Many artists make a name for themselves based on a specific sound or musical brand. Though they may tend to switch things up from time to time andtest out different genres,an artist typically gains and maintains their following by cultivating an identity and, for the most part, sticking to it.
One artist who hasn’t quite strayed from his typical electronic reggaepop soundsince hisdebut albumin 2017 is Quinn XCII.The singer-songwriter has released seven studio albums, all of which have a relatively similar sound.He has certainly grown as an artist over the years, but the themes in his lyrics have been relatively consistent.
Quinn XCII’s newest album,LOOK! I’m Alive, is the first exception to his lyrical theme rule.Though the album’s sound is as classically Quinn as it comes, the lyrics on his seventh album mark a rather stark transition from what he typically sings about, and signal a potential new era for the artist’s career going forward.
LOOK! I’m Alive Was Inspired By The Artist’s Daughter
For most of his career,Quinn XCII has written about some deeply personal things,the common thread being his youth and his life growing up in Michigan. His first three albums,The Story of Us,From Michigan With Love, andA Letter to My Younger Self,were all about young love and Quinn’s experience growing up in the Midwest.
Quinn XCII’s album covers have ranged from cartoon drawings to photos of him inside or outside a cabin, but they all feature some sort of version of him, and him alone.LOOK! I’m Aliveis his first album cover to feature another person,and that is his daughter, who is perched on his shoulder, peering around to look at him.
Quinn explained in anInstagrampost that he’d been struggling to find inspiration for new music.In the Instagram reel, he wrote, “Becoming a father last year gave me a whole new perspective.” With a photo of him with his daughter as the album cover, it’s clear that this album had an entirely different theme than his previous work.
His Sixth Studio Album Is Markedly Different From His Previous Albums
Though he has branched out a bit in his lyrics to make them more applicable to young adult life, Quinn’s lyrics have always been about love and lust, and life in the Midwest. In promoting his seventh album, however,the artist has explained that his daughter is the inspiration behind his lyrics this time around.
The album opens with the track “Olive Tree,” and the first line of the album perfectly sums up Quinn’s transition:
I could write a thousand songs about a breakup
Or I could watch the waves move and listen while I wake up next to you
I think I’ll take option two
Right off the bat,he draws attention to the fact that he’s planning to take a big step in another direction with this album,explicitly saying he’d rather sing about his wife and the life they’ve built together than his youthful breakups from now on.
The rest of the album follows suit, and has a more mature sound than his earlier albums.Now that he’s a dad, Quinn shouldn’t have to worry about searching for inspiration for any forthcoming albums—his daughter has already proven a fantastic muse for his lyrics, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what the future has in store.
