The Creative Voice and Force of Kevin Hawkins: A Star on The Rise

If you watched the 22nd season of The Voice, then it is very likely that Kevin Hawkins’s presence and voice captivated you and made you fall in love with him. Although he made it to the top 16, the fan base that he created while he was competing on the show wanted to see him win the competition.  

This musician, singer, and songwriter hailing from Lancaster, Texas is already creating a name for himself in the industry due to his commanding presence and one-of-a-kind aesthetic. You could recognize some of your favorite musicians, including Keke Wyatt and Mario, who have used his voice in the backdrop of their songs. There is a good reason why he was asked to open for Erkyah Badu and why he went on tour with K. Michelle and Oprah Winfrey. He has been featured and published in a variety of publications and media outlets. publications. 

Therefore, it was important for us to have a conversation with this rising talent in order to have a deeper understanding of his path and the things that drive him. 

Cox: Kevin, could you please share with me the moment when you realized that music was your true passion and calling?  
Hawkins: This question for me is loaded simply because, I have had multiple moments of reassurance. I would say one of my proudest moments was in 2019 when I put on my concert for my single “All Night Long”. It was on a Monday night in Dallas and if you know the Dallas market you know as a rising artist getting people to come out on Monday, a school night, whew, that is like pulling teeth. My publicist at the time looked at me crazy when I told her the only date the House of Blues had in October was on a Monday. That entire summer we pushed and marketed that show hard. I remember specifically that night I lost my stage glasses to start the show and my best friend went out into the crowd to go find them. Well she took forever to get back and when she did, I said, “what took you so long”? She said “B**** it’s packed”! I said “WHATTTTTTTTT”! I walked out onto the stage and was completely shocked with to my eyes was a sea full of people. At that moment I knew I am supposed to be doing this.  

Cox: As an artist, have you been influenced musically by your North Texas background?  
Hawkins: As an artist most definitely, I have been influenced by my North Texas background from school to the musicians I have met over the years on the Dallas scene. Dallas has a certain sound from singers to rappers alike. Furthermore, artists big and small use Dallas musicians and singers heavy in the industry for background singing, producing and music directing their shows and albums.  

Cox: If you had to select three artists who have inspired you the most throughout your life, who would they be and what is the reason behind your choice?  
Hawkins: It’s no surprise my favorite artist is Prince hands down from my style of music I sing down to the way I dress. John Legend, who I met on ‘The Voice’ has influenced me for years when it comes to playing the piano down to my style of writings songs and how I approach them even to the way I sing. Beyonce also for sure. I love Beyonce. She is what I consider the greatest entertainer ever. I have definitely taken notes from Beyonce’s stage presence and stamina on stage to the way she has continued to be a trendsetter in music staying head of the times.  

Cox: What has your experience as an artist been thus far?  
Hawkins: As an artist I have definitely had my highs and my lows, which I know are a part of life. Yet my fire is still burning because there is so much to do. I know within my career I have done some pretty amazing things but there have also been moments of wanting to give up especially once the personal things make you slip into depression at times. I always find reassurance in people more than anything, the messages of people telling me to keep going, telling me that I inspire them, a random booking I’ll get out of nowhere which turns into some of the most beautiful relationships that have come out of those experiences. I wouldn’t trade any of this experience for the world, being an artist is truly special.  

Cox: How do you remain true and authentic to yourself while navigating this space?  
Hawkins: The industry tries to push you in so many directions.  This question has been asked to me a lot lately. Honestly the older I get I have realized I have to go where the energy flows. As an artist I am going to continue to put out music for the people who love me as me, people who buy into me, people who want to just be around me as a person. That’s where I’m going. Once you realize people will talk about you regardless just because you said the sky is blue and not light blue, life will go on and you have to be ok with it, especially if you want to be a public figure. My mom always said chile they talked about Jesus Christ they will talk about you. Me being free and happy in my art is liberating. If I want to put on platform heels and a nasty fringe that’s what I am going to do, if I want to show up in b-ball shorts and a tank that’s what I am going to do. Whatever I feel like writing about that day will always be something I truly experienced myself. When I sing my songs, they come from a place of person who has lived it and seen it. I always say people buy into people. A lot of people will live vicariously through an artist because that is the person they truly inspire to be. Yet their surroundings around them tell them otherwise. I have to live for my people.    

Cox: What is your process for writing songs as a songwriter? What does it typically look like when you start writing?   
Hawkins: My process is age old but never fails! Lol! I always start with a melody I hear in my head which typically turns out to be the chorus for the most part. I’ll write that down in my phone notes and record a voice memo. After which I’ll write out the ending so I can know how to build up the song to get to this point. Sometimes I sit on songs for months on end though, if I can’t think of anything nor if I haven’t felt the true experience of what I want to talk about.  

Cox: Could you please share with me one of the most challenging moments you’ve faced during your journey and how you overcame it?  
Hawkins: Imposter syndrome! For the longest while trying to figure out myself, my earlier songs which have not seen the light of day and probably never will, I was always trying to keep up with what I thought people wanted to hear and see from me instead of putting out what they gravitated towards the most when I teased certain songs. Only to end up doing the opposite. At times I wanted my recordings to be pitch perfect, no breathing in between to the point it felt inhumane and robotic. I eventually got over that and would tell the engineer leave that breathe in, leave me talking on the recording in the background in as well, that makes it true and authentic. There are some mistakes I will leave in my recordings because trying to fix them is actually worse than the mistake itself. I’ve definitely learned to appreciate the difficult times while going through them knowing there is joy on the other side.  

Cox: How did your experience on NBC’s The Voice impact you both personally and professionally?  
Hawkins: My experience with the Voice was wilddddddd! Yes, that is with multiple ds. I remember getting the call to audition in 2021 while in a relationship that was full of turmoil. To get the call again early 2022 after I didn’t submit my tape a few months prior I needed to submit my tape now because they wanted me on the show. All of 2022 after I got the call, I was preparing for my life to change in ways I had only dreamed of. I had experienced the loss of friendships, the gaining of fans and what some people consider stardom, to my grandmother being sick two days before the first commercial aired and then boom I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I was on a high for months waiting for the first episode to come on and then when it did, I was bombarded with thousands of messages from people who I hadn’t seen in years, to close friends, family, college peers, and the list goes on. At my watch party I took a moment to myself and went into the bathroom and cried because I was so overwhelmed with emotion. I even left the party and jetted down the freeway to my grandmother’s house because she was the one person, I wanted there so bad and to see me in that light, but she was bed written from a major stroke she suffered just a month prior. I got to her house and just cried on her shoulder. I am crying in the evening now typing this because she is no longer here. My entire run of the voice was full of cheers and screams but also met with uncertainty because I faced performance anxiety like no other in addition to being isolated due to an uptick in covid and monkeypox, that I at moments would be crying like crazy because I needed to be around people. What a year full of joy, sadness, being angry at things I foreseen coming and finding peace in the things I was once upset with. It was a beautiful mess to say the least. I am now very recognized on the street at times though and in your local supermarket. LOL! 

Cox: What was life after appearing on NBC’s The Voice? Were you anticipating the completion of deals, or did the expectations of others rise?  
Hawkins: Life after the voice has been great for sure. Now losing my grandmother does suck in unexplainable ways. However, I am managing. When it came to me signing a deal with Sony that was months in the making where I wasn’t sure if the making was going to even happen. I also had meetings with Warner and Interscope, however, Sony felt like home to me. I was on consistent calls with people who took interest in my artistry and really wanted to see me blossom. During the show I was always thinking ahead on how to gain the most from this, performance wise, capitalizing on the audience, growing myself and a new outlook on life and what that would be for me moving forward. As far as others’ expectations they were ready for NEW MUSIC from the jump. I teased “Red Car” for months.  

Cox: Your single “Red Car” was recently released and received great love and appreciation from your fans. I want to know what your motivation behind it was.   
Hawkins: I knew going into my sophomore album which is honestly my debut album to a lot of people I wanted to start off with a summer banger. I wanted it to be fresh and have a nostalgic feeling with bounce to it. Going into the studio with “MyGuyMars” I told him I needed two up tempo pop tracks that are very summery but have an old school feel to it as well. This would create the perfect balance. So, I played him tracks off my album I had recorded thus far, and he said, “I have the perfect track for you”. When he played it all I heard in my head with the beat was full on modern day “Prince” sounding music. I told him “yo that’s it that’s the one”! We teased the session on Facebook and immediately people gravitated towards it like I had not seen before. For months I met with my team on how we would roll this song out and people were literally begging me to put the song out not knowing I was waiting on Sony. It has honestly been the greatest roll out I have had thus far, seeing people driving with their tops down ready listening to “Red Car” gives me joy! I love the videos of them dancing and singing in the shower.  

Cox: Could you please provide me with information about your upcoming album, “Out Of The Box”? Could you please share the inspiration behind your work and the message you intend to convey to your fans and listeners?  
Hawkins: “Out Of The Box” started from a quote I put on twitter that said “ALBUM MODE ACTIVATED, YOU WILL SOON SEE I AM NOT CONFINED BY A GENRE. I AM MUSIC”. I feel as though a lot of times simply because of the color of our skin we are boxed into specific genres of music not recognizing that our gifts reach beyond that. I love all kinds of music and one album that I find so cohesive and well balanced is that of Beyonce’s “Lemonade” album. It was rock, R&B, pop, country and more. All those music elements put into one album is what I truly love. Now one might say yes Beyonce is very well established and known. However, I will not be pigeon held as an artist. Yes, the foundation of my music is progressive R&B and Pop. Yet, I truly can do it all, sing it all and some songs I want to sing may have that of a more traditional country twang to it for the way I want the sound to come across. If that’s the case, then so be it. That does not mean I am going to put out a full-on country album let’s not get this misconstrued. I just like music of all kinds. This album will be well balanced, cohesive and the stories within the music I am sharing, every single one of them I experience firsthand. You will hear things from my childhood, teen years and now that of me as an adult. I have performed in all kinds of rooms with all kinds of people from different walks of life and I have traveled this beautiful world a multitude of times. I have stories I have to get OUT!  

Credits
Photographer: Anthony Ferrell
MUA: Brendan King

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