After listening to his latest EP, Mellow Drama, it's safe to say that Kevin Garrett isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. Drawing from both personal experiences and his mastery with song lyrics, he'll tug at your hearts strings and make you swoon at the same time. Not only has he garnered Sam Smith as a fan, he also had a hand in co-writing and co-producing "Pray You Catch Me" for Beyonce's Lemonade. We had the chance to get to know Kevin a little better before he goes on his False Hope Tour, which kicks off in Toronto on Tuesday night (January 31).
Hometown: By the time my family moved to the suburbs, I feel like I’d lived through a reasonable portion of my youth, but I'm from Pittsburgh. I like to call Pittsburgh the "Anderson .Paak" of cities because everybody is too late to catch onto how great it is.
Talk about the first song you wrote. What was it about?
I wrote a song called "Fly Away" when I was 11 or 12 that was just very bad. It was about leaving a particular place by way of flight.
You've worked with a number of big artists on the songwriting and producing front. What led to this route first? Or was this something you were doing (songwriting/producing) while you were getting your own name out there as an artist?
I still have a long way to go in terms of writing for others as well as getting my name out there as an artist. But I’ve done a lot of the writing and producing parts pretty independently whether it’s for others or for myself. I think the people I’ve worked with heard my stuff as either demos or released tracks and became fans first.
What is your approach to songwriting for others? Does it differ from when you write for yourself?
Sometimes it’s beneficial to get into the artist’s headspace but I’ve learned they tend to like what I do for myself so I just try to stay honest with it.
How do you feel getting praise from people like Sam Smith and Beyonce?
It’s flattering to receive praise from anyone but there’s obviously a very surreal feeling when someone that far up and that real takes the time to say something nice let alone trusts you to help channel their vision.
Mellow Drama is quite vibey and tends to hit you in the heart. What inspires you?
I’ve been hurt before, and I think I’ve always been fascinated with thinking ahead, which usually ends up not working out for me. I’m constantly going over hypotheticals in my head, mostly negative. Some call that pessimism, but I call it songwriting.
I’ve read that "Precious" is a personal one. How do you get comfortable putting yourself out there like that?
You don’t fall and enjoy someone’s company without being comfortable enough putting yourself out there in the first place. And I find that I don’t connect on songs the same way with myself and with people if I don’t showcase that same comfort and honesty. It's different with people than with songwriting, but the concept is very similar.
You've got the False Hope Tour coming up. What can fans expect?
Well, I think being an unsigned and personally very independent artist, I’ve certainly run into some obstacles that are probably not uncommon for someone in my position. But I want to give fans the best experience I can, so hopefully I don’t let anyone down.
Any new EP or album coming out in 2017?
I’d like to think so.
What are the big plans for you this year?
I used to not make plans and just continually keep moving. I want to try and go back to that mindset. All I’ll say is I want to put out music and keep building what I’ve been able to grow so far in this strange sort of way, whether that’s with or without a label in the future. And I just want to keep getting better.
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