Interview: Allen Pottinger Discusses His New Single "Show You Love" and How Miami's Art Culture Influences His Music
Allen Pottinger is a 22 year old self-taught guitarist, pianist, singer, and producer based in Miami, who just released his single "Show You Love". We connected with the multi-talented artist for an exclusive interview to discuss the “Show You Love” single, as well as to find out how his hometown’s art culture has influenced his music, and much more.
After reading our Q&A with Allen, be sure to connect with him on his social media, and get ready for much more DOPE music to be released by him this year!
Congratulations on the release of your self-produced new single "Show You Love". Tell us what inspired you to write this song. Are the lyrics based on personal experience?
Thanks! The inspiration for this song came from a Michael Jackson and The Weekend type of vibe as both are a huge influence on my music. I was going for a mid-tempo, simple lyric vibe about love that everyone can dance too. The melody came to me as I was just free styling over the track after I produced it and the lyrics are definitely based off personal experience because it embodies my perspective on life and love. I feel like life really can be complicated and sometimes a shoulder is needed to just alleviate that complication and pressure. As for love, there is definitely a dark side to it but I aimed to showcase how being shown love in all its forms can bring light that can mend a broken heart.
You have mentioned that you're inspired to create by the art culture in your hometown of Miami. Is there a particular part of town or landmark that sparks your creativity the most?
Yeah, I’m definitely inspired by the art culture of Miami and Wynwood is like the epitome of that artistry. The color, the vibe, the energy, the poems written in sidewalk, the murals on that wall by 22nd street down to that graffiti on the Wynwood Walls. Its all dope stuff! It’s hard not to be inspired by that stuff especially being a visual artist, poet, and musician. I can just walk in that space and get a heap of inspiration just thrown at me! Not to mention, the music venues and the nightlife that pulls you in almost as if to say, “Come, join us”. That atmosphere definitely makes me want to pick up a pen and write or a mic and sing.
You're a self taught guitarist and pianist; how long did it take for you to become proficient in those crafts? And did you start songwriting afterwards?
So I started piano around 7 years old because my sister was a really skilled pianist and she gave me the basic rundown of how music theory worked. started on classical works like Beethoven and Mozart pieces. It's actually funny to look back at now. But I picked up guitar because I was heavily inspired by rock music around 12 years old. I would listen to bands like Pierce the Veil and Breaking Benjamin and I wanted to rock out too! So me and my brother both did heavy research on what the strings on a guitar did, how they sounded, the scales and just began practicing like crazy and that’s when my songwriting began to develop. Through free-styling and playing with chords, I began to get a keen sense of what worked when it came to melody and flow.
What comes next after this release? Can we expect it to appear on an EP or album this year?
Some really dope music comes after this! Some heavy-hitters! Definitely some more culturally based RnB! I’m excited! I got a couple hits on that way that have some darker sounds that send you deeper into my mind and take you on a journey with me as I seek out the meaning behind love, youth, sex, and life.
There’s definitely a project in the works, I’ll tell you that much and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. Show You Love is definitely the beginning and I think my versatility with what comes next will really surprise fans!
If you could pick any artist to appear on a remix to "Show You Love", who would you select and why?
If I could pick any artist to jump on a “Show You Love” remix, it would have to be a female. As much as I’d love Chris Brown or The Weekend to ride with me. A remix needs a female voice on the song so we can go back and forth and really conceptualize that idea as it pertains to both genders. With that being said, I’d have to go with Ariana Grande to hop on! Call and ambulance cause it'd be straight fire!