Mikael Temrowski[1] (born May 6, 1992), known by his stage name Quinn XCII (pronounced "Quinn ninety-two"),[2] is an American singer-songwriter from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He began his career in 2011 when he started writing and recording his own music as a sophomore at Michigan State University, before releasing his debut EP Change of Scenery in May 2015.[3] On September 15, 2017, he released his debut studio album The Story of Us under Columbia Records,[4][5] with whom he released his second, third, and fourth albums, all in the following four years.
After signing to Republic Records, he released his fifth studio album The People's Champ in 2023 followed by three meal-themed EPs culminating in his sixth album Quinn XCII Presents Mustard Mike's Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, released in December 2024. In May 2024 he announced his seventh album, Look! I’m Alive, which was released on July 25.
Early life
Mikael Temrowski was born on May 6, 1992 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.[6] He grew up listening to Motown music. He met his primary producer and friend Ayokay in third grade of elementary school and they remained close throughout high school. Temrowski began attending college at Michigan State University in East Lansing where he took an interest in writing and recording music as a sophomore.
Career
2011–2016: Early career and EPs
Temrowski originally went by the stage name "Mike T" and started performing and uploading videos to YouTube.[7] In college, he adopted the name Quinn based on an acronym used by a professor: "Quit Unless Your Instincts Are Never Neglected."[7][8] Because of trademark issues, he later added the Roman numerals for 92, the two-digit abbreviation for 1992, the year he was born.[8]
Quinn XCII rapped over beats sampled from popular songs until 2011, when he released his own original song, "They Know", and his first extended play Old Fashioned, on November 5, 2012. During his attendance at Michigan State University, sometime around 2014, Temrowski began being serious about writing and recording music. He and his longtime friend and producer (Ayokay) began producing music together, with Quinn XCII rapping over beats Ayokay found on YouTube.[9] Quinn XCII quickly became a college mixtape sensation, and he traveled frequently to Ann Arbor, Michigan to record new music with Ayokay.[citation needed]
During May 2015, Quinn XCII released his debut extended play entitled Change of Scenery, which received millions of online streams. His next single, "Stung", climbed to the #1 position on Hype Machine's Popular Charts. In January 2016, Quinn XCII was featured on Ayokay's own single entitled "Kings of Summer", which went to #1 on the Spotify Global Viral Chart. It stayed there for three consecutive weeks, in addition to having 25 million streams on Spotify. His collaboration with producer Illenium on a track entitled "With You" reached #1 on the HypeMachine Popular Chart and reached #20 on the Spotify Global Viral Chart.[citation needed]
On March 10, 2016, Quinn XCII released his highly anticipated second EP titled Bloom. Shortly after releasing the EP, Quinn XCII went on his first nationwide tour performing in 24 cities for over 20,000 fans.[citation needed]
2016–2018: The Story of Us
On December 9, 2016, Quinn XCII released his new single "Straightjacket", taken off of his upcoming 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 came out 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".[10]
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.[11]
2018–2020: From Michigan with Love
Quinn XCII released his first single since A Story of Us titled "Panama" on August 22, 2018, on the music-sharing website SoundCloud and on all platforms on August 29.[12] He wrote the song in honor of his four late grandparents.[13] On October 23, 2018, Quinn XCII announced a new upcoming single titled "Werewolf" featuring Yoshi Flower, and was released two days later on October 25.[14] A week later, he released another single "Sad Still" on November 1, centered around the struggles and feelings of dealing with anxiety.[15] 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.[16] On December 11, 2018, Quinn XCII announced the third single off the album, titled "Tough" featuring Noah Kahan, and it came out on December 14.[17]
On November 6, 2018, Quinn XCII announced his worldwide 2019 tour for From Michigan with Love, titled "From Tour with Love". The tour had stops in eight European cities and then 30 cities in North America with Christian French and Ashe co-headlining the tour. The tour debuted in Amsterdam on February 3, and the North American leg started on February 19 in Indianapolis, Indiana and ends on April 17 in Austin, Texas.[18]
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.[19]
Quinn XCII teased his new single "Stacy" on June 18, 2019, on Twitter.[20] The single was released that week on June 21, 2019.[21]
2020: A Letter to My Younger Self
On January 10, 2020, he released a single titled "Two 10s".[22] 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.[23] On April 28, 2020, he teased his new single titled "Coffee" with Marc E. Bassy which was released on Friday, May 1, 2020.[24]
2021: Change of Scenery II
Quinn XCII released his fourth 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"
2023-present: The People's Champ,Mustard Mike's & Look! I’m Alive
On January 27, 2023, Quinn XCII released his fifth studio album, entitled The People's Champ, via a deal with Republic Records. The album was supported by four singles ahead of the release, "Backpack", "Common (featuring Big Sean)", "Let Me Down (with Chelsea Cutler), and "The Lows".
Next to come out were three meal-themed EPs culminating in his sixth album ''Quinn XCII Presents Mustard Mike's Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner'', released on December 6th 2024. On May 2nd 2025, Quinn XCII released "Olive Tree" a single from the now titled "LOOK! I'm Alive" album which was announced on May 7th 2025 as his 7th studio album which is set be released on July 25th 2025
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