Bad Years

An Interview With Kyle Motsinger

- Mike Bahr

In new song, Queer artist Kyle Motsinger reflects on the long and difficult road he has travelled in the pursuit of his rock star dreams

Kyle Motsinger was born and raised in the middle of cornfields in a small, conservative town outside of Peoria, Illinois. “I grew up singing Broadway tunes by a tractor,” he remembers.

He moved to NYC after college, where he performed in OffBroadway productions, and released two albums and several singles including “Dark Shadows”, based on the gothic sixties series and film by Tim Burton. The music video for the song starred Kathryn Leigh Scott from the series and premiered to much fan acclaim at the Dark Shadows convention in Los Angeles.

As Kyle Motsinger approached his mid-thirties, he began to feel that he wasn’t where he wanted to be in life. He channeled that frustration into a batch of new songs that appear on his upcoming album. His new single is “Bad Years,” and it muses on his life’s struggles and finding joy in conflict..

MB: What was it like growing up gay in Peoria?

KM: I had a good childhood but I was not out and dangerously uncool. I spent most of my time in theatre and pursuing brainy activities.

Things became more complicated as I discovered my sexuality and started forming my own world opinions.

MB: Why did you stay in Illinois for college?