Get To Know... Get To Know… quinnie
To mark the release of her newest track ‘Shape’, we get to know the New Jersey folk singer a little better…
Hello and welcome to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest new acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.
Earlier this year, 22 year old folk artist quinnie released her debut album ‘flounder’, and is now getting set to share its deluxe version, which features her latest offering ‘Shape’, a reflective but witty acoustic-led track which you can hear below.
To mark the release of her latest track, we spoke to the New Jersey singer to discover some of her earliest musical memories, the artists she’s grown up loving, and what track she thinks all new listeners of hers should start with.
What’s your earliest musical memory?
When I was a young toddler, my parents would play Enya for me on a CD player as I was falling asleep every night. Some of those songs would bring me to tears at that age and still do.
Who were some artists that inspired you when you were just starting out (and why)?
‘Sgt. Pepper’s…’ by The Beatles was probably my first inspiration of note, as it is for a lot of people. From then on, I was mostly inspired to start writing music by a lot of great folk artists and singer songwriters of the past: Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Tracy Chapman were my end all be alls starting at probably age 12 or 13.
Is there a visual world to what you’re trying to create? If so, how would you describe it?
I hesitate to describe my visual world only because I hope that my videos, artwork, and sonic palette evoke the visuals I aim for in people’s imaginations. Beyond providing those elements I think the visual world is up to the consumer’s interpretation.
In school, what would you have been voted Most Likely To…?
Most likely to wear something absurd to public school.
Are there any other artists breaking through right now that you’re excited or inspired by?
As pretentious as it sounds, I struggle to listen to new music only because I think it ends up informing my art too much and results in songs that are far too watered down by the hodgepodge of genre-less music we are all making these days. So short answer, there aren’t…. I am extremely out of the loop!
Which track of yours should a first-time listener start with, and why?
I think the song ‘Flounder’. More then any other song of mine, it encapsulates where I’ve been and where I’m going.
If you could have written any song from history, what would it have been?
I wish I wrote ‘John My Beloved’ by Sufjan Stevens.
Musically or otherwise, what are you most looking forward to this year?
What I always most look forward to is new feelings and writing new songs to process them. To be a fan of a songwriter is to watch them learn more about themselves a little more through each song, and its an honour I get to do that for people to hear.
We’re coming round for dinner: what are you cooking?
Annie’s white cheddar mac and cheese!
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