An Interview With the Singer-Songwriter, KEVIN GOODWIN!

Meet Kevin Goodwin! He is a singer-songwriter form Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kevin makes his debut onto the music scene with his 2018 single, ”All I Can Think About.” The song tells the story of a missed connection, the one that got away. With piano driven verses, lush guitars, and an earnest voice, he aims to relate to listeners in a direct and intimate way.

Drawing influences from artists such as The Fray and Jack’s Mannequin, Goodwin’s music strives to stand out from today’s pop music with deep lyrical storytelling and emotionally expressive music. He has been writing songs and playing piano since the age of 7.

Connect With Kevin Goodwin Here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevingoodwinmusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/KevinGoodwinMusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevingoodwinmusic/

Learn more about Kevin Goodwin in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! Where does this interview find you now? What’s on tap for the rest of your day?

Happy to make the time! Currently, you’re catching me a couple of days after my debut single release. The single, “All I Can Think About”, came out last Friday, July 13^th. Today, I’m spending most of my time making edits and going through clips for the single’s music video.

All Access Music is currently compiling a list of our artists favorite songs this summer so what is YOUR song of the summer?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’m gonna have to go with “Loving Is Easy” by Rex Orange County. It’s such an infectious song, and I fell totally in love with it when I heard it for the first time this summer.

Overall, how do you think 2018 has been treating you and your music career? What has been one goal that you have had this year and how close are you to reaching it?

I’ve been songwriting and performing for years, but 2018 has been the first year that I’ve really gone full speed ahead with my musical career. I put a band together to play live shows with me, I’ve released my first single, and I’ve played lots of great shows around my home state, North Carolina. It’s been an extremely busy and productive year. I’m really grateful for that. A big goal I’ve had for this year is to finish up my debut EP and release it. I’m real close to having the whole thing finished up, which is very exciting for me!

Growing up, was music always a big part of your life? Can you recall your first ever musical experience? How exactly did you first get into pop/rock?

Music was definitely always a big part of my life. Even before I started playing piano or singing, some of my favorite memories were just riding in the car listening to Hootie and the Blowfish or Lenny Kravitz. When I was about 7, my grandmother bought my family a baby grand Wurlitzer piano. My dad used to go around the house and sing renditions of 60’s and 70’s songs all the time. One day, after hearing him singing “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers, I sat down at the piano and started figuring out the notes by ear. In a couple of minutes, I was playing the song and was completely hooked. I’ve always been into pop/rock. I just love that genre of music. I’d say it probably began with hearing 90’s artists from that genre on the radio as a kid.

What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? Has there been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all?

The biggest surprise for me has been the shear magnitude of non-musical things you have to do as an artist. As a kid, I always had the naive notion that being a professional musician would mean just playing music everyday all the time. The further I’ve gotten into the music industry, the more I’ve realized that there are so many other things you have to do. Promotion, marketing, photo shoots, artwork…sometimes it seems never ending.

How do you think you and your music have been influenced by your hometown and where you live today? What is the music scene like there these days?

I feel like just growing up around a big city like Charlotte, North Carolina, has impacted my style in a lot of ways. Big cities seem to have this certain energy to them, this kind of deep, big feeling. I’ve definitely channeled some of that into my music. I actually wrote a song dedicated to Charlotte called “City Lights”. Charlotte has a good music scene. Lots of really talented musicians at every open mic, even in the surrounding towns a ways out. There are always new bands and artists coming out of the area, and there’s a lot of diversity in the genres of music, which is an awesome thing.

How would you say that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same?

I like to think that I’ve really grown as a lyricist. Lyrics have always been the hardest part of songwriting for me. I feel really proud of the lyrics that I’ve written over the past couple of years, though, and I think I’ve gotten much better at conveying the things I want to say in a song. My melodic tendencies have pretty much remained the same. I’ve always written very simple melody lines. I’m sure some songwriters might see that as a bad thing, but I actually think simple melodies are the best sometimes. Definitely in pop music, anyways.

Let’s talk about your latest single “All I Can Think About.” What was the inspiration for this song? Do you have plans to release a music video for it?

“All I Can Think About” is actually the first song I ever wrote lyrics to. I wrote it when I was 15. I had thrown a New Years Eve party at my parents house, and the girl that I had a crush on at the time ending up being there. I wrote the song about regretting not trying to get out of my shell and talk to her. I will actually be releasing the music video for this song next Friday, July 27^th!

When do you hope to release more new music and a full collection of new songs?

I’ll be releasing a second single, “Alaska”, sometime in late August. After that, I’ll be releasing a 5 song EP before the end of the year.

What do you think makes for an ideal show for you? What has been a favorite performance of yours so far? Do you have any upcoming shows this summer?

The ideal show for me is any show where the crowd really enjoys the music and connects with it. That’s what being an artist is all about for me. I try to write music that can really mean something to the listener, in hopes that it’ll become a soundtrack for a time in their life. One of my favorite performances so far was from a few years ago. I entered a battle of the bands competition in Charlotte, but as a solo artist. I was the only artist that didn’t have a full band, and most of the other musicians were playing hard rock and metal music. All my friends, family, and fans came out to support me at the show, and everyone was singing along and getting into the songs. In the end, I actually won the competition! It was a really incredible experience, and one that I know I’ll never forget. I have a music video release show on Saturday, July 28^th, coming up next week! I’m extremely excited for that one.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how your own music is reflecting this time period? Would you say that other musicians are making music that has been influenced by this climate?  Do you find that at your shows you have to say something about the political climate?

As wild and polarized as everything is politically right now, my songwriting has always tended to, and continues to, stay away from politics. I’ve always focused on writing songs about personal experiences in my life, and the different relationships I’ve had with people in my life. I definitely think there are lots of musicians out there right now who are being influenced very heavily by the political climate we’re in, though. As a 24 year old, I’m still pretty green, but I don’t ever remember a time in my life when the world seemed so divided about everything. I never get into politics at my shows. For me, music is about people coming together and sharing a feeling. It’s the most beautiful thing about shows to me. You can be in a place and have a ton of different people from different walks of life, but a song can give everyone in that room something to relate to together. That’s an amazing thing.

What has it been like keeping up with your social media accounts and all of the different platforms? Is it hard to stay up to date on it all? What would you say is your favorite way to connect with your fans now?

Social media can definitely be overwhelming. I’ve gotten a lot better at managing it over the years, but it can still be hard to stay on top of everything sometimes. There are just so many different platforms to communicate on these days. My favorite platform is Facebook. I feel like it’s the easiest way to communicate with fans. Just being able to respond to comments without hash tags and all that feels a lot more personal, and I really like that about Facebook.

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely still love to work with in the future?

I have so many artists that have influenced and inspired me. Some of my favorites are Counting Crows, John Mayer, Elton John, Queen, Andrew McMahon, The Fray, and Vanessa Carlton. I would absolutely love to do a duet with Vanessa Carlton, or to write a song with Andrew McMahon.

If you were going to be stranded on a deserted island forever, what musical item would you take with you and why? 

Definitely my Steinway baby grand piano. I think I would go crazy without being able to play and write songs on the piano.

If your music was going to be featured on any TV show that is currently on right now, which would you love it to be on? Or if you prefer, what is a movie that you love that you wish your music was featured in?

I’m gonna have to go with a movie for this one. My favorite movie of all time is this indie flick called “Garden State”. It also happens to have one of the best soundtrack of all time, in my opinion. I would have loved to have a song featured in that movie!

At the end of the day, what do you hope your fans take away from your music?

More than anything, I hope they can relate to the songs. If they can see themselves in the songs, and can feel like this music was written for them, there’s nothing more I could want. Music has always done that for me. I’ve always felt like there were songs and artists that just so perfectly captured a moment in my life, and that’s what I want to do for my listeners.