Hailing from Yorkshire, England; Scott Quinn bursts forth with his grasping mix of electro and R&B, balancing the antagonistic tones and melodies to create something exquisite. Climbing his way up the musical ladder, Quinn released his first single “There For You” in 2016, following this up with three singles the following year. One of these is perhaps is best know track “Delicate”, a soothing congruency of falsetto vocals and an intricate yet refined electronic beat.

2018 sees Quinn begin to build a repertoire for himself, having already released single “Run” as well as having collaborated with Set Mo on “Nightmares”, an initially murky track that transforms into a beat driven electro anthem. Quinn has been preparing himself for his solo career for quite some time, but what is it that inspires him? What does he think about the music industry at present? We asked him all of this and more, here’s what he had to say.

Hi Scott, do you want to give a brief introduction about yourself and when you started making music?

Hey I’m Scott Quinn and I’m a Yorkshire born – London based artist and songwriter! I’ve been playing music ever since I can remember, from playing in orchestras to jazz bands growing and then singing in my indie pop rock band before moving on to my current solo project. My solo project came about kind of by accident when finishing university and I’ve been pursuing that journey ever since!

What inspired you to start making music at that particular moment in time?

I think I’ve always stuck with music because not only did I find it fun as a kid but my parents supported me wholeheartedly in pursuing my passion and there was never any wavering in that, they never said I needed a “Plan B”.

Is that inspiration something that still resides with you when creating music, or are your influences less static and more relative to your surroundings?

My music is heavily influenced by life experiences but also by questions that I have about life and the greater meaning in everything. I’ve always questioned things from a very early age and i’ve taken that trait into adulthood with me. Also wondering if we’re putting our energy and effort into the right places in life etc.

Making music personally and professionally are two very different activities, when did you realise you wanted to share your talent?

I’ve always wanted to share music but I didn’t realise that I wanted to share stories and ideas until quite late on. The penny dropped once I started writing songs from a raw and emotional space, once that happened I started receiving messages from people saying how the song connected to them so deeply and how it made them feel a certain way. Music is energy and I realised that my songs carried a certain type of message and energy that enabled people to think and ask questions of themselves, I find that fascinating and powerful.

What have been the most difficult/rewarding aspects of becoming a musician?

There are difficulties in any walk of life or profession but music is quite unique in that the commodity that is traded within the industry is fuelled on your emotions and experiences. Writing raw and emotional songs means that you spend a lot of time with your own thoughts and delving into personal experiences on a much deeper level. This exploration can be rewarding and quite cathartic, but it can also be quite heavy and exhausting. However, any hardship or difficulty I have faced in my career is heavily outweighed by the joy that playing music and writing songs brings me. I am so passionate about connecting with people and exchanging ideas and stories, so touring and performing songs to so many different people from all walks of life is the dream for me, I have the privilege of playing to and meeting some truly incredible people and I feel to fortunate for that.

With all the added technology and software now available, do you think it’s become easier to get into making music?

It’s never been easier to start making music. With very limited gear you can literally start from scratch and teach yourself how to play and instrument or build a beat in Garage Band etc. Technology is massively enabling, but I also think technology has meant that it’s becoming increasingly tougher to be heard. The flood gates have opened to so many talented creators, but I feel the platforms that aim to promote those artists haven’t quite caught up yet.

With that in mind, the growth of technology and social media has undoubtedly made it harder to get noticed as a musician. How did you make yourself stand out?

I truly believe that good music will be heard and so I’ve spent time crafting my writing and trying hard to stay true to myself and make music that I love. I think a defining moment in my artist journey so far, is when I stopped comparing or trying to sound like anyone else. I spent so long thinking that I wasn’t a singer and that my voice wasn’t good enough because it didn’t sound like the music I was hearing in the charts etc, but when I stopped caring and just focused in, thats when people started hearing a unique tone in my voice and thats when my music started gaining attention. No one else can ‘do you’ as good as you, so just work hard to nail that.

Do you think there’s a certain image of male musicians that rising artists feel they have to follow?

I think theres always some form of “trend” or “mould” that artists find themselves chasing and I feel this is sometimes exacerbated by major labels who are just wanting to churn out copies of previous hits etc. Again though, a persons power is in their vulnerability and authenticity. You can’t copy that, and thats what sets artists apart. An aspect of my project that people often point out to me as unique is my willingness to be fragile and express myself from a place of raw emotion, this is something thats been conditioned out of men for centuries but finally we’re moving into a space of emotional intelligence and openness where are all finding a lot of strength in our vulnerability.

What would you say to someone trying to kick start their musical career?

Write, write and write some more, hone your craft and work with like minded people with the sole aim of making music that sounds a feels good. Nail this and you will be heard and people will want to hear you.