Getting to Know Up-and-Coming Artist Nick Stonestreet

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Nick Stonestreet is an up-and-coming musician who is primarily influenced by contemporary pop music but has stylistically ventured into genres like R&B, hip-hop, and alternative rock. He is putting a twist on modern sound.

Starting his career at 17 years old, he auditioned for Atlanta super producer Kevin “Khao” Cates, who brought him aboard his team to help develop educational and social emotional programs through music. Stonestreet’s initial success as a singer-songwriter with Cates and the overwhelmingly positive feedback he received for his live performances inspired him to move to L.A. and pursue music full-time. He has now worked independently with producers from all over the world.

Stonestreet’s projects are creations and writings unique to his style and experience. OUT FRONT received the chance to learn more about him.Hi, Nick! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. What a pleasure it is to feature you in OUT FRONT Magazine!
That is super exciting. Thank you for giving me a call.

Let me begin by asking, who is Nick Stonestreet? What is he all about?
Stonestreet is my project, and I really got that name from, well it is my last name, but I also work with a producer in Atlanta. His name is Khao, and he has been my mentor for a long time. I still work with him. He really pushed for the name Stonestreet because he thought it was such a cool last name.

As for what Stonestreet is all about, I have never been asked that before [laughs]. I think Stonestreet is about authenticity. I think a lot of my music, especially my newer stuff, is just about being open and pushing things into view that we don’t really talk about. Pushing those things to the front. I hope Stonestreet can become date-night, dinner-table discussions. I released a song last year about bipolar disorder and things that I struggled with. I really want to make a point to be authentic about it, and especially about being gay and being out. I want to make a point to be seen in a light, and it doesn’t matter how people react to it; it matters that they are viewing it.

Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?
I have. I started singing and songwriting on the ukulele when I was 14, and I was very bad at it, but I just loved doing it. A few friends of mine would say, ‘Wow, you have a nice voice,’ and I didn’t think too much about it. I just liked to sing.

Can you tell us more about your aesthetic? Like, what style of music do you tend to gravitate towards?
I have gone through a few, especially in my videos. I think I am all over the place aesthetically. It’s funny; my moods dictate how I dress. I think sometimes that is more of a masculine look, but I tend to fluctuate depending on my mood. In “Hate to Love,” I kind of explored more with femininity and tying scarves around my neck. Things that would make me happy and feel pretty. I feel like, as men, we don’t get to feel pretty enough. Like, we’re not allowed.

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You really started your career when you were 17 years old?
Yes, 17. I started working for Khao. I auditioned for him with the song “Rumor Has It” by Adele. He liked my sound, and I started working on educational music for him. There is a tool called Curriculum which uses hip-hop and R&B styles to communicate educational information through song, and the objective was to get a song stuck in a kid’s head so that they can pass their tests.

And you started in the Atlanta music scene. How does the Atlanta music scene stand out? Why is it so unique?
When you think of Atlanta, you think of hip-hop. You think of R&B. I think of OutKast, John Legend, Migos—all these hip-hop, R&B, and soul singers that have come out of there. I do not necessarily know how I stood out in the Atlanta music scene, but I definitely grabbed a lot of influences from there. I think it shows in some of my vocal style and songs. It has more of an R&B flavor, while others are just straight pop.What was it like to perform your very first, live concert?
This might sound stupid, but I performed at a camp event. It was, like, a Friday night thing, and I played “Titanium” by Sia. I did a rendition on the banjo. As weird and different sounds, it somehow turned out great. People loved it. I just remember getting a lot of compliments on my voice and my performance.

How would you say you have grown as musician over the years?
Well, I would say my network has changed. At first, it was just me and a guitar, and that is why I started songwriting. Because it was just me. Then it changed from me and a guitar to me writing to hip-hop instrumentals. Now, it has changed into having a team of people that believe in my sound and voice, and they want to bring out the best.

As an openly gay musician, what is the number-one thing you hope to accomplish?
I have been getting a lot of support, comments, and texts from people who like my videos, but some of the messages I have received were from people who have never really been normalized to gay cultures. They were like, this is gay, soft porn. That is literally the text I received, and it is interesting when you have a lens that is not normalized to gay culture or seeing gay love, experiencing it. It is interesting to see the reaction that they have. I do not expect anybody to understand what I put out, but I expect them to see it, and that is the goal for me.

How do you plan to raise awareness of the LGBTQ community with your platform?
Well, I don’t have a super-large platform yet, but my plan is to release more videos that have queer themes. I am thinking about a ton of videos I want to do with queer themes involved. As for my music itself, I want to stop the specification of gender in songs. I don’t need to specify who I am attracted to in my songs, but I do want to stay authentic to myself. I also want to be an inspiration for that queer kid of teenager from Birmingham, Alabama so they feel that they have a voice, that people like them are seen and heard. That is what I want to create.

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you would like to add?
No, I think we covered a lot!

To stay up-to-date, follow Stonestreet on Facebook. His songs are available on all digital streaming platforms, and his music videos can be found on YouTube.