Reagan Quinn Exudes Happiness and Confidence on New Single, “Rainbow”

A confident artist is a powerful artist, and with the release of her last two singles, “Like the Wind” and “Rainbow,” Texas native Reagan Quinn is proving to be just that.

The former, released last November, was an anthemic, empowering song about not being tied down in pursuit of dreams, while the latter, an equally anthemic song, was a product of the Covid-19 pandemic; though we can’t always see the end of a long, winding road while we’re traveling on it, it’s important to keep trekking along.

We caught up with Quinn to talk about the response “Like the Wind” received, all about “Rainbow,” how she stayed busy during the pandemic, her plans for the year and more!

Pro Country: Last time we talked, you mentioned how validating and special the response to your last single, “Like the Wind,” was to you. Now that over half a year has passed single its release, can you describe the emotions that came with tangibly seeing that positive response?

Reagan Quinn: I didn’t realize it had been that long until you said that! The response was definitely encouraging. “Like The Wind” reached a lot of new listeners for me. It’s a great introduction to who I am as an artist, but also to the other musicians and artists who were a part of it. My sister did the artwork, Maxwell Butterfield produced it, and many others contributed to the song. I think we all feel very proud and, more than anything, grateful and encouraged to keep doing what we love!

PC: Both “Like the Wind” and your new single, “Rainbow,” are empowering songs. Was releasing them sequentially because of their themes something that was intentionally done?

RQ: Yes, absolutely. I’m so glad that’s transparent to you. Musically and lyrically, I wanted to put out two strong songs before beginning work on the next album or EP. Not only that, but 2020 was such a sad and hard year for so many of us. I wanted to release music that was an escape from that.

PC: Can you take us in the writing room and talk about the inspiration behind “Rainbow”?

RQ: I wrote “Rainbow” last August, in the middle of the pandemic. I was driving back from a show on a highway with lots of twists and turns. I started thinking about how similar that is to life; we can’t see the end of a winding road. Sometimes we can’t even see what’s around the next turn. But we keep going because we know it’s leading us where we want to go.

I started writing the chorus to “Rainbow” in my head right then, and wrote the rest of the song the next day. I shared it on my social media pretty soon afterwards. The response it got told me I wasn’t the only one looking for light at the end of a dark road. I knew it would be the right song to record next.

PC: Given the trials that the last year and a half have presented, what does “Rainbow” mean to you and what do you hope listeners take away from the song?

RQ: For me, “Rainbow” represents the happiness and confidence I’ve found over the last couple years, in both my music and personal life. As an artist, it can be hard to find your voice and the people who want to hear it. I’ve taken time to build the fan base I have by developing personal relationships with as many of my followers as possible. Because of that, how they receive my music means everything to me. I hope my listeners take away a piece of the joy and confidence I felt recording “Rainbow.” Most of all, I hope they become lifelong listeners and friends.

PC: You mentioned on social media that releasing music is hard for you because you are a perfectionist by nature. With that in mind, what emotions were you feeling leading up to the release of “Rainbow”?

RQ: It’s absolutely the most anxiety filled part of the process for me. I love writing, being in the studio, working with other musicians, and watching a song develop, but releasing it into the world without knowing if everyone will love it as much as I do is very, very hard for me. My songs are such an intimate part of me and a real piece of my life, so I feel very vulnerable when it’s time to release them.

However, being surrounded by supportive friends and family who loved the song made me feel excited and confident in it. Not only that, but I recorded “Rainbow” with a great group of musicians who infused so much light and joy into it. They were so inspiring and encouraging, it was hard to NOT believe the world would love it!

PC: Until recently, live music was largely put on hold. What was making that adjustment like for you? How were you able to stay busy?

RQ: I was lucky because I was able to keep up a steady income. Many people who follow my music don’t know that I also created a children’s music program and run classes throughout the school year. Although the pandemic shut my studio down, I was able to keep teaching virtually while not playing many shows.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I felt discouraged and even a little bitter. Now, looking back, I can see how it forced me out of the comfort zone I was stuck in. Since then, I’ve written better songs, played bigger shows and released more music. I really do feel like I’ve found the “Rainbow” at the end of the road. Pretty soon, there will be more twists and turns, but I know more than ever that I’m on the right path.

PC: Of the things you can control, what are your plans for the rest of 2021?

RQ: A lot of my goals have stayed the same this year: release more music, reach more listeners and play more shows. I’m still planning to re-record some songs from my Texas Sky EP, as well as start on recording the next album.

Speaking of which, I want to take a moment to shine some light on the musicians who worked on “Rainbow.” Garrett Bryan produced and played on the song. Jordan Tyler Haynes, Casey Johns and Taylor Barringer also played on it, with mixing and mastering done at Notion Sound and Yellowdog Studios. They’re all out there making great music, so go check them out!