Scott Quinn “With a Love for the Human Experience”

Introducing Scott Quinn’s latest single, “Overdrawn”, is a multilayer exercise that goes deeply into your own emotions and memories. Back to those moments when we knew a relationship did not work, but we kept going. The answer, very often, was to let it finally go in order to protect our own broken heart. Selfish? Not at all. Just another lesson in life. Scott Quinn, who splits his time between London and Berlin, is a songwriter who “specialises” in seemingly sad songs.

“Sad songs” is an easy keyword to use, though, and quite an understatement. This is because, just like in life, breakups are never easy and there are always two sides to the same story. Scott’s song-writing talent goes beyond that as well. Having collaborated with the big names in the contemporary pop music (BTS, Zara Larsson, Norma Jean Martine, to name a few), he leads his songs through a multitude of emotions. With incredible empathy and a sense of observation which does not go for easy solutions.

This is also true about “Overdrawn”, which has just premiered everywhere. What stands out to me in the case of this particular song is the careful balance between the vulnerability affecting both parties, and the need to care about one’s own feelings. And the solution, no matter how hard, must come as a direct and transparent decision. With this in mind, I have discussed “Overdrawn” with Scott, focusing not only on the song itself, but also on the aspects surrounding this release as a preview of his upcoming album. If you would like to know more, read on!

Bartek: Your Spotify description is short and straight to the point: “Purveyor of sad songs.” What draws you to the sadness or melancholy in music?

Scott Quinn: I often tell people that I’m a happy singer who writes sad songs. The duality isn’t lost on me, but I have wondered if I’m so happy because music has been an outlet and a form of therapy for me throughout my life. I remember the first times I saw my music connecting with people in a real way, whether that was people crying or telling me that my songs had helped them. It’s an incredible feeling and an immense privilege to be able to put words to people’s feelings and emotions. I quickly noticed a correlation between how vulnerable I was in my writing and how much people seemed to see themselves in it.

In addition to your solo career, you have successfully contributed your song writing skills to the releases of other artists. Has any of them ever asked you to write a sad song for them?

It’s interesting. I definitely do get invited into certain rooms or writing sessions because of how comfortable I am with vulnerability. That being said, a lot of my co-writes for other people actually end up being more upbeat or happy. I write a lot of K Pop, for example, and the majority of those releases couldn’t be further away from my own music. I just love creating, whether it’s for myself or for other artists.

Before we talk about your upcoming solo release, I need to mention that I am a big fan of your 2023 EP, Love Is a Liar. You have a natural talent for turning sadness into digestible chunks of emotion. Not overwhelming, but honest, even in “what if you break my heart again”. How do you approach these emotions in your song-writing, and how do you shape the overall mood of your songs to achieve that effect?

Ahhh, thank you so much. I love that EP. To be honest, a lot of the process is intuitive, and I think after all these years I’ve learnt to trust my gut and trust the process. Something I always try to do is not overcomplicate the message. The occasional Shakespearean line can be fun, but ultimately, I’m trying to translate big feelings into short sentences and make them easier to digest, as you say.

“Overdrawn”, your latest single, is a heart-breaking farewell to a love that cannot survive. How do you deal with themes like that while recording songs? Do you manage to stay on the “this is just a performance” side of things, or the contrary?

I’m always trying to convey as much vulnerability as possible when recording. I know the different colours of my voice and how they look on a canvas, what they connote, and what emotion they carry. My good friend Rich Cooper, who is producing my debut album, is a deeply trusted collaborator, and he’s very attuned to how to get the best performance out of me. The best performance is also different from song to song. Sometimes you want a vocal to feel solid and strong, and sometimes you want it to feel fragile and imperfect.

“When you keep giving from an empty place, love starts to feel like debt, and staying becomes unsustainable no matter how much you care.”

Scott Quinn

“Overdrawn” is also a preview of your upcoming debut album. Is there anything you can reveal at this stage about its music, title, or the themes that were driving your song-writing?

It’s taken me a long time to feel ready to write an album, but it’s been such an incredibly cathartic experience. I’m currently going through a breakup, and that has suddenly made the album even more poignant for me. The album explores love in all its forms, romantic, platonic, familial, and ultimately what it means to be human.

I need to ask about inspirations. If you were to name some artists who shaped your approach to writing music, who would they be?

I grew up on the greats: Billy Joel, Elton John, The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas. I feel like I’ve definitely absorbed some of their musical DNA into this album. I just love timeless, classic song-writing that can feel relevant now and still resonate in 50 years’ time.

What’s the saddest song you have ever heard, and have you ever considered covering it?

There are so many. A song that always gets me is “More Hearts Than Mine” by Ingrid Andress. It’s such beautiful and heart-breaking song-writing. I’ve never really been a fan of doing covers though. I can never seem to learn the lyrics.

You split your time between London and Berlin, with the latter increasingly becoming a music hub for a lot of artists these days. What has drawn you to Berlin in that regard?

Berlin has become a second home to me in recent years. The crowds have always been so supportive, and it just so happened that I slowly built my whole team out there. It’s a great city, full of creativity. I also feel like the fact it isn’t an island somehow makes it feel like music can spread far and wide, although that may just be my romanticised take on it.

What inspired you to create the podcast you host, “Healing Hearts Club”, in the context of dealing with mental health issues and relationships? It feels very complementary to your music, so I wonder about the response you get from your audience. Do they reach out to you, share their stories, and so on?

It’s still very much in the development stages, but I’m really excited to launch it. I’m fortunate in that my head is now a wonderful place to be, but that took a lot of therapy and a lot of work. Ever since I experienced a bout of depression at university, I’ve felt compelled to be outspoken about mental health and to encourage more open conversations around it.

Many years ago, I launched a music industry focused mental health campaign with Help Musicians UK called MAD, which later became Music Minds Matter. The campaign went on to set up the first hotline for musicians to call for mental health support, and it also produced the first academic study into whether the music industry exacerbates the mental health of those who work within it. We always knew it did, but the conclusions were even more shocking than we expected.

I have huge aspirations for Healing Hearts Club. For now, it exists as my Instagram broadcast channel, but it will soon become a podcast exploring the human experience, mental health, and deeper conversations. Further down the line, I would love to set up a charity that helps people build a roadmap to receiving the care they deserve for their mental health. I think there’s also huge value in focusing on education for children.

Going back to your debut album, in terms of the timeline, what are your plans for the next few months leading up to its premiere?

All being well, the album should come out in October.

Are you more excited or stressed about sharing your new songs with listeners?

So excited. This music feels more like me than anything I’ve ever written, and I can’t wait for people to find their own meaning in the songs.

Finally, how would you like people to feel after listening to the entire album, just as the last notes of the final song fade out?

I have this image in my head of someone taking time out of their day to put the vinyl on the turntable, silence their phone, pour themselves a drink, and listen to the album all the way through. To really soak in the themes. By the time the last note fades, I hope people are left feeling emotional but seen, filled with a love for the human experience, and carrying a dose of hope into the rest of their day.

Photos: Press release and Harvey Pearson

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