Quinn XCII

Ally sits down with musician Quinn XCII to discuss growing up in Detroit, starting his music career with his friends, and dealing with everything that comes with working as a full-time artist.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Today's podcast is sponsored by Sea Geek. If you didn't know,
see Geek is the official ticketing partner of the Brooklyns.
Whether you're trying to go to a Nets game, Liberty Game, concert,
or any other event at Barclay Center, you really only
need Sea Geek. Welcome to Courtside Conversation. I'm your Girl,

(00:31):
Ali Love. After years on the hardwood as the in
arena host for the Brooklyn Nets, It's time for me
to take a courtside. We're here with artists, athletes, and
all of our favorite people to break down the game
called life. We're getting real about the grow up and
the glow up. So let's take a seat. Folks. Welcome

(00:57):
to Courtside Conversation. I'm your girl, Ali Love, and I'm
so thrilled. My guest today. Quinn is a singer songwriter
hill from Detroit, Michigan. Since debuting under Colubia Records in
Quinn has continued to release certified gold tracks. His fifth record,
The People's Champ, is out now. Oh my gosh, Quinn two,

(01:18):
can we take a seat court side and get into
this game four quarters called your Life? Thank you so
much for joining. Yes, thanks for having me this it's
great to be here. It's it's I saw you. I
was at the Nets game, like I don't know what
was it, maybe a month ago now, um, and I
saw you doing your thing on the court. You have
a busy job. Man, You're like running around like you're

(01:39):
You're like all over the arena. I was just chilling.
I was like, she's working hard. You mean you were
just enjoying the game? Good? Good? Yeah? Yeah yeah, Just
like do you ever get to just like watch and
just chill or is it like not not really an option?
Not an option? I mean in between my hits. So
in between the time out, I do obviously watched the game.

(02:00):
I talked to the players. I said, like, I have
a seat court side, so I literally like talked to
the players like I'm I'm also coached. I'm also a coach.
You didn't know that I was also Jack Vond doesn't
even know that I'm also a coach of the Nets.
But I to coach the players as well in between
my live hits. That's what I do. That's crazy at all. Right,
let's step into our first quarter, alright, tip off. In

(02:22):
this sense, so music is a love language for you.
It is a form of communication that you do very well,
not because I said it, not because you said it,
but because the response from the community have said it.
How did you fall in love and or how did
you know that this form of communication was going to
be your form of communication to pursue for so many years?

(02:43):
I think, yeah, I love that question. I think I
always had a knack for storytelling. At a young age,
I took like a lot of creative writing classes, and um,
I was also very I was always a very imaginative kid,
and I would put on like plays with my cousins
for my family yet like Thanksgiving gatherings, and it was
just always very like I don't want to say theatrical,

(03:05):
but but always trying to be front and center and
perform for people. And I thought, I don't I don't
know what it was. I just had that knack, I
think as a kid. And then as I got older,
like I said, I got more into writing and stuff
and noticed that like writing and like poetry and storytelling,

(03:25):
it felt just a lot more. I could say things
in the way I wanted to, much better than a
typical conversation, Like if I wrote it down, I could
I could express to you exactly what I was thinking. Um,
better than if you just asked me like you just
asked me this question. Like, I think I could probably
give you right now a better answer if I just
wrote it down. Um. And yeah, I just I just

(03:48):
sorted to get familiar with like how my brain worked.
And um, as I got older, I I I just
fell in love with storytelling and ended up writing my
own music. But I guess to answer your question, like,
I just, I always thought like writing came very natural
to me, and the use of language and the use
of saying things in like witty creative ways. Um, not

(04:11):
only did I enjoy it, but I felt my ideas
and like thoughts on the world were just better expressed
that way and more visual rather than rather than me
just I don't know on the spot giving you an answer. Um,
I sometimes get nervous and I'm like a d D
and I don't know what to say. But I think
when I like can focus and write something down, it

(04:32):
comes out way more way, more naturally. So in the
D that I assume you called it the D right
in Detroit, growing up in your household, If you could
give us an inside look into your household, was this
form of communication accepted. And the reason I asked that
is because as a dancer, you know, I found fell
in love with dance after getting hit by a car
when I was nine years old. And within that, within

(04:53):
that space, my father and I the relationship shifted because
my dad loved the art. He loves sports, like he
was a sports guy, but there was something about the
arts that he always respected, and I felt like we
went deeper in our relationship, and so our communication end
up getting better after I found dance. You know, at
a young age, what was it like in your households

(05:13):
in Detroit when you're like, you know, this is how
I expressed myself with the plays and the cousins, You're
probably directing everyone to do these things and putting on
these performances. What was your family's response. I mean, they
were I'm so I'm so fortunate and blessed that they
were always just very supportive. I think I think any
parent probably if their kids says, you know, hey, I
want to be a football player or a singer, or

(05:35):
you know, some of these occupations that we as like
a society sort of put on this like you know,
dream job sort of label, and we kind of tell
kids like, oh, yeah, go for a goal for it.
But in the back of our heads, we're not necessarily thinking,
you know, it's not something that I think parents want
kids to bank on in fear that they're going to

(05:55):
have their dreams crushed. And um, and so my parents,
I mean, even if they thought that, which we joke
about now. My dad tells me all the time. He's like, look,
I always told you go for it, but I never
thought in a million years since was gonna work out.
I'm just glad that he and my mom just never
never took that dream away from me. I think, I
think that's the worst thing. I don't have kids, but

(06:17):
I I imagine the worst thing you can do is
to tell a kid that they can't do something because, um,
even though even if it seems unrealistic, Like I think
it's very important to always instill that that inspiration and
that sky's the limits sort of mentality for like young people.
And so yeah, I mean my parents were always My
parents are huge music fans. They weren't musicians themselves, but

(06:39):
like Motown and like, um, I don't know, like like
all this early soul music, like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder,
like that's the stuff they played around in the house
for me growing up, and I would watch them have
parties and like music was the thing that orchestrated the
whole night in UM. So while they weren't necessarily like
musically inclined themselves, they they had great taste in music,

(07:01):
and I was always around great music, and so it
was easy for them to like root for me. But
I bet in the back of their minds they were
a little skeptical. But but I had that support system,
and I had I had something to fall back on
as far as just a group of people that love
me and supported what I was doing, even if it
seemed like a pretty outlandish, uh like idea to go

(07:24):
for um. But I think I'm looking back, I'm really
fortunate because I easily could have been. It's easy to
like talk a kid out of doing something and and
and to make them feel like they can't achieve it.
And so again, I'm just very fortunate that they never
made me feel that way, and uh I just kept
going with it. Yeah, that's job. I agree. It's like
sometimes we allow our fears and or you know, even
as adults are pur view of reality to affect and

(07:48):
influence um the dreams or the way kids should look
at their dreams or their trajectories and and and the
intentions are good. I can see as an adult even now,
you have like a tenure old and they're like, oh,
I want to do this, and I'm like, no, you don't.
I've been there. But I think it's it's more. I
think what's more important is allowing which which it sounds
like your family did very well and to what you're saying,

(08:10):
allowing you to figure it out on your own, to
go through that. Take us to your young when's your
first kind of like quote unquote it didn't have to
be a massive amount of people, but first performance, so
low performance and what was that like for you? And
what was the response from your family then? Too? Yeah,
oh wow, I think okay, So I'm trying to really

(08:31):
trying to go back to the archives of my life.
I think it was so I went to Michigan State
and I had a uh. I was asked to perform
at a charity fashion show at the University of Michigan,
which was like forty five minutes down the road from
where I was was studying. And I think they needed
like a performer last minute because someone dropped out and

(08:53):
I drove like forty five minutes to ann Arbor, which
is where the U have m is, and had like
a Aren't CD on me in my backpack and gave
it to the DJ and like performed like I think
it was like thirty minutes of music and it was
for all these college kids, and the stage was like
even like it wasn't elevated, it was like on the

(09:14):
same surface as the audience, so you couldn't even really
see more than the first row of people, which is
not an ideal situation if you're like on a microphone
trying to like I'm sure you understand like getting people's
attention and you you don't. Yeah, it's it's hard. So um,
it was terrible and it was it was like it
was it was nerve wracking, but like through that, through

(09:37):
that nerve wracking and like, oh my gosh type of feeling,
I still had this this is what I was meant
to do type of like assurance in me and and excitement,
And I think I think that feeling was something I
just used as sort of my compass moving forward. Like
I even graduated college and had to get a job,

(09:58):
like like a few years after this and worked an
insurance company in Detroit, and I still had that feeling
in me, like every time I made music, every time
I performed, I had this like I have to I
have to follow that intuition and that feeling. And so
even though that, even though that first performance was was
got awful and embarrassing, I still got out of it

(10:18):
something really really special that I wasn't getting that other
things in my life weren't giving me that same fulfillment,
and so I trusted that feeling as something I should
I should follow. Um. Wait, why was it awful? Was
it like an awful reaction from the crowd? Was the
music not right? Like? Why was it awful? When you
look at that, when you look at that performance, what
made it awful? I think it was just my uh,

(10:40):
my delivery and my my confidence in my stage presence
just was not there. Um. And I think I've always
thought actually performing kind of came natural to me. Um.
But for some reason that first I think I went
into it much more confident than I then than I
probably should have been, because by the time I got
on stage, I it I just I just kind of

(11:01):
froze up in um, I think I think the audio
was also really bad. The microphone was feedbacking. It was
like drunk college kids like talking the whole time and
I'm trying to get their attention. But you have you
have to go through those rough passes to really appreciate
the good ones. And so I can now that I
can play shows where I'm confident and I have an
amazing band behind me and the sound is good and

(11:23):
everything the audio is is not feedback and whatever I
look back at those moments like we're talking about now,
is like, yeah, like I had to go through the
rough parts too, like to appreciate the good stuff. So
I'm glad. I'm glad. I'm glad, Like you have to,
you have to experience those to really I don't know, Yeah, no,
that's true. I think it's like when you go for

(11:44):
a race, right, Like I don't run a ton, but
you know, I've run a couple of half marathons, and
it's almost like you gotta run a couple of half
marathons and come out the blocks too hot, which is
kind of what you said, like in that performance, you
came out too hot, you were overconfident. But the takeaway
is that you know what not to do next time.
You mean, I know exactly what to do each time,
but you know from each experience, you know what not
to do, and that shapes that and cultivates that performance. Um,

(12:06):
I will say, I don't think you were set up
for success anyway for this event. And the reason for
that is thirty minutes of music as a solo performer
is a lot to ask from somebody. Who's the person
that asked you to do that? Where are they? I mean,
that's don't you write a song is like three to
five minutes, So you're giving eight songs that's I feel
like front to like front to bag. That's a lot.

(12:28):
So kudos you You ran a marathon in music without
even training technically for the marathon. Like that's dope. So
I I doan that successful. Appreciate I appreciate you. Thank you. Yeah, No,
I mean it is a lot, actually, I mean, especially
like my first show, like definitely definitely was a lot
of music and and also music that like I was

(12:50):
still remembering the lyrics too, and so it was just
a lot of like you could tell like I did
not really I wasn't that prepared, but I wanted to.
I was like, at some point I have to do
my first show. Like back then, back in that year,
I was like, I gotta just like ripped the bandit off,
so like I knew it wasn't gonna be great, but again,
you gotta you gotta go through those uncomfortable moments to

(13:11):
you know, to get better, but be to appreciate the
success that you're hopefully get in the future when when
that comes in and um, but yeah, thirty minutes of
music is it's even now. Thirty minutes of music for
me is long. So I'm surprised I did that back
when I was a nervous college kid. I find I
find thirty minutes of anything, to be honest, is a
long time. So I'm here for it. Um. Yeah, they

(13:34):
say don't let the perfect be the enemy of good.
Enemy of good. It's like, to your point, like rip
the band aid off, when was that time where you had,
I won't say your best performance of your life, a
solid performance, Like when did that come for you? At
what point in your career? Now you've had this first show,
You're looking ahead, You're like, Okay, I have this feeling
that I cannot that is irresistible inside. I want to
explore what this is for me. You're doing the work,

(13:56):
you're meeting the people, you're doing the writing, your work
on your craft. When was that performance where you walked
off stage and you were just like that was solid,
Like that went the way it was supposed to go.
M I think it was maybe a year after that point. Um,
I got asked to play a small college show in

(14:17):
I want to say New Jersey's uh Sentenary College. I
don't know if you're familiar, but it's like a small
school in New Jersey and they were having like a
student ran Saturday. Like, um, it was called oh my gosh,
what was it called? Something in the quad? It was
like in there sort of like open area on campus

(14:38):
and again there was like maybe thirty students there. But
something about that performance I finally felt like I had
I had the body language down and I was like
my my tone was good and I got on stage
and it's it's something clicked where I was like, this
is how it's supposed to feel. I don't I don't
really know what that was. I think it was just

(14:59):
a lot of repetition and it finally paid off and
that I got off stage and it wasn't it. Finally,
wasn't me getting off stage like, oh my god, that
was terrible. Let's just get out of here before anyone
sees me. It was like, I want to stick around,
I want to meet everyone who was there. I want
like I was proud of myself for doing that. And
it just takes one of those moments to like give

(15:19):
you that feeling of like, Okay, I want to keep
saying better at this. For me, I just love performing that.
I felt I felt called to always come back and
play shows. But that show it went well enough where
I was like, Okay, I want to go on tour.
I want to do this for a living. I want
to like like I I can do this. And so
it was a big confidence booster for sure. Um again,

(15:42):
I can't really tell you what it was. I think
maybe it was just something that day that I had
a little bit more of a spark and more confidence,
but um, yeah, I don't know. I think it's but
I think it's beautiful that you were. The thing is,
sometimes we go through life and we forget those turning points,
and I think the turning points are actually the most
meaning part of the stories, and we forget when was
that moment, When was that unlock? When was that shift?

(16:04):
And it's like you those are the quote unquote highs
that you ride for years where you're just like I
kind of know the base the foundation of this performance
from that experience, from that unlock, and that's what's gotten
you to the next unlock. And so yeah, yeah, no,
I know. And I think just like being able to
acknowledge that moment, but also for me, for me, I

(16:25):
try not to like dig into like Okay, what did
I do? Why was this different? Like Okay, if that
was good, like, let's make sure I do that same
thing the next show. And I like I've tried doing
that in the past and it does not work. And
that like even with writing songs, I'll be like, Okay,
I just wrote a great song and got a bunch
of plays. How do I make that same thing the
next time around? And I've realized that, like, you can't

(16:47):
you can't force anything. I think in life in general,
You've got just really learned. For me right now, I'm
like a lot of this new album too, like it's
just about letting go and like and just and just
rolling with the punches that life has to offer. And
so like I try not to think too much of
why things are working out or why that show years
ago went well, and and just trust that it's unfolding

(17:09):
the way that it's meant to. Um, I don't know,
so it's funny like you asked that question, like I don't.
I don't really know why that day particularly like worked
out the way it did. But but it's me, but
it's memorable to you. And I love that today's podcast
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(17:31):
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(17:56):
let's step into the second quarter in one of my
favorite because we talked about aversity and assist and I
don't think any great story and I say this all
the time, isn't told without both the adversity and the assists,
And so focusing on the adversity, and I know we
can tap into some of the stuff that's gonna come,
that is coming has come through your new album, but
it all derived from somewhere. When it when you're out
there in the public as you are, when there's so

(18:18):
much music in the world, and there's already a standard,
right like there are mini standards actually, and depending on
who's the listener and what geographic location you are, like,
all those factors actually contribute to how people feel about
your music. When we're the times or how did you
deal with quote unquote like in your new singles you
talk about the lows, talk about some of those lows

(18:39):
as you're starting your music career and the reason for
that as I assume a lot of folks that listen
to Quartie conversation, maybe folks that are either in the
music industry, somewhat attached to the music industry, or music
lovers by way of even by way of sport itself.
So when you talk about those lows, what were those
pivotal points of adversity If you could remember or share
any that you knew you were better for afterwards, I think,

(19:04):
I mean, there's so many. Honestly, there's it's I mean,
for starters, I just think that sheer pressure of being
worried about I mean, just just to start like not
even not even the general public. For me, it was
always like what are my friends going to think about
this music I'm making? What are my parents gonna think?
What are like my inner circle in my life? Like

(19:26):
what are they going to think? And I realized that
like what, am I just gonna be concerned with everyone's
thoughts about me my whole life? Or am I just
gonna say, for the back of lack of a better term,
like fuck it and just go for what I want
to go for. Like I don't know what it was,
but I just sort of had that like I can't
keep holding onto people's opinions sort of moment at one

(19:48):
one point in my life. And I think it was
early on in making my music. I just I got
to a point where I was like, what do I
value more? Do I value like pursuing my love more
or do I value what people are going to say
about me? Um? And I had to go with my gut,
and my gut told me doing what I love And
so like, I think that is a big problem, I mean,

(20:10):
and I still deal with it. Like there's certain certain
song topics. Now that I speak on that, like, I
get a little vulnerable and I want to make sure
that like the people my life aren't offended by it,
or they take it the right way that I want
them to take it, and and and all that stuff.
But just in general, like first half of this answer
I'll give you is like people's opinions, Um, we're really

(20:31):
tough to get over. And just have that assurance that like,
as long as I'm happy, that's that's the most thing
I can uh, that's the best thing I can focus on.
And in life's too short, So UM, yeah, I just
I just trusted my inner sort of my inner narrative
and and and heart, and um just kept going with it.
So that is something I still deal with. But it

(20:53):
was tough. Um. I just think I also went through
a lot of anxiety and depression moving on to l
a after after living in Michigan my whole life and
being in a new environment and meeting new people. Um,
I was lucky to have um my my wife now,
but at the time we were dating, and she actually
moved out here for work, and I'm lucky to have

(21:14):
her and have a support system here to to fall
back on. Similar to like my family in Michigan, because
l A can definitely be I mean people probably know
this and still is a very cold place if you're
trying to pursue something, and it's not the most community
based atmosphere. It's it's very individualistic and and so it's

(21:34):
good to have some people out here that you can
fall back on. So um, yeah that when I first
got out here, I just dealt with a lot of
mental health stuff and I still do, but as I
get older, I'm learning to deal with it and learning
to like channel that stuff into my music, into my art,
into UM and to really like use it for the
better and and yeah, go ahead when you have that

(21:58):
um that ability to chee anneal and and the reason
this this has come up in so many of course
that Conversation podcast, whether it's an athlete and an artists
in their own rights, a public figure, it's like, there
there no no story that shared is not without understanding
mental well being, right, what how you feel and what
you're thinking in the midst of who you are relative
to what's going on around you and who's around you.

(22:20):
And I think one of the things for me that's
so pivotal is an understanding how do you deal with it?
Like if I don't have an outlet as music, like
I'm definitely not music and really inclined. God knows. Um,
it's a gift, and you have that gift and you
have that ability. But outside of what your gift is,
what do you do in those moments that you are
feeling anxious or you are dealing with some of those

(22:40):
lows like what is that? What is your what is
your day look like? Mm hmm. I think you know.
In the past, it's been I still take medication. In
the past though it was it was normally just okay,
whereas of medicine, I'll take something, but then like let
me go on YouTube, let me let me like watch
a video that like calms me down. Let me like

(23:02):
let me text someone, uh like my wife or as
someone who can like give me some words of wisdom.
But basically what I'm saying is like it was a
lot of running from that feeling. And now I've learned
to really sit with it. And and and I think
like we're always told um, and and our like our
natural sort of reaction, like our fight or flight response
is to always is to run from adversity. And I

(23:25):
think the second that we actually just stop and look
at dead in the eyes, whether whether that's anxiety or
depression or or anything, and just be with it, because
I think those feelings just want to be acknowledged. They don't,
they don't. That resistance and running away is what causes
the ongoing struggle. And I just think, I think I'm
just getting to a point where I've dealt with it

(23:45):
so much in my life that I'm just tired. And ironically,
the second that I just stopped running is when everything
sort of just to subdue and just just to calm down.
And that's a lot of what this album is about.
It is just like slowing down and just being not
become me, but just being being in the moment and
being your authentic self, whatever that means, whether that means

(24:06):
you have anxiety today or as you're sad or you're
really happy and you're talking to everybody on the street,
like just embracing what life has to give you and
not labeling it as bad or negative and just knowing
that it's there for a greater purpose. Um. And so
I've gotten way better at that. And and again, I
used to run from a lot of that stuff. But
now it's more like I'm just welcoming it. And I

(24:28):
don't think anything is inherently bad or or good. I
think it's just how we how we react to it
is what gives it its its power or its label.
So I'm learning to just yeah, you know, and just
just welcome everything and and and not not saying I
don't want to if something is if I'm feeling bad,
I still will get out of the house and you know,

(24:48):
do things that make me feel better. But but I'm
not looking at those feelings. It's like, oh my god,
what this is terrible. I need to get rid of it,
Like just you know, just looking at everything is innocent
and just and just being with it. Um. Yeah, I
don't know. Honestly. Again, I think that it's so important
to share these because I think just as a human,
no matter how public you are, we're all going through it.

(25:10):
And I think the more we can normalize and normalization
comes through conversation, and more we can normalize it and say, hey,
like everybody deals with their own individual stuff, but we
are all dealing with something and this is how it
looks for me. Um. And that's why I think, which
is so not to compare the two. But I think
some of the most read content is how to content,
like how to do this is someone telling you how
to do something because you want to have a per

(25:32):
view into someone's life on how do they deal with
or how do they do or what do they do
around these things? And so I really do appreciate you
sharing that, and I agree. Um, I was just in
a podcast interview and someone was like, you talk so fast,
and I do think that there is a difference between
you know, being fast, talking fast, thinking fast, and then
like moving fast, so so fast that you're not aware

(25:54):
of what you feel or how you feel. And so
I appreciate that you mentioned that because it was like
a grounding moment of matter how fast I talked, move
or do it's not too fast enough to just check
in with myself and how I'm feeling. I don't think
I don't think you talk fast, by the way, I
think you really. Yeah, I actually I actually think I
talk fast. So I think you're a pretty chill. Well,

(26:15):
I'm gonna let me tell you I'm take that compliment.
I'm going to the bank, because I mean, in the
last podcast that I just interviewed someone, I was I
was being interviewed. They said it like five times, and
I started feeling you know, we talked about what people
think of us. I started feeling so self conscious about
my entire being. I was like I shut down. I'm like, okay,
how slow do we you know? I started getting very

(26:36):
Hyperwiner Yeah, yeah, no, I mean it's so funny. I
was talking with um a friend of mine, Tracy, who
she does like for any artists and like, you know,
someone promoting stuff you do like media training and stuff.
And she's one of the things she told me, she's
a she's like a media training coach. And one of
the things she told me, she's like, if you're too
focused like in this, you know right now, if if

(26:57):
if all I was doing was thinking about like how
do I look? Or like Okay, Ali's saying this, but
like what am I getting? What's my next response? Like
I'm not I'm not being my best self, Like I'm
not I'm not giving this interview the most potential it
can have, and and I'm I'm wasting your time Like
like I've just I've learned that like valuing myself and
being present and not overthinking but just feeling everything and

(27:21):
being with everything. It benefits everything around me. And and
I think if we're too hyper aware sometimes and like
you just said, like because I do it so much,
like if someone tells me I talk fast, I'm I'm
just answering the next question like really slow and deliver it.
And I'm not even thinking about what I'm saying because
I'm just worried on the tempo of it. And then

(27:42):
it starts not to make sense. And you know, so
like just trying to realize that like self aware or
self care is not it's not selfish. It's actually like
inclusive for everyone around you and everything. And so for
us to take care of ourselves and be aware of
what we're like just to slow down and stuff like
that rubs off on everyone. And I'm happy you said that, yeah,

(28:06):
because it's just I came into and I was like,
oh boy, I'm gonna start talking fast. You get so
hyper aware. But let's talk about the assists. There are
folks in our lives that have contributed greatly to our success.
We get nowhere alone really, um, you know Peloton, for
many years we talked about together we go far, and
I realized about it. Even if you're an individual, sport,

(28:27):
whether you're a tennis player, a golf player, you still
have your team, you still have your quote unquote love squad.
And for you when you think of that turning point
in your career, because I can imagine as someone to
get signed, whether you're getting signed as a model where
whether you're getting a new job or they get signed
as an artist, to get signed Columbia Records, like there
had to be some nose or some like not nouns

(28:48):
that you had to deal with. And so who were
those folks in that point in your life as you're
making that transition of kind of taking your career not
necessarily professional, but it being labeled a little bit more
like getting that label of being with a record company.
Who were those folks in your life that that handed you?
Not handed you, but but what was the assists that
gave you that pass? Totally? Yeah, totally, Um I think

(29:12):
I mean for starters, my manager Jesse he, I mean,
he's just like such a hard working guy. He it's
really special because when I was first sort of like
getting my name out there into the into the industry,
and like labels were getting aware of me, Like he
was also managing me as like I was the first

(29:32):
artist he had ever managed before, so we were learning together.
We were sort of neck and neck in that in
that process, and that's really special. I think when you can, um,
when you can do something but you're at the same
point in your life as your partner in that process
and you're both you're both looking for the same outcome,
but you're both learning just as the other is learning.

(29:53):
And UM, it felt like we were always on that
same even page of like, hey, we're just gonna do
this and work confident with what we're doing, but we're
just gonna see what happens. And I think it was
a really special time in our lives because we were
very naive and just very hard. I mean, we're still
hard working, but we're just we're just trying out stiff.
We didn't have any we didn't have any like reconception

(30:15):
of like the music industry, didn't have any connections to it.
We just you know, wanted to just do what we
did as best as we could, and um, the rest
is history. Kind of Another person I want to mention
is my buddy Alex who goes by A Okay, who
is a producer and artist, but he was the first
I've known him since like the third grade, but he
was like the first person that really took my like

(30:35):
music seriously as like a collaborator, and he would record
all my music from an early age and like ended
up producing his own beats and we ended up making
our first or my first EP together. And uh again,
like wasn't someone who had like a bunch of years
into the industry. Was just a fresh like a new face,
just like I was in I think we all just

(30:57):
sort of like went for it. And to be able
to go through that process with people around you you
really value and and think HIGHI of is is um
something that I don't take for granted because a lot
of people go into this industry with like alone and
solo and they're just they're trying to create a team
around them of strangers really. But I was lucky enough
to like have my good friends with me and and yeah,

(31:20):
so that the assist goes the book. Okay, you met
in third grade? Okay, third grade, Jesse? How did you meet?
I met Jesse? Actually? Uh, Jesse's wife now wife Becca.
She was a friend of mine at Michigan State and
Jesse was dating her and Jesse was a bit older,
so he was actually not at school or he wasn't
a student at the time. But I was like doing

(31:41):
like my little like I was like a rapper to
begin with, so I had like a like a mixtape
out and Becca was like a fan and I was
playing like a local show down the street on campus
and she was like, Jesse, you have to come into
town and come to my friend Mike show because you know,
I think you love him, and she knew he was
trying to like and it's like a like a singer
songwriter artist of some sort and the rest is history. Yeah,

(32:05):
so yeah, yeah, shout out tobacco for sure. That's actually
I love that. I love that. I love. I will say,
like the adversity and this is for me is just
always so grounding. It's like what did you have to
deal with? And then who were those folks that helped
you along the way, because no one really gets anywhere
by themselves, So thank you for chanting that for sure.
All right, let's um, let's seven to a half time.

(32:25):
We have a short, little quick half time, a little
fire rappit, a little this or that, and I know
it's called rabbit fire, but I call it fire wrappit
and whatever comes to mind. So a couple of questions.
First thought, best thoughts, sounds good, okay, sweet? All right?
Movies or TV shows? Oh Jesus. First questions, st I
love it, you're like, you know what, Give me a minute.

(32:48):
I would say movies, okay, day or night. Dave favorite
movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. We have to talk about that. So, yes,
that is a amazing I love any movie about a
train that happens on a train or hotel or boat anyways, Yes,
like all the murder mysteries that happened on a boat

(33:08):
in a hotel. I'm here for um. Okay, waffles are pancakes?
I would say, there's only one answer, pancakes. Oh thank goodness.
I was nervous. I thought this relationship like we just
started this friendship. We're fortifying. Now we're good. We're good.
Um okay. Reading a book, like a hardcover book, or
listening to a book, reading a book. Collaboration or solo track.

(33:30):
Oh jeez, that's really tough. Actually, I would say collaboration okay,
writing the track like writing the song the music or
singing it. Like you can't do both. You have to
pick one. Singing it. Okay, since you grew up with
soul music. Um, I'm gonna I'm gonna hit you. I'm
gonna hit you hard now, so you're ready, okay, Shaka

(33:53):
Khan or Anita Baker. Anita Baker actually went to school
with Anita Baker's son, so that's easy. Yeah, I mean,
I'll take both of this is I love it. I'm
gonna hit you with another one. Tina, turn to Whitney Houston.
Whitney Houston. Oh gosh, let's do, let's do. No I
love I mean, honestly, there was no wrong answer, but

(34:13):
I love Whitneys. I've done two Whitney Houston rides at Peloton,
like I I there's no eighties class without a Whitney song.
There's no probably nineties class without Whitney song. Like I
just end up putting Whitney in every class. Basically, Um,
I'm thinking, let's oh, this is gonna be a little
bit of a clash of the decades. But Smokey Robinson

(34:34):
cruising or D'Angelo cruising, same song, different decades, different artists,
still soul music. Uh, I would say, Smokey Robinson cruising,
didn't you do? Didn't him and Anderson Pack do like
a remix of that or like something similar of cruising.
I don't know, but I would assume you're, you know,

(34:54):
all the good stuff. Now, I got to look that up.
I need to actually get I need I'm not that
I'm not that um familiar with d'angel's music. I need to.
My drummer, Patty always gives me ship because she's she's
also like like picking through just like a soul fan
and like she's she's always mentioned d'An angel to me.
But I need to get into that's like love, that's
like baby making music though, So I need to like,

(35:16):
I need to figure I agree. I agree. And it's
kind of weird because I was like thinking of when
did I listen to D'Angelo all the time. It was
when I moved away from home into college, and I
was like, whoa that that I wasn't doing anything bad
but or or good I guess, but it's it's one
of the things that came to mind. All right, let's
go ahead and step into the third quarter. Let's get
into the meat and bones of Okay, you just I

(35:37):
mean a new album, a new record here the People's
champ I saw on social media, and many of us
saw kind of like that open letter that you wrote
about the album, where it's like, this is the album,
this is what I'm talking about. This is where it
stems from. You're able to communicate, like we talked about
in the very beginning of the podcast, in a vulnerable way,
but communicate in a thorough way about how you've been feeling.

(35:59):
You have features Um Chelsea color Um friend of yours,
and then Big Sean as well. Let's talk about this now.
I would like to go to the genesis making a decision.
In my mind, I'm no artist, but please correct me.
Making the decision to create something new. It's almost again,
in my opinion, scary. How do you decide that it's

(36:21):
time to do that? That's such a good question, I think,
so I don't, I don't know. There's not like I
don't think there's a right time to make something. There's
not a right or wrong time to like make a
new project. I think I think it's all intuition and

(36:44):
and and again. I know that's a bit of a
cliche answer, but I think only you know that answer.
Like I think, I think when you make a project,
it's all about capturing inspiration and lightning in a bottle
and and like it's funny. There's there's an artist, John
Billion who's amazing and uh, someone I've worked with, and

(37:07):
he he describes it as like catching like squiggles, and
these guys like ideas are just like little things floating
by and you have to you have to like wrangle
it down and then turn it into something. And so like,
you know, I think there's not I'm not always ready
to make a project. Like making an album is a
really it's very like it's an exciting process, but it's

(37:27):
very really really emotionally physically draining. And you know, sometimes
you don't even realize you're making an album when you're
making it. You're you're just riding the wave of inspiration
and and and sort of catching those squiggles as much
as you can. And yeah, you know, and so I
don't know, like I don't I don't even know if
I can give you a proper answer, because I think

(37:48):
it's all just subjective but um not understanding how your
mind works. Maybe if I come of a question from
the other way, have you ever been in a position
where you not necessarily start a project or started writing,
but you started creating, and there was a moment when
you just stopped and was like that's that's not it,
Like I'm gonna put a pause on that. Was it
ever a moment where you started something, started writing, started,

(38:10):
you know, doing all the jazz, and then you were
just like, actually, that's not it, that's not the vibe
right now. Yeah. I mean for this album, I've probably
made like six like electronics songs at what like in
a row, thinking that that was what the album is
gonna be like, and then it just don't. Like I
don't know, it wasn't like someone was like don't do this,

(38:30):
but something inside was just like this isn't it, Like
like like you just said, like it, you know, like
I think we all we all have the answers as
as like whatever we do. I think at some point
are like alarm clock of like decision is going to
go off and be like, Okay, you're not doing what
you're supposed to be doing, like stop it, like you're
you're subconscious or whatever. It's gonna it's gonna like interfere

(38:51):
and be like stop it. And for me, like I
was like so dead set at one point in making
this album, Dancy and electronic and then something hit me
one day it was like cut it out like years.
Not that that's bad, but this album was supposed to
be something different. So you in the studio, you you

(39:13):
have this moment, you have like basically this I always
call them vistal reactions where it's like it's a it's
a neuro muscle connection, right, your body is responding not
so positively. Your mind's like it's not it. So you're
just like boom, that's the decision making. I'm gonna follow it.
You go back into the studio or you're you know,
you're you're in the lab in a sense like writing again,
what is that like from make? I don't know. So

(39:34):
for the folks that are listening again, I don't make music.
To make electronic music, I think takes a different I
would assume takes a different type of energy, a different
type of task. And then taking that shift, what does
that shift looks? Like? Where's your inspiration coming from? Like
how do you just change? Yeah? I think I think
to make electronic for example, to make something like that,

(39:54):
I mean a it depends on who you're working with.
For me, like I'm not I'm not producing, I'm rite
like song like writing lyrics and singing. So I'm actually
very dependent on collaborators and producers. And so for a
while I was working with a particular person and it
was great. I thought we were making And that's the
irony is that we were actually making really good songs
in my opinion. Um, but I don't know what it

(40:17):
was that just came about where I was just like,
it's not it's not it's not hitting my like pulling
my heart strings the way that I thought this album
was going to and um and and it's funny, like
I think, no matter what I think an album is
supposed to sound like, by the end of it, I
always trust that that it turns out the way it
was supposed to. And I can look back at all

(40:37):
the albums I've made and then very satisfied with it,
even though like like I've gone into trying to make
in like a full on like blues album or like
which I still want to do, by the way, but
but like you know, I just trust that, like the
stuff I'm doing is happening at the right pace. And
so but your question of like what was my new inspiration,
like what was my switch? I went from like making

(41:00):
electronic happy dance songs too to listening to just like
Leon Bridges and like who else, Sam Cook and and
Jack Johnson and like all these just different different singers
but had a very very different background than electronic. And
and then I just got into a different shift and
I was like, I just I feel called to make
something that's a bit more natural sounding, and uh, I

(41:22):
don't know, I just want with it. It's it's it's
I probably sound ridiculous, but yeah, it's just all about like, uh,
following the flow of creativity. And I know for sure
that I come up with like I made like sixty
songs for this album and I only had twelve outs,
so like, wow, yeah, I made a lot of I
made a lot of stuff, and it's just about I

(41:44):
don't know, it's just about like riding that wave as
long as you can before you feel like you're about
to like drowned. And and and for me, I got
to a place where I was like I can't make
any more music, Like I just gotta I gotta stop.
And as artists, it's hard to like pull the plug
and be like Okay, we're done, because you feel like
you can always do better, and you can always create more, um,

(42:05):
but I just yeah, my team was like, okay, it's
probably good. So I trust they gave you. They gave
you the advice of just like, hey, let's like, let's
let's chill out here. Yeah, like you're you're doing well.
I wanna one of the things and I want to
ask you about this. So you posted about five days
ago and you gave a bit of an explanation around

(42:28):
the people's champ right like it was dropping at midnight.
It was this is a few minutes before the drop.
What was the impetus of, like, I'm going to before
it drops, I'm gonna give you insight to my insight,
to my my thoughts, right because sometimes people drop music
and they just wait for the folks to experience it
and see what's that experience for you? Whereas I feel

(42:50):
like for you, which was quite lovely, is that you
were like, I'm actually gonna give you behind the scenes
so as you are experienced that you have context. Where
did that where where did that decision stem from? Like
how did you come to that conclusion or was it
that just also a feeling like you're like I'm just
gonna do this. I think it was I think I
wanted to give a proper explanation of what the album

(43:12):
title was. Um. I think on the surface level, it's
very the whole, the whole role out of the album
was very like sports related and the people. The people.
The People's champ is sort of a double entanga, where
like it's a reference to me always feeling like the
underdog and even though this is my fifth album, just
like still feeling like I'm fighting for my stripes a
bit and having to prove myself, um which I do

(43:34):
still really believe. But I wanted to explain the other
side of it. And that's why that's why I felt
called to like give that give that Instagram post moment
of like, you know, what was it like, I don't know,
five paragraphs or something like a description of what the
what the album meant to me? And um, I just
that I thought it was very important to outline the

(43:55):
deeper message of the album and and and to get
that across the people. Um. I I've just I've I've
spoken to so many fans in the past and gotten
so many messages about people's hardships and and and and
you know, low moments in their lives and how my
music has helped them, and so I just think through
all of that, I've learned that being as transparent as
possible with people is is so important and you never

(44:17):
know what someone's going through. So I wanted to make
sure I explained the what this album meant to me
before it came out, just just to even like help
your listening experience, like have that message in the back
of your mind before clicking play on the first song. Um,
but what that means to me is really just like
the People's champ is just a reminder that you and

(44:37):
your authentic self, like I was saying to you earlier,
like in whatever shape, shape or form that is, whether
it's you happy one day or sad or or joyful
or whatever like it, it's it's perfectly fine, and it's
actually everything that you've ever wanted. And I think we're
so conditioned to reach out and want o stuff, but
we we rarely just look inward and and sit with

(44:59):
who we already are, which is the People's Champion, Like
you already are your own champion, and so yeah, I
don't know, I just think like you've already won. I
think that's another great message that we're gonna have printed
on sweatshirts. It's like you've already, You've already got, like
like there's no more searching, there's no more seeking, and
I think I got to a point in my life
of realizing that. So I just wanted to make an
album that represented that. I will say that was the

(45:19):
line that suck out from me was if there's something
I want you to realize from this new album, it's this,
you are already what you're looking for. And then in
capital letters you say already, so stop searching. And the
reason that resonates with me too is because we were
talking to Seth Curry and it's he may make the
exact same thing of you know what, I just have
to recognize that I'm enough, Like what I can do

(45:42):
in my skill sets are more than enough. They're more
than good enough. And I think, no matter if you're
on a global stage or you're just you know, in
your house and you only in you, your exposures, only
your family, it's understanding and us having that not even
I won't even just say confidence, but just like that
self love to say what you have to for is
more than enough. And I think being able to to

(46:03):
feel that, especially through this music, especially through what you'rre
you've created, is very very special and it's not it's
not common, and that's what it is. It's not as common.
Like you listen to me. We talked about baby making
music a little bit ago. You listen to music, you know,
a dance like you're saying, E d M dance track
like it's you get. You get songs to make you bop,

(46:23):
You get songs to put you in the mood. You
get songs to vibe out wig, you get songs so too.
Now you get songs to single mong like it has
this vibe I love and I am super attracted, which
which I'm so happy to talk to you. I'm super
attracted to songs that make you feel good about who
you are, and that's the music you're making. I love that.
Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Yeah. Yeah, um,

(46:44):
that's why I tried to do man. I mean, like,
thank thank you for saying that, like you you have
to you answered it better than I probably could know. No.
I just think, like similar to what you said about
your your conversation with South Kurry, like I think even
understanding that, like we're all not to get too deep
but like we're all us like our own colors in
like this giant painting of life, Like everyone has their
own role in what is happening here. And just to

(47:08):
embrace what what what we already have and what we
already are and and knowing that you're already enough and
it's it's a really powerful thing to understand. And I'm
just trying to I'm trying to get better at reminding
myself of that, So hopefully the album does that yet.
Now before we get into the fourth quarter. In the
final quarter, I want to ask you, how was it
collaborating Big Sean Chelsea Color, Like, how was that? Give

(47:31):
us an inside look to the collaboration process with them? Yeah,
I mean it was amazing. I think Chelsea for for starters,
is someone that I've like, I've known forever now and
and she's like a sister to me and and and
and working with her has become so natural. And um
with that song let Me Down that's on the album,
it was just something that we made together in the studio,

(47:53):
and I think it was actually meant for me, but
but she was helping writing it and I was just like, hey, dude,
you want to just hop on the sec converse and
just be a part of it. Um. And and our
relationship is at that point where I can just ask
her that or just text her like we've we've I've
made songs of the past where I just sent to
her and texted her and be like, hey, do you
want to you know, get on this. And she's also
not afraid to be like this sucks. Don't know, I

(48:14):
don't really like like we're actually at that point where
you know, we can share each other um ideas that
we've come up with and and really give like honest feedback,
which is again a rare thing I think to find
in music, to have another artist of her stature that
can can really tell me what she thinks and and
and not not like beat around the bush. And I

(48:34):
need that definitely. I need that clarity, uh like once
in a while. UM. So she's amazing. I love her
to death. She's she's great. But with Big Sean, um,
I was actually a song that I I my business
manager also represents him. Um And I've been joking to
him for years and I was like, get me connected
with Big Sean, give me a connected with Big Sean,
and he never did it. And then I sent him

(48:55):
the song Common that is now on the album, and
I was like, I think Sean would sound great on this.
And the next day I woke up to me on
a group chat with him and Sean and and uh, yeah,
just like manifested that for years and just it's like
somehow it came into fruition. So no, but he um,
he just laid his verse down and then sent it
back to me. But then we actually got to meet
in person, uh for the music video. And he's the

(49:18):
sweetest guy, very very down to earth, um, very like
it's very much of what we've discussed in this conversation.
He he embodies that a lot. He's very in tune
with like hisself, and he's very self aware and and
and and I think he's done a lot of uh
a lot of inner work, um as I can tell
like over the years of what he posts on social media,

(49:39):
and um, I've even got like book recommendations from him.
Like he's just very like he's very in touch with
his deeper side. And and I I for some of
his level. I really I really admire that and I
definitely look up to him so and just him being
from Detroit too, it's always been like a term to
work work together, so it was a huge bucket list
for me. Yeah, well that's what I was waiting for. Two.
I was like, but also, are you going from the

(50:01):
same place? Yeah, yeah, like I grew up like he
was like my like in college, like only we're playing
Big Sean. So like my friends freaked out when they
when they found out that I was working with him. So, um,
I still have to pinch myself that that that even
that that happened. But uh but yeah, I don't know,
it's just it's crazy. So like yeah, I mean super

(50:21):
super lucky. Yeah. Yeah, let's roll into the fourth quarter,
fourth and final quarter, and I want to talk about
and two aspects. You have a tour coming up, international tour.
So first aspect, on a physical level, how do you
prepare for this? And the reason this comes up because
I got to sit down with Usher, um not too
long ago and talk about this too, Like being an

(50:43):
artist is very physical. You gotta get on stage. You
talked about a thirty minute set where you did a
bunch of songs you know back in the day when
you first started. That's physically taxing. Even if you imagine
sending in one spot. It's so physically taxing, so there
has to be some physical training and preparation that goes
into into it. You know espe like you said, I
know your sports guy, the People's Champ, Like these are
all things and elements that play a role. How do

(51:05):
you prepare physically for an international store? I think it's
a lot of you know, I could probably I don't
think I'm on ushers level of I'm not on users level.
He dances all day. Yeah, yeah, that dude. That dude
is just like yeah, chiseled, and I think we have
definitely different body types. But I think, uh, I think

(51:27):
for me, it's more like I definitely try to get
It's cool though, because like my my my physical exercise
is like is the performance. So I get a lot
of cardio and during the show. But but to answer
your question like how do I prep prep for that?
I think for me it's like adequate amounts of sleep,
it's healthy eating, It's it's like inner work, and I
try to meditate like every day before our show and

(51:48):
just sort of get into that mindset of like just
just being. It's it's amazing because that that hour or
hour and a half that I'm on stage is it
is like a meditative experience, and I'm very present, I'm
very like in the moment and just focused. Um, But
I want to make sure I'm walking on stage with
a clear head and no distractions and stuff. So for me,

(52:08):
it's actually it's less like weightlifting and it's more just
centering myself a bit and like just just calming down
in and just really making sure that I can give
the people who come into my show is like the
best version of me every night, because I definitely, I
definitely don't thank for granted that you know, people spend
their hard earn money to come and see me run

(52:30):
around stage for you know, an hour and a half.
It's it's bizarre. So I want to make sure that,
like you know, I'm doing the most that I can
to to make them leave with a smile on their face.
So yeah, but I gotta get I gotta get Usher's
workout plan because he's will probably I've never seen someone
who danced so much like he'll just be walking and
bus out of a dance. I've really never seen it. Um.

(52:52):
This is the second part of that question and and
pretty much one of my second to last questions here
in terms of most times we talked about ramping up
for a show, which is what you talked about doing
in a work, you know, um, doing the meditation, but
coming down from a show. I can just imagine the
the we talked about the ramp up, but the coming down, right,
the cool down, the descending recovery in some regards actually

(53:12):
in itself is also work. How do you decompress after
you because being on stage is exhilarating. You have energy
of so many people, energies contagious, You've got energy bouncing
like vibrations all around you. What is that like decompression?
Look like it's I So I have like a just
from my voice, for example, I have like a cool
down warm up that I'll do, uh not a warm

(53:34):
up cool down, which is like ten minutes of me
just like holding out like long notes that just kind
of relax your vocal cords. Um. And what that does
is it just like it's basically stretching your vocal cords
like after you would you know, do a I don't know,
hour long bike ride, like you're gonna want to stretch
your hamstrings out, you want to do all that stuff.
So it's the same thing for me. As as a singer. Um,

(53:55):
but I definitely like set aside, Like if I get
off stage, I definitely take like five at least five
minutes of just alone time, like you know, towel over
my head, just like letting letting my body naturally come
back to that place of rest. Because you're right, it's
like it's like running around. Your adrenaline is at an
all time high. Like it's it really is the most
natural high to be on stage and to perform, and

(54:17):
when you get off stage, it can be a bit
jarring to be like to go from thousands of people
like freaking out to then a quiet green room with
no one around you. You're it can be a bit
of a like a psyche like um like roller coaster there.
So I try and make sure that like I don't
hop from stage to another crazy scenario. I definitely have

(54:40):
to like smoothing into each Like if I get off stage,
I definitely make sure I sit, I don't say anything,
I don't speak to anyone. I just sort of let
my body come down naturally, drink water, um depthe hydrate
is important and just yeah and just just just like
naturally let my body get too back to its place
of square one. Um, because it is weird. It's like, yeah,

(55:03):
I ramp, Like I'm definitely a more heightened version of
myself on stage compared to how I am off stage.
Like I'm definitely not shouting in my everyday life as
much as I do when I'm on stage. So you know,
just like I think my bodies got to a point
where it's like used to it. But yeah, it's like
just the matter of just you know, sitting with sitting
with that emotion and just letting it subside naturally. Um. Yeah,

(55:26):
as we um conclude our courtside conversation, could you bless
us with one of those what is the cool down notes? Sound?
Like like oh jeez, it's like, okay, gosh, all you
really put? I can go first, if you you know what,
I will set the bar so low if I had
if there was a sound for me to cool down,
it will be like no, no, okay, okay, I don't

(55:49):
even know. No, I'll embarrass myself embarrassed. But this is
like because you have to make weird noises too. Uh,
there's certain there's certain bowels you have to hit in
order to like streats your vocal court. But you have,
there's this gulp, so you have to like sign, you
have to like make a sound like you're drinking water.
It's like go go go, go go go. Yeah yeah yeah,

(56:12):
and you sound like an idiot. Yeah, so I do
this when I'm alone. Um, but thank you for putting
on the spot now, you know what, that's the point
of court that conversation. We get some of the stuff
that you don't hear everywhere and all of the articles
and other press outlets. So again, Quinn, I need to
thank you so much for joining me. I've learned so
much about you, and I do think always having a

(56:33):
deeper perspective of someone or insight into someone's life provides
the experience of their music, their performance, um, their games
that much more richer. So thank you so much. I
really appreciate you taking a seat with me. Courts. Yeah,
thank you so much. I appreciate it was a great
talking to you. I think actually before I go, I
think I've done like three of your classes on Peloton. Yeah, yeah,

(56:55):
thank you, yeah, thanks for thanks for you just being positive.
I know you have changed so many lives and just
keep doing your thing. You're like a beacon of light
in this world, so keep keep doing it. Wow, thank you,
I appreciate it. Yeah, you're the best. All right, y'all?
Ali love out. I'll see you next time. Next conversation.