Mikael Temrowski was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan on May 6, 1992. He grew up listening to the city's Motown musical history.
He met his primary producer and close friend Ayokay in the third grade of elementary school and remained close friends throughout high school. Temrowski began attending college at Michigan State University, where he took an interest in writing and recording music as a sophomore.
Indie-pop artist Quinn XCII emerged as one of 2016's most exciting new artists. Growing up in Detroit, Quinn XCII was raised on the city’s Motown musical history, fueling a passion for myriad musical genres from rock to reggae to funk to hip-hop. Three years ago, as a sophomore at Michigan State, Quinn XCII began to write and record his own music, quickly becoming a college mixtape sensation. Traveling frequently to Ann Arbor to record new material with his childhood friend producer ayokay, Quinn XCII began to craft his own laid-back sound that drew on hip-hop, electronic, and tropical influences.
His debut EP Change of Scenery was released in May 2015, garnering wide acclaim and millions of online streams. His next single release "Stung" quickly went to #1 on HypeMachine's Popular Charts.
Quinn XCII's rising star has continued to elevate in 2016. In January his collaboration with ayokay, "Kings of Summer", soared to #1 on the Spotify Global Viral Chart where it spent three full weeks. His follow-up collaboration with producer Illenium, "With You", also went #1 on the HypeMachine Popular Chart and reached #20 on the Spotify Global Viral Chart. His sophomore EP "Bloom" was released on March 11, and shortly after he embarked on his first nationwide tour, where he will be performing in 24 cities for over 20,000 fans.
On December 9, 2016, Quinn XCII released his new single "Straightjacket", taken off from his debut album The Story of Us. A non-album single was released titled "Make Time", succeeded by two singles from the album that were released preceding the album's release in 2017, "Fake Denim" and "Worst". The Story of Us was released on September 15, 2017, under Columbia Records. A deluxe edition of the album was released on February 16, 2018, supported by the new single "Iron & Steel".
In April 2018, it was announced that Quinn XCII was added to the management roster of Visionary Music Group through a partnership with his manager Jesse Coren. Quinn XCII released his first single since A Story of Us titled "Panama" on August 22, 2018, on the music-sharing website SoundCloud. He wrote the song in honor of his four late grandparents and was later released on all platforms on August 29.
On October 23, 2018, Quinn XCII announced a single titled "Werewolf" featuring Yoshi Flower, which was released two days later on October 25. A week later, he released another single "Sad Still" on November 1, centered around the struggles and feelings of dealing with anxiety. He soon announced his second album titled From Michigan with Love via social media on November 5, 2018, which contains the latter two singles. The album was teased for an early 2019 release date. On December 11, 2018, Quinn XCII announced the third single off the album, titled "Tough" featuring Noah Kahan, and was released on December 14.
On November 6, 2018, Quinn XCII announced his worldwide 2019 tour for From Michigan with Love, titled "From Tour with Love". The tour includes shows at 8 cities in Europe and then 30 cities in North America with Christian French and Ashe co-headlining the tour. The tour kicks off in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on February 3, and then the North American leg on February 19 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and ends on April 17 in Austin, Texas.
Quinn XCII announced via social media on January 7, 2019, that From Michigan with Love is set to be released on February 15. On February 15, it was released with 12 songs. Quinn XCII teased his single "Stacy" on June 18, 2019, on Twitter. The single was released that week on June 21, 2019.
On January 10, 2020, he released a single titled "Two 10s". On April 27, 2020, Quinn XCII announced his third studio album A Letter to My Younger Self, inspired by a lifetime of events and experiences. It was released on July 10, 2020. On April 28, 2020, he teased his new single titled "Coffee" with Marc E. Bassy which was released on Friday, May 1, 2020.
Quinn XCII released his third studio album on March 5, 2021. Abandoning his residence in Los Angeles, the album was produced at ayokay’s family home in Rhode Island. He released two singles ahead of the release, "Stay Next to Me (with Chelsea Cutler)" and "My Wife & 2 Dogs."
Quinn XCII has been known to blend several different genres of music, including hip-hop, pop, reggae, rock, electronic and soul. His early music had him focused more on rapping than singing. He has listed Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Mos Def, Jack Johnson, Jon Bellion, Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke, and Chance the Rapper as artists who have influenced him.
Fight Song
Quinn XCII Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel it in your veins
Why you gotta show disdain?
Game of a hundred useless pawns.
I'm alright
Fly as paperplanes
We will never let you reign
They know my drum line till the dawn.
Out in the open
I know my opponents know the deal
Lined up for miles, we'll take you on
Don't give a damn how you feel
We're ready, they're running all day.
Said there's no need to delay
Lower your guns.
Move out of the way
I say, I say
Yea, why don't we fight them all
Why don't we stand tall?
Cause I can take them one by two
You got me, I've got you
Let's fight them all
This is our fight song, fight song
This is our fight song, fight song
Cause I can take them one by two.
You got me, I've got you
Let's fight them all
Cock out my gun
Let me start blazing
Turn my head left to right.
They run like hell is raising, yea
Locate these bandits on the run
They try to steal my style
They have not taste for us
We lean back smooth and deal a smile
Bang out my drumline till the dawn.
These thieves surround
They pullin us down
Weapons firing off
But they never heard by sound and
Why you up in arms
Tell me who's to blame
If we can't compromise
Load your guns, don't walk away
Yea, why don't we fight em all
Why don't we stand tall
Cause I can take them one by two.
You got me, I've got you
Let's fight them all
This is our fight song, fight song
This is our fight song, fight song
Cause I can take them one by two
You got me, I've got you
Let's fight them all
Say don't bit your tongue.
Open from the start
I said no, no, no
No, no, no
Leave you as you are
You got by my heart
I say no, no, no
No, no, no
Say don't bit your tongue
Open from the start.
I said no, no, no
No, no, no
Leave you as you are
You got by my heart
I say no, no, no
No, no, no.
The lyrics to Quinn XCII's "Fight Song" speak of standing up to opponents and fighting back against those who seek to steal one's style or put them down. The artist talks about seeing others as they truly are and feeling their emotions, while questioning why some feel the need to show disdain towards others. He refers to the game of life as a game of a hundred useless pawns, indicating that those who seek to put others down hold no real power or importance.
The chorus of the song is a rallying cry to fight back against those who would try to tear people down. Quinn XCII sings about taking on opponents one by two and having each other's backs. He urges listeners to stand tall and fight together, even when facing insurmountable odds. The song is a message of hope, telling people that if they stick together and fight back, they can overcome those who would try to hold them back.
Overall, "Fight Song" is an uplifting message to stand up for oneself and to fight back against negativity and hate. It encourages listeners to see the good in others and to have each other's backs in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
See you as you are
I see you exactly for who you are.
Feel it in your veins
You can feel this deep down in your core.
Why you gotta show disdain?
Why do you feel the need to dislike or show contempt towards something?
Game of a hundred useless pawns.
This is like a game where there are so many people involved, but none of them really matter in the grand scheme of things.
I'm alright
I'm doing okay.
Fly as paperplanes
We are moving quickly and smoothly, like a paper plane flying through the air.
We will never let you reign
We will not allow you to have control over us.
They know my drum line till the dawn.
My music is so well-known that people recognize it until the sun comes up.
I see you standing still
I notice that you are not making any progress or taking any action.
Out in the open
You are easily visible and not hiding anything.
I know my opponents know the deal
I am aware that the people I am competing against understand what they are getting into.
Lined up for miles, we'll take you on
We are standing in a long line, prepared to compete against you.
Don't give a damn how you feel
We don't care about your emotions or thoughts on the matter.
We're ready, they're running all day.
We are prepared to compete and they are struggling to keep up.
Said there's no need to delay
I'm telling you that we don't have to wait any longer to get started.
Lower your guns.
Put down your weapons.
Move out of the way
Get out of our path.
I say, I say
I am emphasizing my point.
Yea, why don't we fight them all
Why don't we take on everyone?
Why don't we stand tall?
Why don't we be confident and assertive?
Cause I can take them one by two
Because I am capable of defeating them one at a time.
You got me, I've got you
We have each other's backs.
Let's fight them all
Let's take on everyone.
This is our fight song, fight song
This is a song that represents our determination to fight.
Cock out my gun
I am preparing my weapon.
Let me start blazing
I am ready to fire my weapon.
Turn my head left to right.
I am scanning my surroundings for potential threats.
They run like hell is raising, yea
They are running away as if their lives depend on it.
Locate these bandits on the run
Find those who are trying to escape.
They try to steal my style
They attempt to copy my unique approach.
They have not taste for us
They do not appreciate or understand our talent/ability.
We lean back smooth and deal a smile
We remain calm and confident, despite their attempts to steal from us.
Bang out my drumline till the dawn.
We play our music all night and never stop.
These thieves surround
These people are trying to steal or take something from us.
They pullin us down
Their actions are hindering our progress.
Weapons firing off
People are shooting at us.
But they never heard by sound
We are able to avoid being hit by their gunshots.
Tell me who's to blame
Who is responsible for this situation?
If we can't compromise
If we cannot come to a mutual agreement.
Load your guns, don't walk away
Get ready to fight and don't give up.
Say don't bit your tongue.
Speak up and don't be afraid to be heard.
Open from the start
Be honest and straightforward from the beginning.
You got by my heart
I am deeply invested in this situation.
I say no, no, no
I refuse to give up or back down.
Writer(s): Mikael Temrowski, Alexander O'neill
Contributed by Mackenzie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
PuRe Illusion
We should get this guy trending, so amazing
Shane Crowley
This must hit hard these days huh?
High as a turtle
we should he has the best chill music by far
Ange Atwine Amate
2019 and I am still in love with this song . Still sounds new to my ears ...
Juanes Albán
Happy to see Quinn as a star nowadays, he deserved it for years
Domisbossbaby
2nd day listening to this guy and it's gotta be the happiest I have been in years talk abour feel good music love this guy thanks for making all this good music
Justin Campbell
keep it up homie, you be killin it
Re :x
U'd deserve so much more fame guys <3
Sarah Tonin
SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!!
SuperShrooms
Soooo fucking good...