Singer-songwriter Quinn XCII is ready to serve three musical meals to the guests at Dusk.
Quinn XCII — born Mikael Temrowski in Grosse Pointe, Michigan — is scheduled to hit the stage Saturday, Nov. 9. The festival runs Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, at Jacome Plaza in Tucson.
He will perform tracks from his three 2024 EPs, “Breakfast,” “Lunch” and the upcoming “Dinner.” These projects continue the thematic journey of his alter-ego, Mustard Mike — a fictional restaurant owner and chef with a sharp sense of humor and sarcasm.
“‘Breakfast’ was a little more soul-leaning, a little more hip-hop inspired,” Quinn XCII said. “‘Lunch’ felt a little more country/Americana, like ‘road trip music.’ ‘Dinner,’ which isn’t out yet, but will be pretty soon. It’s more electronic, a little more upbeat.”
Quinn XCII said the music resonates just like previous efforts as, sonically, the EPs sound like a “Quinn record.”
“I think from a songwriting standpoint, I feel like I haven’t overthought things so much,” he said. “My wife and I just had a baby 10 months ago. My daughter put things into perspective, like what really is important.
“Normally, I would it down and write an album or an EP and think, ‘I have to five or 10 hit songs. I can’t accept anything less than that. Whereas now, having these life experiences, I’ve grown up and matured. Music is great, but it’s not the most important thing.”
Quinn XCII approaches his art with a “little more grace and humility. I don’t beat myself up as much.”
The same goes for festivals like Dusk. He understands that music fans may not be familiar with him. He’s up for the challenge.
“It’s definitely a lot less pressure,” he said. “I imagine that I’m playing to more people who are unfamiliar with my music. I think that’s a good thing about festivals. I feel more pressure if I’m performing for fans. I feel like I need to give them the best show possible — not that I don’t want to give you guys the best show possible. But there’s a weird thing it does to my psyche.”
At Dusk, fans can expect a high-energy performance, starkly contrasting his off-stage persona.
“I’m a fairly chill guy off stage,” he said. “When it comes to being on stage, I try to ramp it up a little with high-energy, positive vibes.
“I try and do a lot of crowd work and just talk to people. I try to make people feel like they’re a part of the show as much as I am. I make them feel like they’re not just watching some guy on stage singing — even if they’re total strangers.”
Quinn XCII (pronounced “92”) has accumulated over 3.5 billion global streams across his catalog and earned successive platinum singles, including “Straitjacket,” “Kings of Summer,” and “Love Me Less.” In additional gold singles, including “Stay Next to Me” and “Flare Guns,” “Another Day in Paradise,” “Stacy” and “Always Been You” over 500,000 tickets as a headliner.
Growing up in the Detroit area proved to be inspirational, in particular, the city’s wide variety of musical talent.
“Detroit was a very interesting place to grow up musically because you’re surrounded by all this classic music that Detroit has,” he said.
“It’s Motown identity shaped, at least for me, the music that I wanted to make. I grew up listening to Motown music. My parents played it all the time. They still play it all the time, so I knew that music could be so catchy. It felt so infectious and likable. I think that was baked into me. When it finally came to making my own stuff, I knew I wanted to make stuff that was really melody-driven and catchy. I call it earworm music. It gets stuck in your head and you can’t get it out.”
When he graduated Grosse Pointe South High School, he moved on to Michigan State University. There, the folks he met further shaped his music.
Michigan embraced his music as much as he loved the state. He grew his fanbase from there.
“I always say that Michiganders are very humble, very hard working and keep their head to the ground and work,” he said. “I think we have a reputation for being that type of person. So, I also wanted to fuse that into my music, too. I carry the way that I was raised.”
Quinn XCII soon saw the fruits of his labor: He saw fans wearing his T-shirts. That feeling, he said, never gets old.
“It’s always a very surreal thing to see someone wearing a T-shirt with my face or name on it,” he said. “They are already buying tickets to come to my show. To wear something of mine is always insane.”
He wants his fans to feel the same way he does.
“I just try and loosen people up,” he said. “That’s my whole motto: Don’t take life to seriously.”
Dusk
WHEN: Nov. 9 and Nov. 10
WHERE: Jacome Plaza, 101 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson
COST: Tiered pricing for tickets
INFO: duskmusicfestival.com
