A fizzy cold soda can be a great refreshment, but Kenny Potter’s music is an even better one. At only 15-years-old, the Pittsburgh-based singer/songwriter is hard at work making alt-pop tunes for an entire generation to resonate with. Thousands of thoughts enter his mind daily, and Kenny chooses to channel as many of them as possible into songs. While his latest single “i’m sorry, sir” revolves around some pretty difficult thoughts, it’s a track that you’re bound to find quite easy to enjoy!
Ready to learn more about Kenny’s journey so far? If so, grab yourself a cup, and get ready for this tea!
Around what age did your interest in music start to develop? What drew you in?
Since as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved music. When I was young, my dad would always play The Beatles, Beach Boys, CCR, and Franki Valli in the car. When I was six years old, I got an electric guitar for Christmas. That day my dad helped me learn eight chords and that is what made me fall in love with music.
How would you personally describe your sound at the moment?
I would describe my sound as pop, but my sound comes from many different musicians I adore and listen to almost every day. Including some artists like Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys, The 1975, Lauv, Christian French, Jeremy Zucker, Quinn XCII, and joan. There are many more but those are some artists I would say helped me craft my sound and writing the most.
Being a teen can mean having to balance a ton of life’s demands all at once. Have you found it difficult to make music while being in school?
I started doing online school in 8th grade so I could have more time to make songs. My parents have always been and still are very supportive so that’s always helped a ton. Starting online school has made it convenient for me to be able to write, produce, and record whenever creativity strikes me. I feel very lucky everyday being able to do what I do at such a young age.
What would you consider to be one of the most empowering aspects of being a musician, especially a DIY artist?
I’d say the most empowering part of being a musician is the feeling that I can take whatever is on my mind and turn it into art. Whether something positive or negative is on my heart, I can write about it. It sounds cliche but music is really a form of therapy. Music can help people heal. Hearing some of my fans tell me that the song I made in my little bedroom studio is helping them get through life, that’s one of the best feelings in the world.
When people see and hear the name Kenny Potter, what is something you hope will immediately pop into their minds?
When people hear or see my name I hope they think of honesty and self-acceptance. I want people to feel they can be their full selves without caution when they listen to my music. I do make pop songs and some people could say it’s cringy or whatever, but It’s a personal way that I can create art with meaning and share it with the world.
Your new single “i’m sorry, sir” is about your girlfriend’s dad straight up not liking you at all. Walk us through the process of how it came together!
“i’m sorry, sir” is a brutally honest single that took some time to convince myself to release. It’s a song that came about from my girlfriend’s dad basically trying to end things between her and I. I wrote it at the lowest point I’ve ever been, but looking back I’m very happy I went through with it. Not even kidding, I was doing yard work while listening to the new Jeremy Zucker album and “I’m sorry, sir that you just don’t love me, But at least she loves me back” popped into my head and I wrote it down on my phone. We just finished shooting the official music video for the track, so stay tuned for that.
Was it easy for you to open up about your feelings of heartache in this song?
Not at all haha, I was very broken and felt like my emotions should be kept for myself. Once I started recording and producing the track I could tell it was helping me heal more than I thought. I still felt insecure about the song and wasn’t 100% on releasing it but some friends talked me into it and here we are.
As 2021 comes to an end, do you have any goals in particular that you hope to achieve in the new year?
As far as plans go for 2022, I’m just gonna be making songs baby. Hoping to release quite a bit of singles consistently and keep riding that. I have thought about an album a couple times but for now I think it’s best to keep releasing single after single and keep gaining that momentum.
Is there anything else you’d like everyone to know?
If you guys dig what I’m doing and like my music, feel free to follow me on any of my socials. Go ahead and shoot me a dm if you wanna talk too, I love connecting with you guys.
Kenny’s journey has already been super sweet, and it’s about to become a whole lot more enticing! Check out “i’m sorry, sir” below, and be sure to keep up with Kenny Potter on Instagram and Twitter @kpottersongs + TikTok @kennypottermusic!