Exclusive Interview: Kevin Quinn Talks ‘Real Me’ Album, Exploring His Relationship with Faith Amid Personal Struggles, and More

Throughout his journey as a singer-songwriter and actor, Kevin Quinn has consistently opened up his heart, soul, and personal experiences through his artistic pursuits. The authenticity and vulnerability inherent in his work have not only resonated with millions of fans worldwide but have also fostered genuine connections across the diverse facets of his talent.

In his recent album, Real Me, Kevin Quinn delivers a raw and honest body of work that delves into his personal struggles with mental health and explores how these challenges have impacted his relationship with faith.

Pop Culturalist spoke with Kevin about the making of Real Me, how he hopes the album sparks necessary conversations among listeners, how the body of work leans into his pop influences, and more.

PC: There’s so much growth that you can hear in your artistry when you’re listening to Real Me. You talk about the trials and tribulations that you faced on your journey through that title track. How have those experiences helped shape the artist that you are today? What’s played the biggest role in your development as a singer-songwriter?
Kevin: That’s a really good question. I’ve had some really intense experiences over the past year that have changed my life for better and for worse because they were difficult at the time, probably the most difficult thing that I’ve ever gone through. But I came out of it as a better person on the other side of it, as they say. So I felt like I had a lot to write about, and I felt like that experience alone completely changed my approach to music and my ability to be vulnerable in my music and lyrics. People will be able to hear that in Real Me, at least that’s what I’m hoping.

PC: They definitely will. This album is such a departure from your previous bodies of work, where you’re really leaning into your pop influences while also staying true to your faith, which makes it authentic and accessible. How have the group of collaborators that you worked with on this project helped you bridge those two worlds?
Kevin: I have to give it up to the songwriters and producers that I worked with on this, particularly Sean Cook because he spearheaded this as executive producer. Those songwriters did bridge the gap. We were very particular with who we brought into the room. I essentially had to open up about these difficult experiences that I had last year to these songwriters, putting my trust in them that they wouldn’t judge me for it and that they’d support me for it.

That’s not always a given. I can’t ask them not to judge me. They might have their own opinions about what I went through, but they didn’t judge me, which is all I could ask for. If anything, I think it fueled their artistry because they’re also putting a part of themselves into the songs as songwriters on the track.

The track is influenced by their work. Whatever their writing style is or their lyrics, they make it into the song at the end of the day. The fact that I was so vulnerable and willing to share that part of myself made them feel vulnerable and able to share the best parts of themselves. That’s why every track is so intimate because the writers embraced the intimacy of the subject matter.

PC: Speaking about that vulnerability, there’s so much of it on the album, particularly with songs like “I’m Not There Yet,” which is such an emotional listen but has hopeful undertones. Has it ever been a scary prospect to be that open and vulnerable in your craft and talk about topics like mental health? Is there a different weight to a song like that which has the ability to start necessary conversations and impact listeners?
Kevin: I definitely hope it impacts listeners and starts necessary conversations. I actually just hopped off another interview before this where we were talking about this. I’m hoping it does spark those conversations. Personally, I’ve never found it hard to be an open book because maybe that’s the artist in me, but I never feel fearful to share those parts of myself, at least with the fans because they’ve been so supportive. They look up to me. When you have somebody like that, and I love and appreciate them so much, it’s like I can never do wrong in their eyes, which I don’t know how they idolize me that much, but it means the world. If I open up and say, “This is something that I went through with my mental health,” to the fans and my music, they enjoy that vulnerability because I took a risk to share something special with them about myself.

PC: It’s your gift as a songwriter. There’s such a universal quality to your songwriting, and a track like “Blessed” was written two years ago, but it feels so cohesive to everything that’s on this album. How special is that for you as a songwriter to see a song that you’ve written stand the test of time?
Kevin: It’s funny, right? It does fit on this project, even though it was written significantly before the rest of the songs, but it has withstood the test of time. At the end of the day, it’s just a good song. The message is universal. That’s the type of music that I’ve been meaning to make this whole time, which is pop music, but it does lean into a deeper meaning of recognizing your blessings. It’s leaning into the beauty of faith within the context of pop music, which I don’t think there’s a lot of. I think my project can be something you can hear on the radio that you would mistake for a total mainstream hit or whatever. But at the end of the day, you realize that it could be in relation to you or the artist’s faith. That’s a really cool bridge that I have the opportunity to grab for listeners.

PC: Every track does feel like it could be on the radio. One of the beautiful things about being an artist is that you get to experiment with different songs. “Give You Up” is such an unexpected closure for the album, where it’s poppy, has electronic influences, and also feels like a dance track. Can you talk a bit about the production of the song and bringing all those different elements into it? Is it a glimpse of what this next body of work could sound like?
Kevin: I’m really glad that you brought that song up because that’s probably one of my favorites on the album. I would say “Learning to Let Go” and “Give You Up” are my two favorites. But that song is so unique compared to the rest of the project, and that’s why I wanted to close with that. It could very well lean into what the next body of work could sound like. I don’t know what that is yet, but it feels like the biggest risk that I’ve taken in terms of production and what my project sounds like. We decided to go with drums and bass and write around that. It’s the brilliance of my executive producer, Sean Cook, and all the stuff he added around it. The result is one of the most compelling songs on the album.

PC: Definitely. You stop when you hear that song. There’s always a message with all of your songwriting. Do you have a favorite lyric that you wrote on this album?
Kevin: I think it would have to be in “Learning to Let Go.” I would say mostly all of the lyrics in that song. That song might be the best lyrically on the project. I think the reason why is because faith can look like a lot of different things. A lot of people mistake faith-based songs to be about the good with faith. But I think it’s also important that people know that faith is a relationship with a higher being or God, whatever you want to call it. During that phase of my life, I didn’t have the best relationship with God. I felt angry. I felt rejected. I had a lot of negative experiences and emotions. So when the opening line, “I used to dream about the future. Prayed for things I thought I wanted. High expectations. Been disappointed with the outcome. Lost who I was in the process,” it almost turns a blind eye to faith and is like, “Well, I don’t need that.” But at the same time, it’s an honest portrayal of the turbulence of faith. That’s just as important as the positive faith songs. The song that documents the ups and downs, the peaks and valleys of a relationship with God is the most honest faith-based song. That’s why I like those lyrics.

PC: With this being such a diverse body of work, if you had to pick one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist at this moment in time, which would it be and why?
Kevin: Probably “Learning to Let Go.” Sonically, it feels the most authentic to who I am.

PC: As artists, so often when you drop an album, you hit the road to support it. Are there plans to tour in 2024? How much do you use that live stage to test out the new material?
Kevin: All the time when I have the opportunity. There are plans to tour in the spring this year, so I’m hoping that people will be able to make it out. I’m really excited to get back on the road and play for them. I don’t have firm dates yet, but there will be a tour. It’s going to be all this new stuff. It will be the entire album, I’d imagine. Then I might throw in some stuff from my previous project, It’s About Time, because there was a really positive response to that project as well. I might give them a bit of that too.

PC: Outside of music, you’re also an actor. Is there anything that you can tease about what’s ahead with that aspect of your career?
Kevin: Yeah, I haven’t shot anything in a while because this experience that I went through last year put my acting career on a temporary pause, but I have jumped back in since then. The only project that has yet to come out for me is a film called You Can’t Run Forever with J.K. Simmons, which is a thriller movie. It’s about a sociopath who’s played by J.K. Simmons, who goes on a murderous rampage in the woods of Montana, which is based loosely on a true story, which I didn’t realize at the time. So that’s coming out. I know it’s secured distribution overseas and then I believe it will secure domestic distribution next. So you should see that in theaters this year.

I’m always auditioning, waiting for the next gig to come. In the meantime, I’m working on a few other personal projects, and I’m going to school to finally get my Bachelor’s degree.

To keep up with Kevin, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Listen to Real Me today.