In early 2022, after his first big opportunity on Broadway was stripped due to the pandemic, Kevin Atwater resorted to writing songs in his Upper West Side apartment as a creative outlet. He started posting acoustic performances of his songs online and immediately began building a dedicated fanbase who gravitated towards his uniquely honest and intimate songwriting about his queer experience. That summer, a video of him playing his song “star tripping” went viral on TikTok. That video, coupled with a number of other equally successful videos that followed, led to a steady and explosive growth in audience, and garnered the attention and support of notable artists like Noah Kahan, MUNA, and Lizzy McAlpine. Kevin ultimately released his debut EP “Downers Grove” April 26, 2023, accumulating over 20 Million streams across platforms, and allowing him to hit the road supporting artists such as Jeremy Zucker, Leith Ross, and Searows.
In 2024 a viral video of his follow up single “why did you invite me to your wedding?” (8M+ views) catapulted his fanbase to new heights, more than doubling his audience. Following this momentum, he released Downers Grove (Reimagined), a new version of his acclaimed EP that includes guest appearances from an amazing list of emerging artists and friends, including Jake Minch, Allison Ponthier, and more. He also put up his first run of sold out headline shows and was named one of SiriusXM Coffeehouse’s Artists To Watch in 2024. His latest singles “ferry beer” and “Huntley” mark the beginning of a new era for Kevin as he heads into 2025.
