Back in February, University sophomore Quin Conaway took the stage at Sky Bar as the opening act for Wiz Khalifa. Watching Conaway from the audience that night, Christopher Titus, CEO of Shutter Industries, saw a lot more than just a student with a microphone.
“I was anxious beforehand,” said Conaway, nicknamed QC. But once onstage in front of 600 people, 250 with tickets he sold himself, microphone in hand, his nerves settled.
According to Titus, QC had the perfect look, sound and confidence to be an entertainer.
“You can go grab Quin and 40 of his friends, and he would still stick out from them all,” said Titus. Since that night, Titus became QC’s manager and “everything’s changed,” he said.
QC, from Chillicothe, Ohio, was recently signed to Famous Music Group Records, a label based out of Miami, Florida, with Kevin “Famous” Wiggins. This summer, QC has been working hard with his music and at the end of July he will find himself in New York City with Titus recording his first mix tape.
When he returns to the University with a finished product at the start of classes in August, QC plans to pass out about 10,000 copies to anyone interested on campus. Titus and QC’s Public Relations and Marketing Director Malorie Palma plan to “promote the hell out of it.”
All the songs for the E.P., titled “Spring Rush” (originally planned to be called “2000 & Quin”), are already written and beats are currently being sent to him, making his cell phone vibrate almost constantly. QC said it will feature 6-8 original tunes, with only 3-4 covers, which is rare on a first-time mix tape, according to Titus.
“We’re not featuring beats paid for online,” Titus said, adding that the beats are coming in from original artists, sponsors and producers, including NFL player Andrew Hawkins.
“When recording, I think about how people will react,” QC said, assuring the songs will be perfect for the stage.
According to QC, his record deal astemmed from his love of music and experimenting with his musical older brother. At age 17, he wrote a verse that his brother put to a beat. That verse turned into the song “Tell Me That,” his first of 35 songs he’s written since then. His brother, who currently lives in Italy, gave QC a big push into making music after making two different mix tapes of his own. QC loves recording with his brother, who he said is a storyteller with his music.
Making music over the summer has been a little easier for him; during school months he has to balance his music with classes and his commitments to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
“I don’t sleep at night,” QC said. “Sometimes I am up until 6 in the morning. It does come down to making time [for music.]”
QC has influences in both rap and rock ‘n’ roll, with interest in acoustics but keeping with an urban mix. He said he enjoys using “outer space” and lazer sounds in order to grab people’s attention.
He grew up with a diverse musical background, his parents listening to everything from AC/DC and Metallica to Tupac and Dr. Dre. QC’s personal favorites fall between artists like Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco.
“[I like] artists that make real music, not just about living a flashy life,” QC said. His own music can relate to that as well, saying that he talks about dealing with college aged topics in his music. One of the songs featured on his YouTube channel features the line, “My a** flying high, I’m a BG falcon.”
His family plays a huge part in his musical career, as well.
“My mom’s all about my music,” QC said. He said he still keeps her motto, “let your haters be your motivators,” dear to his heart on a daily basis.
“You know there’s going to be hate,” said QC, who dealt with rude comments when he posted a video of one of his songs when he was in high school. He said while in college, he started to receive more praise for his music.
Whatever the case may be, QC wants to take his love of music with him further in life. As a radio broadcast major, he aspires to have his own radio show on the airwaves in order to promote his own music and other aspiring artists like him.
“Wherever I go, I want to do music,” QC said.