Raised in Illinois, out singer/songwriter Kyle Motsinger picked up and moved to the big, bad city – New York – to follow his dreams as soon as he could.
But in his latest single, “Parallel Universe,” Motsinger considers what his path would have been like had he stayed in his hometown:
In a parallel universe I stayed / After college I moved back to town / No other plans were made / Got a job, got a dog right by my side / Settling for a slower life / Completely satisfied / Wouldn’t know any better, any worse, In that parallel universe
Then there’s the other side of the ‘what if’ coin – what if Motsinger’s hometown beau moved with him to the big city?
Opportunities I couldn’t find here / In a town not ruled by courage but by fear / In another universe you moved with me / We rented an apartment in the heart of NYC / We’d explore the city side-by-side / End our days making love completely satisfied
“I wrote ‘Parallel Universe’ after an encounter with a former lover while visiting family for the holidays in Illinois,” says the handsome artist. “I started imagining different scenarios in which we could be together. It felt like each scenario was a different parallel universe. What if there were multiple versions of us out there that were living these scenarios? I do love a good science fiction story!”
On first listen, I felt like the song had a sense of theatrical story-telling to it, in a similar vein as some classic Billy Joel songs. And it seems that it wasn’t my imagination.
“I was also more than a little bit inspired by the play/movie, Rabbit Hole, written by David Lindsay-Abaire,” shares Motsinger. “I wrote it as a pop/rock ballad and worked with fellow singer/songwriter Corey Tut to get the sound right in the studio. Chris Bonner recorded bass and Adam Stoler recorded guitars while on the road with the Broadway musical, Come From Away.
So, yes, there is a pedigree of theatrical roots to the track.
Motsinger says he hopes “this song makes you think about how choices can lead to many different outcomes.”
I previously showcased Motsinger’s disco-tastic “Love On Each Other” featuring big dance beats and slinky 1970s strings.
“Parallel Universe” is now available on iTunes, Spotify, and other digital music platforms.
