [Williams] and Katie [Holmes]. I met everybody, and they were dear hearts, especially James. I mean, again, like an angel incarnate, I felt. Why is it that they go early?”

Paula Cole performs on stage at the 1997 Lilith Fair on July 5, 1997.

Van Der Beek died of colorectal cancer at the age of 48 on Feb. 11. He first shared his diagnosis in November 2024 and revealed he was “privately dealing” with his health after being officially diagnosed in 2023.

“He was such a good man. And he sincerely loved, like, all of my music. I was very moved by him,” she added.

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The cast of television’s ‘Dawson’s Creek’ poses for a photo in 1997.

And as she’s grown to love the legacy of “I Don’t Want to Wait” and *Dawson’s Creek*, Cole revealed that the success has also allowed her to remain independent and run her own record label, 675 Records.

“In this digital age, I just use a distributor and I have my own label,” she explained. “And the magic of ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’ being successful allows me to be like Robin Hood and ... take my income from ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’ and run my own record label and be independent. And what that does is I don’t have to listen to anybody’s advice about what they want from me.”

Listen to the full episode of *Teen Beat* with Paula Cole below.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Teen”