On Feb. 15, about a year and a half after his first album was released, Quinn XCII released his sophomore album, From Michigan With Love. The album has 12 songs and features artists like Jon Bellion, Elohim and Louis Futon. Quinn XCII’s music falls under multiple genres like pop and hip hop with hints of reggae and EDM. He is signed with Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
If you’ve never listened to Quinn’s music, I absolutely recommend it. And if you read his name as x-c-i-i instead of 92 like I used to, then you definitely need to watch the interview where he explains how he came up with his stage name.
On his new album, a big focus for Quinn is interacting with the conversation about mental health. He says in an interview with RR Records, “It’s kind of a weird thing to say, but [mental health] is popular right now. So, I didn’t want to come across like I was riding the bandwagon of this conversation we’re having in pop culture. And I wanted to speak on it from my personal experiences and do it in my own authentic way.”
He goes on to say that most of the songs on his album touch on this topic; one of which is the single “Sad Still.” He says that he tried to mimic what an anxiety attack might sound like through this song, noting that the verses feel “chaotic” and resemble a racing heartbeat. He also tells the interviewer that he wants to encourage anyone suffering mental health issues that it’s okay to seek help.
In an interview with Front Row Live, Quinn talks about another single on the album, “Tough.” He says that the purpose behind it is to be an anti-bullying song that also shows ‘tougher’ guys that it’s okay to soften up and tell people about their feelings. He later says of his first album that it’s somewhat of a surface-level biography of his life, but his new album is on a deeper level. From Michigan With Love is all about the struggles he began to feel while living in Michigan, some of which he still deals with today. He also talks about wanting to relate to his audience but produce music that no one has ever heard before.
While being interviewed on the Zach Sang Show, Quinn XCII was asked a lot about how his music has developed since he first started making it in his college dorm room and how he has grown as a person. He responded by saying that it’s his goal to always say things in the most authentic way he can and to be true to himself throughout the music-making process.
Quinn XCII’s new album is now streaming on services like Spotify and Apple Music and is available for purchase on iTunes. His message to his fans through this album is “whatever you’re going through, just know that you’re not alone…” So, if you’re looking for quality music with an uplifting message, give From Michigan With Love a shot!