Diversity Rules Magazine

In new song, Queer ar st 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 corn- fields in a small, conserva ve town outside of Peoria, Illinois. "I grew up singing Broadway tunes by a tractor," he remembers. He moved to NYC a er college, where he performed in Off- Broadway produc- ons, and released two albums and sev- eral singles includ- ing "Dark Shadows", based on the gothic six es series and film by Tim Burton. The music video for the song starred Kathryn Leigh Sco from the series and premiered to much fan acclaim at the Dark Shadows conven on in Los Angeles. As Kyle Motsinger approached his mid-thir es, he began to feel that he wasn't where he wanted to be in life. He channeled that frustra on 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 me in theatre and pursuing brainy ac vi es. Things became more complicated as I discovered my sexuality and started forming my own world opin- ions. MB: Why did you stay in Illinois for college? KM: My family couldn't afford to send me to a pri- vate university and a school out of Illinois was not an op on. I went to a junior college, five minutes from my house, for my first year of college. I was scouted by Western Illinois University while singing a solo in Handel's Messiah. I audi oned and got in on a schol- arship the next fall, eventually gradua ng with a BFA in Musical Theatre. How did you make your way to NYC? A er college, I visited NYC and it just felt like home. I knew I had to move there. Two girls - that I knew from community theatre – and I decided to make the move together. MB: What was that first week like in NYC? KM: I remember being so excited! I was living in Astoria, Queens and feeling like an adult for the first me in my life. I wasn't scared. I was determined! MB: How did you es- tablish yourself in the theater scene? KM: I did several caba- rets and showed up at open mics. That's a whole community in itself. I started audi- oning and within that first year, I met a cas ng di- rector that believed in me and helped me to get my first Off-Broadway show in NYC. MB: What was that? KM: Fancy Nancy the Musical. It was based on the popular children's books. We recorded a cast 4 | Diversity Rules Magazine | Feb 2023 Bad Years An Interview With Kyle Motsinger By Mike Bahr

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