Kellin Quinn joins spoken-word poet Dear Me on relaxing single
Spoken-word poet Dear Me, aka Luke Kanipe, is teaming up with AltPress to debut his collaboration with Hannah Goldman (HJ) and Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens on “Rose Coloured Catastrophe.”
Kanipe started his career as a spoken-word poet in 2017 after seeing others perform the art on YouTube. When he decided to start putting music behind his poetry, Kanipe reached out to Woven In Hiatus’s Luke Nagel. While he only recently began touring, he’s shared several songs over the past few years including “I Wish This Was Still About You” featuring Tender Topic and “Getting Better” with Carlea Baughn.
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With a light guitar and drum backbeat, Kanipe’s expresses how difficult it can be to let someone go. Along with the new song, he also details his experience working with Quinn and HJ as well as what he has planned for the rest of the year below.
What first inspired you to put music behind your spoken word? How do you think it enhances what you’re saying?
I’ve been a big music person all my life going to shows, booking shows [and] helping when I can in the local scene. I just wanted the music factor to be involved because it adds a more artistic aspect to me than just screaming into a mic.
Your debut single “I Wish This Was Still About You” dropped in 2017. Has your writing and recording process changed at all since then? How has your sound progressed?
I started recording in my friend’s shed, and we had a free version of FL [Studio] and a $30 mic. I realized that although it wasn’t bad recordings, it just wasn’t good enough. If I wanted to put out good work, I had to get into an actual studio and record. Thanks to Luke Nagel from Woven In Hiatus for all his hard work in helping me record everything I have out. The writing hasn’t really changed [because] I wrote and still write as an outlet to just let my feelings out and show how I feel in a moment in time.
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Walk us through creating the track. What was the process of working with Kellin, and what was it like getting his input with his verse? How did you end up teaming up with him and HJ?
I had asked my producer to send over a track because I felt like I just had something I really liked and wanted to put out. I recorded a demo in my room and felt like I wanted to get someone to go in on another verse with me, so I asked my friend Hannah. She is a very talented musician, and her vocals would sound so good on the track. She gladly said she’d do it. [When] we both got done recording, I called Kellin and sent him the song. He recorded and sent over his part the same day! He was such an ease to work with and brought a whole new light to the chorus of the song with his own twist.
In general, what was it like collaborating with Kellin and HJ on “Rose Colored Catastrophe”? What was the process like working with them versus other artists on your previous singles “How Did We End Up Like This?” and “Getting Better”?
They have been amazing to work with. I love us all giving feedback and working together to make this a track we all love. I think if everyone has the same goal for a project, it will turn out great. All artists I’ve worked with—Tender Topic, Carlea Baughn and Andrew Baughman of September Stories—are each so phenomenal, and I hope to work with them all again in the future.
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The track is very mellow and relaxing with a bright chorus and steady backbeat. Who are some of your poetic and musical inspirations? Do they have an effect on what you create?
They of course have an impact on what I create. I started off without music [and] got influence from Neil Hilborn, September Stories, Hotel Books, Levi The Poet [and] Trey The Ruler. I don’t think I would be an artist without them. I am also a really big Merchant Ships fan. [They were] probably the first to do a style of music like this that I know of.
You’ve released a few singles over the past few years. What are you planning for the rest of 2020?
I have a bunch of music and a tour planned, but the world is in a very weird place right now, and we all need to stay safe, so [there will be] more music soon after this single until we all get back to a safer day to day.
Check out “Rose Coloured Catastrophe” below.
