Indie Singer Pursues His Rock Star Dreams in NYC

Local musican Kyle Motsinger loves Taszo Coffee Shop on 157th street and Edward M Morgan Place for its iced lattes and kombuchas, as well as its big windows and quiet atmosphere. “I’ve been coming here for years!” he says. “I can sit by the window and work on lyrics. It helps my creativity.”

His latest single is "Bad Years," a song in which he reflects on the long road he has travelled in the pursuit of his rock star dreams. “It’s tough being an indie artist in one of the most expensive cities to live in,” he continues. “Waking up to find my bank account overdrawn again is humiliating and scary.”

He admits that times has been so tough, he has had to call his parents for grocery money. Still, he pushes on because he loves music and he’s hopeful the good years are not so far off.

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

He participated in school productions and community theatre as a youth and later earned a BFA in musical theatre at Western Illinois University. From there, he moved to NYC where he landed several Off-Broadway gigs including a prized role in Fancy Nancy The Musical, a show based off the popular children’s books. Motsinger originated the rapping shark role and can be heard on the show’s cast album. “I am the OG baby shark,” he laughs.

While performing, he continued writing his own music. Kyle Motsinger has released two full-length albums, Far Away and Any Way I Want It To. He’s also released six singles including “Dark Shadows”, a song based on the series and film of the same name by Tim Burton. Kathryn Leigh Scott from the series appeared in the song’s music video.

As he approached his mid-thirties’, Motsinger began to feel a sense of dejection; as if he wasn’t where he wanted to be in life. He channeled that frustration into a batch of new songs that all appear later this year on his next full-length album. Like “Bad Years”, much of the material muses on his struggles and how he has learned to find joy in conflict.

“The life I have chosen hasn’t been an easy one but I wouldn’t change it,” Kyle Motsinger says. And he shouldn't. Motsinger has matured through trial, both as a person and as an artist, and it shows in his music. "Bad Years" is a not only a beautiful song, it is a relatable one. It's theatrical, with a 1970's Elton John feel, but modern and with a hopeful message that will resonate with many listeners.

“New York will test you and teach you. I’m not the same Kyle I was eleven years ago when I first arrived here. This city is forever growing and expanding, and so am I.”

‘Bad Years’ is produced by Motsinger and engineered, mixed, and mastered by MP Kuo. The song features talents from the New York theatre stage including Broadway pit musicians Janey Choi, Conrad Harris, Mark Kosmala, and Joel Lambdin. Stage actor Jason Pintar and Trisha Jeffrey, who has appeared on Broadway in Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, All Shook Up, and Motown the Musical, provide the background vocals. NY Drama Desk nominee Mark Hartman plays piano.

Kyle Motsinger’s “Bad Years” is available on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms. Its lyric video is on Youtube. Visit www.kylemotsinger.com.