Confessions of A 'Furry Ginger' :: Kyle Motsinger on His New Single and Forthcoming Album

Kyle Motsinger's sophomore album, "Any Way I Want It To," is due out Aug. 28, but already listeners can enjoy several videos from the album's singles.

With the newest of his singles, Motsinger – who describes himself as a "furry ginger" – offers a sexy celebration of diverse body types and skin tones... and the singer rocks a startling new look of his own. The video also features Broadway performer Melody Betts, a former college peer who, as Motsinger notes during his chat with EDGE, went on to appear on NBC's presentation of "Jesus Christ Superstar Live!," which starred John Legend.

EDGE had the chance to chat with Motsinger recently and find out more about the single, the forthcoming album, and whether it's true that gingers have more fun.

EDGE: With the release of your new single, "No Shame," you've now got four singles out already from your upcoming album, "Any Way I Want It To." Isn't that like, half the album already?

Kyle Motsinger: There's actually fourteen tracks with the overture.

EDGE: You're celebrating diverse body types in the new song, and the message is that there's no need for shame around different body types. Has body shaming been something you've encountered?

Kyle Motsinger: Oh, yeah, and especially in the community I feel like there's this idea of that you're supposed to look like: Muscular, or really trim. But I think we're starting to let go of that.

I'm friends with Tom Goss, and I love what he's doing, talking about "Nerdy Bears" and whatnot. I think it's great that we're starting to look at different body types, and in the video I wanted to make sure I showed more racial diversity, as well, so that everyone realizes that all bodies are beautiful.

EDGE: Will you be having any more singles come out between now and when the new album drops?

Kyle Motsinger: No, not between now and then, but I'll probably do at least one or two more videos from the album, just to get some music out there.

EDGE: Are you having any problems getting your videos done with the COVID-19 pandemic still going on?

Kyle Motsinger: No, not necessarily, just because I've worked with a very small group of people, and my friend Tyler [William Milliron] is the one who does the videos with me. So, it's been pretty good. I did wait months and months, but I would probably have waited anyway.

EDGE: The process of recording and releasing an album can take an awfully long time under the best of circumstances, can't it?

Kyle Motsinger: Definitely. But, actually, I ended up writing five new songs for the album starting in March when quarantine happened that I didn't really expect that I was going to write, but I had a lot of feelings about what was going on. The album took a little bit of a darker turn but then turned back to [a] lighter [tone].

EDGE: Your last single before this new one was "Whenever," which came out in February – it was, appropriately, a kind of Valentine's Day song, about wondering when love is going to come your way. It was a very different sound, a very different energy from the other recent singles, like "Parallel Universe" and this new one. Is the album overall going to be this eclectic? Like a box of chocolates with different flavors?

[Laughter]

Kyle Motsinger: Exactly! That's the right way to put it. So, the name of the album is "Any Way I Want It To," which is kind of sassy, but it's sort of the idea that the music can sound any way I want it to, depending on the song. This [new] one seemed more disco to me; the last one was more like, you know, commercial pop; "Parallel Universe" was sort of a traditional rock ballad. They're all different, yeah, which I love. I like giving listeners something different to listen to throughout the album.

EDGE: "Parallel Universe" really does have a sort of classic '70s rock vibe. Are you classically trained as a musician and singer?

Kyle Motsinger: Yeah, I am classically trained. I actually come from musical theater, which shows up in the music, I think. I have a much more classical baritone voice, but I have tailored it to be more of a rock-pop voice, but I still have vibrato and it still comes out [in my vocals].

EDGE: The reason I ask whether you're classically trained is Matt Alber came to mind sometimes when I was listening in to your singles.

Kyle Motsinger: Oh yeah, I love him. He's great.

EDGE: Between the release of your video for "Whenever" and now, your look has changed a bit! You went from this great mane of red hair to a clean-shaven look up top. You mentioned that COVID was the reason for the new look?

Kyle Motsinger: Yeah, a lot of people were either dyeing their hair or shaving their heads, and I decided to shave my head. Everybody loved it, and they were, like, "Oh, daddy!" I embraced that. My hair was thinning anyway, and I was kind of hiding it, so it feels more freeing to just lose the hair in general. And, you know, I love wigs. In my "Love On Each Other" video, I'm wearing this gorgeous real human hair wig that I love.

EDGE: But you are still rocking the full ginger beard. Do you get a lot of attention as a ginger? Or is all of that a myth?

Kyle Motsinger: Not everybody's into it, but I notice – and I sing about it in the song – that it's gotten a lot cooler to be a redhead. I think when you're a kid you don't want to stick out, so I didn't really like being a redhead when I was young, but now I like sticking out. So, the tables have turned!

"Any Way I Want It To" drops Aug. 28. To find out more about Kyle Motsinger go to www.kylemotsinger.com or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/officialkylemotsinger and @kylemotsinger on Instagram and Twitter.