Kevin Holliday, a Brooklyn native, has roles such as a songwriter and an aficionado with a fine taste for the classics. He wants the world to know he is constantly evolving, ever-adapting, like the constant tide of the ocean. With his latest single, “Out Of Me,” he introduces a new side of himself, sonically and emotionally. Listeners get to peel back the facade and see the artist underneath; he’s okay with shedding inhibitions and letting vulnerability lead. We at PhotoBook sat down with him to dissect his new single and discussed his inspirations, emotions, and what’s to come.

You've said before that you don't really want to be confined to a genre. So instead of categorizing yourself in that way, can you give us three words that you think best describe you, sonically?
I feel like I have trouble trying to describe to others what my sound is because I do a lot of different things. How I describe it is that it's like water. Water fits into any container. And I'd say I'm the same way: it's whatever I'm feeling at the moment. I try not to get bogged down by what I think people might like or trends right now, or anything like that. I definitely think I'm genuine; anything I put out, I try to put together a real experience and see who relates to me. I feel like those are the artists that really make an impact: the ones who leave it all out there and whoever relates to it, relates to it. I would also definitely say I’m ambitious. I never want to feel like I'm not doing enough. I never want to feel like I'm not putting it all out there. I always want to try to do something new or do something that just isn't really like being done.

Those words all go together in a way; they portray this sense that you don't want to confine yourself or your artistry. Another quality that I hear in your music is this almost nostalgic feeling. I know that you've said some of your musical inspirations are people who are before both of our time. Would you classify yourself as an old soul?
Definitely. I got that from my family. Growing up, around the house, I heard so many different things. Especially from my parents. My grandfather was also around a lot when I was a little kid and he showed me Frank Sinatra, James Brown, and all these amazing musicians from the sixties and seventies. That stuck with me. Especially artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince. I think in everything I do; I go back to those artists. I mean, there's a reason why those people are legends. They were doing something that's timeless, and I want to try to draw off of that, but in a modern context.

I also think that it's inevitable that the things you grow up with, whether or not you're in music, they find their way into your life later on. Pivoting to your new single, “Out Of Me,” I want to dive into the lyrical meaning. So, if it's okay with you, I wanted to pull some of the lyrics from the song and then get the inside scoop from you on what they really mean. I want to start with the lyric, "Make me wanna write a song." Can you tell me a little bit about the person who might have inspired this song?
Yeah, it's about my girlfriend. I think the idea of writing a song for someone is so genuine. It's one of the nicest things you can do for someone, especially somebody you care about if that's what you like to do.

It's also so easy to write about someone whom you genuinely admire. Later in the song you sing, "I'm the same as far as people go." I wanted to ask what you mean by that because sometimes I find that people's dispositions or personalities might shift depending on who they're around. Would you disagree when it comes to your own disposition?
With this line, I wanted to portray that personally I think people always change. I'm not the same person I was a month ago or two months ago. I feel like you have to pick up what you learn in life and make those little adjustments as time goes on because, overall, it's going to make you a better person. I was kind of saying that we're always all changing, but I'm still the same person that I've always been. And during this time, since we were doing long distance we weren't in front of each other a lot. So, I wanted to use that line as a bit of reassurance.

That's a super relatable feeling too. We're all going through different phases of life at different rates, and at times you can feel almost guilty if you don't take the chance to learn from the things that you go through. That also connects to another point I wanted to bring up: what do you feel you've learned from this particular experience or relationship that the song is about?
More than anything, I learned about myself. I feel like I learned what I'm okay with, what will make me feel isolated, just everything that I am and am not comfortable with. But past that, it really taught me to consider other people as well. I feel like it's a really unique experience trying to maintain something long distance, and I also incorporated descriptions of isolation in this song because I felt solitary during this period. Even my friends weren't near me at the time, so everything I was doing was over FaceTime or online. I learned a lot about myself and how I interact with other people.

It's hard not having the social interaction that you may have been used to at one point or another. But I talk to artists often about the moments that manifest songs, and I feel like it's sometimes those types of situations that the best music comes out of. I appreciate how you shifted the conversation to self-reflection because I did notice that about some of the lyrics as well. Listening to the song, you're sitting there thinking 'This is clearly written for and about someone else,' but I wondered what the internal reflections going on at the same time were like. The lyric, "Love you when it gets too loud," is really poignant to me. Just the idea of sticking with someone even when life can get really crazy, I think that's a really beautiful notion. Amid everything that goes on with your career, with your relationships that you’re maintaining, how do you make sure to take some time to show some love for yourself?
Yeah, I think that's extremely important. It's something that I'm learning more as time goes on. I'm definitely a workaholic, and a lot of times I'm just pretty isolated and working hard at whatever I might be doing at that time. But I think it's so important to make time for yourself and not only do one thing. Especially during quarantine, it was easy to just work on my music and do nothing else. But I was also kind of miserable. I think, now, I'm careful with how I use my time. I definitely make time for myself not to think about music.

That's a conversation that is growing now, collectively, we're all willing to take a step back — which is great. In comparison to your other music that you've put out in the past, other singles and projects, what makes this song stand out to you or what makes this song more reflective of who you are in this moment?
Well, sonically, it's the only ballad I have put out. I feel like I was able to experiment with my voice in a way that I hadn't done before. That in itself took a lot for me to work up to. But in terms of the content, this is one of my most authentic songs. Sometimes I'll write tongue-in-cheek or about the overall emotion, but this is about a specific event that happened. I think that's the major difference.

Through talking it through with you, I definitely have a better understanding of the song. For those who might be listening to it for the first time, what is the message you hope they would take away?
The main theme of the song is isolation. Even that lyric that you brought up, "Love you when it gets too loud," I think with that lyric specifically, I was talking about the fact that silence can be loud. If you're alone and left with your thoughts a lot, you'll make up your own reality or just exist in a world that's very manufactured. So, my main takeaway for people listening to it for the first time is that even if you're isolated or feel alone at a certain point in time, it doesn't necessarily mean that that's the reality. I think a lot of the song is also playing with the line between what's real and what's not.

I love how you put a new spin on the lyrics from when I listened to them for the first time. I didn't really think about it that way, but that's the amazing part of songwriting. You said this was your first true ballad, so I'm guessing it could have been scary to diverge from what you're used to. On that note, what's next for you? Do you have any more ballads coming up?
I always like to keep people on their toes with what I'm putting out. The next thing I'm putting out is very hip-hop based, but it's also different from other things I've put out. If anything, I would say whatever anybody's expecting, it's probably not that.

Article by Kayla Curtis-Evans, Contributing Sustainable Editor PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine

Kevin Holliday Is Keeping Us On Our Toes