Understanding your value and standing up for yourself is not always simple. The latest single from Tatum Quinn, “Short Supply,” is shamelessly raucous, with lyrics that will have you shutting the door on anyone who attempts to take you for granted. People who don’t recognize your value and believe you have nothing better to do with your life than wait around can kiss your value goodbye. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
TATUM QUINN: Hey Illustrate Magazine, it’s such a pleasure to be chatting with you! To answer your question, I’m from Montreal, Canada, born and raised but I’m also duel citizen of the United States!
My journey through music all got started because my family’s always been heavily into music. My parents raised my brothers and I primarily on classic rock music but they also exposed us to SO many other greats, ranging from Styx all the way to Ray Charles & everything in-between.
Growing up we had this big wall of CDs, that everyday my parents would have us choose an album from the wall that we thought looked cool & we’d listen to the album, while they explained the ins and outs of the musicians & the song writing behind that album.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
TATUM QUINN: I do have formal training actually! When I was a kid, I was bullied for a learning disability called Dyslexia. Kids can be really mean at that age, so I used to come home from school, lock myself in my bedroom, and just cry & sing until my mom would come tell me it’s time for bed. Singing was my escape & the only place I really felt safe/understood.
My mom witnessing this pattern of mine, she asked me if I wanted to take singing lessons. That day changed my life. I definitely had to go through some awful music teachers to find the ones that worked for me, but it was well worth the struggle!
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘TATUM QUINN’?
TATUM QUINN: My first musical influences aside from what my parents showed me, would probably be Britney Spears, The Spice Girls & Christina Aguilera. I used to listen to there records on my CD-Walkman & dance around my room, imagining myself performing to huge audiences! But my strongest influences growing up were actually Steven Tyler from Aerosmith & Ann Wilson from Heart.
Everybody used to tell me “ooo you’re gonna be the next Britney Spears” & as a kid I absolutely hated that comment because I always loved Britney but at that age, I wanted to be a rockstar not a pop-star (as silly as that sounds).
To answer your question about my name, when I was 14, I started working with Ubisoft, (the video game company). I tagged along to my vocal coaches studio session, (she was hired to record something & took me along to use it as a learning opportunity for me). During her downtime in studio, my coach, Nancy would have me sing, while correcting my posture and breath support. Some of the producers from Ubisoft heard me singing & thought that i’d be a good fit for their video game Just Dance. Fast forward, I ended up working with Ubisoft for a few years, & they definitely didn’t hesitate to tell me there likes and dislikes; So they told me that they didn’t like my original name, as it sounded “too young” to them. They ended up telling me that I had 1 week to change my name & that would be the name i’d continue to use for the remainder of my career. So obviously I go home panicked & my family and I all start brain-storming. I wrote lists of names I liked, (I didn’t know if I wanted a solo name like “Madonna” or if I wanted a first & last name). Anyways, fast forward a little more, I have narrowed down my choices to a handful of names. Towards the end of the week, my brother asked me to go shopping with him because he needed to find new shoes. So we went shopping & came across this shoe store with these knee high, black suede boots. (A pair of boots i’ve been looking for, for a few years and never found a pair I really loved…), so obviously I convince my brother to go into this shoe store so I could look at those boots. They ended up only having 1 pair left and they happened to be my size, so I tried them on.
As I’m dancing around the store in these boots, obviously feeling myself, I looked over at my brother and said…
“Now these are Tatum Quinn boots”,
where he replied…
“Who TF is Tatum Quinn?”,
& I said …“uh… I don’t know? Me?”,
where he replied “You? Is that the name?”
& I said “Is it?”,
to which he replied “I think it is”. & the rest is history, haha!
The best part about this story is that when I finally presented my new name to the Ubisoft panel, they absolutely hated it but had no choice but to go with Tatum Quinn! I’m so glad we went with that name in the end!
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
TATUM QUINN: I think the most important element that listeners should take away from my music is to always be your true, authentic self. I want listeners to feel related to & understood because when I was struggling growing up, thats exactly what artists like Eminem & his music did for me.
So I want to be that same artist for others!
I would say my sound is definitely Pop-Rock with some Blues influences. My music walks the line between some of my favourite genres & I love that because one day I can decide to write songs with a poppier edge & the next day I can decide to hit it will a heavier rock sound. I like having the best of both worlds & surprising my listeners with what’s to come next!
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
TATUM QUINN:
This is a great question & you’re absolutely right! I believe that everybody copies everybody; Especially when you’re young and learning. The only way to learn is to emulate the things you love from your favorite artists. We sing their songs to awful karaoke tracks we find on Youtube & once you feel comfortable with the song you can then start exploring & making things your own. To find your sound you first have to figure out the things you like & the things that work for you. When I was a kid I really wanted to learn how to do that classic Christina Aguilera growl, but honestly couldn’t do it to save my life! I had tried day-in & day-out but just couldn’t figure it out. A couple weeks later, I was in the car with my mom, listening to the hairspray soundtrack; “You Can’t Stop The Beat” was the song we were listening to and there was this growl on one of the lines, “you can’t stop an avalanche as it RACES through the hills” I remember trying so hard to get the growl on the word “races”. Again, I tried and tried and then tried some more but just couldn’t get it. On the way home from our destination I decided to give it one more try… I DID IT! & then I wouldn’t stop doing it, haha! It was the happiest day for both of us, we literally pulled over the car just to celebrate this little win! I think we’re always trying to figure out our sound. Even to this day I wouldn’t say that I have it completely figured out. I definitely have a better idea of what my strengths & weakness’s are. I also have a better idea of the sounds I like and what I think represents me best, but it was a life long journey to get here and I still have ways to go! We never stop learning & now I can listen to different styles of music and different sounds and easily decide what i like and don’t like and I can decide what I want to emulate in my own way.
So from all this, I really do encourage people to emulate your favorite sounds and artists! It’ll only make you stronger in the end!
6. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
TATUM QUINN:
When I was younger, I was only able to write music if I was going through something that gave me intense feelings. If I was happy or neutral the ideas never flowed; Until I met one of my songwriting teachers at Berklee College of Music who showed me different ways of approaching songwriting. In school, when your major is songwriting, you don’t have the luxury to wait on emotional baggage to light your fire. Currently, my favorite way to song-write is to start with a theme. What do I want to talk about, or what do I want to say?
Then I move to an idea page where I can jot down all my thoughts and feelings. I normally use this page to also write down key words i’d like to use in the song. Then I try to come up with some chords I like. I’ll ask myself what type of mood I’m going for & I’ll try to choose chords that fit that overall mood or vibe. Then once I have the chords, I move to vocal melody. I try to just go with whatever flows but normally it takes some finessing to make it all come together.
A song can take me 30 minutes to write or 3 months to write, you just have to go with the flow and trust the process & don’t be afraid to ask for help or ideas if you’re feeling stuck! Collaborating on songwriting is such a fun part of writing music in my opinion. Most of my past songs were a collaborative experience, but lately most of my songs have been written on my own. I’ve been dabbling with the idea of co-writing again in the new year! Again I love the best of both worlds!
7. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
TATUM QUINN:
I think the most difficult thing I’ve endured in my music career so far has been, trying to feel “worthy” or fighting the feelings of “not being good enough” to achieve the goals I desire. Imposter syndrome is something I struggle with & it often comes with questions like “why would people listen to MY music when there’s thousands of equally talented artists out there”. Battling those toxic thoughts in an industry that’s just as toxic is definitely difficult but I’m trying to be a good friend to myself & think about the things I would tell my friends if they were in the same situations & my strongest believe is to truly BE YOURSELF! Through & through!
8. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
TATUM QUINN:
I would say one of my proudest moment in my music career so far is when people tell me how much my song or music resonates with them. I recently had a few people tell me that my songs saved their life; That seriously brought me to tears. That’s my biggest goal in the music industry, is to help others the way music helped me. To be that artist that makes their community feel supported and validated.
9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
TATUM QUINN:
Miley Cyrus said it perfectly… “All press is good press”.
To be honest, I love my haters! I’ve been in the music industry no joke since I was 10 years old. I’ve heard every bad comment imaginable! When I was younger, the harsh criticism & haters really affected me negatively, but as i’ve gotten older I just don’t care anymore. My thought process now is “talk about me as much as you want! Good or bad, you’re helping my name get out there & I appreciate that”. I know my truth & I’m comfortable with my truth, so people can talk their shit, they’re only helping my name get out there!
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
TATUM QUINN:
I really love this question because it’s something I talk about a lot!I don’t believe that it’s important for fans to understand the real story behind each song. I absolutely LOVE when people interpret my music in their own way & use it to help them through whatever! That being said, I’ll never shy away from explaining what my songs are about, but I do genuinely love to give people the space to use my songs in whatever way suits them best!
Music has the power to heal all wounds, so use my music however suits you best. That’s what’s so fulfilling!
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Photo credits: Dan Libman