quinnie's new song "touch tank" is a must listen
It’s rare to find an artist with a clear vision and understanding of who they are—and rising artist quinnie knows exactly what she wants. Her sound is consistent and completely her. Her new song “touch tank” is both abrupt and honest. It’s a song that demands attention down to each and every detail. “touch tank” discusses what it feels like to be loved and protected in one’s body, which is all the more important during times when one’s bodily autonomy is at risk. I had the pleasure of asking quinnie a few questions about her latest release. Read our interview below.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHEN DID YOU START MAKING MUSIC?
I was born and raised in New Jersey and it's one of my favorite places. I’ve been pretty musical and artistic my whole life and have been writing songs since I was a little kid, but I really started making and recording music with intention when I was around 16.
HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE READY TO START RELEASING YOUR OWN MUSIC?
I honestly don’t think I ever made the conscious decision that I was “ready” to start releasing music. When I was in high school, Bandcamp and SoundCloud were still pretty popular and having those platforms sort of provided me an outlet to release music in a pretty non-committal way. I would record songs and sometimes put them out the same day I finished them, but I wasn't super public about it. It gave me a soft introduction to releasing music. I put out an EP at the end of high school and that was my first real commitment to putting out music in a more confident way, but I was primed by a year or two of just trying it out casually.
YOU HAVEN’T RELEASED MUSIC AS QUINNIE SINCE 2019. HOW HAS YOUR SOUND CHANGED SINCE THEN?
The greatest change for me is that I work with other producers now. I think the general atmosphere of the music remains, but working with people much more skilled than I am at production has allowed the sound to take a more fully formed shape. I don't have to deal with the limitations of my own skill right now and I'm able to focus a lot of energy instead on lyrics.
HAS THE WAY YOU MAKE MUSIC CHANGED AT ALL OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS?
Not too much! The majority of the songs I’ve ever written for my solo project start as just a line or a word written in my journal or notes app. Once I feel like I have a few scattered sentences that I can combine into a singular idea, I feel really compelled to extract this idea/song out of myself and I just work it out on the guitar. I try to walk the line between being vivid in what I'm describing, and also trying to find melodies that make the lyrics accessible and palatable.
HOW DID YOU MAKE “TOUCH TANK?” WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET THE IDEA FOR THE SONG?
I fell in love haha. I experienced this whole new wave of emotions that I hadn't felt before, even in previous scenarios that I had thought were real romantic love. It's a really inspiring feeling and I wanted to write about it in the most honest way. I came up with the line “he's so pretty when he goes down on me” kind of as a joke, but then I sent a voice memo of the first verse and chorus to Jake, my executive producer, and he texted back, “this is a hit”. Then Jake and I created the song with Jackson Shanks and Gabe Wax after Jake and I moved to the west coast. The rest is history.
THERE’S BEEN A BIG REACTION TO THE SONG ON TIKTOK. WHAT’S THAT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
It's been wonderful and also very weird!! Obviously, it’s extremely validating to wake up one day and realize people really like something you’ve made. I'm extremely grateful for that. However, it's also a big learning experience for me in that I have never had this much attention ever before in my life. It very much feels like a baptism by fire. So I'm really just trying to grapple with a lot of the unique experiences that come with having more of a platform. All that being said, I'm trying to practice gratitude right now because I really am so excited and shocked. The positivity has been overwhelming and wonderful.
IT LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF EFFORT WENT INTO THE MAKING OF THE MUSIC VIDEO. WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT MAKING IT?
With the help of a few people, Jake and I built and hand-painted a really big set for the video and it took us about a week. We love hands-on DIY stuff, so it was all really gratifying work. However, it was pretty physically exhausting and very time-consuming. So yeah, that was the hardest part.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE “TOUCH TANK” MUSIC VIDEO?
I have many favorite parts, but there is this moment in the second half of the video where I made this little seashell stop motion transition. It's pretty fleeting, but I love little details like that.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PART OF THE SONG? WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF ABOUT THE RELEASE?
My favorite part of the song is the bridge, right before the last chorus. It contains one of my favorite lyrics I’ve written, but I also think the sound in that section grows to just be super lush and dreamy. I’ve been told it makes you want to “fall in love over and over again,” which is wonderful.
THE SONG TALKS ABOUT FEMALE PLEASURE WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT’S RARELY TALKED ABOUT IN MUSIC. WAS THIS AN IMPORTANT SONG FOR YOU TO WRITE SUBJECT-WISE?
Yes, super important! I will say I didn’t have much intention of making any sort of statement with this song, but I realize now that the subject matter to some extent is unique as I don’t think women’s pleasure is centered in media often. I wrote the song as I was compiling these ideas about love but later realized the concise message I was trying to convey is that real love shouldn’t make you feel ashamed of your body, and someone who truly cares about you will want to take care of you.
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO RELEASE THE SONG NOW—ESPECIALLY GIVEN WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD?
It feels confusing for sure. “touch tank” is about finding somebody who can help you feel comfortable and at ease in your skin—somebody who won't harm you or judge you for who you are and respects your body. It feels very odd to preach that message while living in a country that is actively blocking bodily autonomy and safety for its citizens. All I can hope is that maybe the song provides a little bit of comfort and joy in these times I suppose.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE LISTENERS TAKE AWAY FROM THE SONG?
I hope people come out of the song knowing that love shouldn't make you feel threatened or judged. And that to be truly loved for who you are is rare, but totally possible.
WHAT DID I MISS?
I guess I would just like to say/remind people that we will be donating 100% of the money from the first week of streams to the indigenous women rising abortion fund. And of course, to donate directly if possible.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO “touch tank” BY quinnie ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC, AND DONATE DIRECTLY TO THE INDIGENOUS WOMEN RISING ABORTION FUND HERE. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @twentyminuteslater TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE RELEASES.
