Qiuntelli drops new single, titled Rent Free. Talks being Grammy nominated and what he has planned next for his career.

Qiuntelli is a Grammy nominated R&B songwriter and singer from Arkansas. He recently dropped a new single titled, Rent Free. The song was highly anticipated, as Qiuntelli first previewed it on TikTok. From there, fans started curating a challenge to the song, which is a late-night R&B slow jam where Qiuntelli is remencising about a relationship that is living in his mind rent free. I was able to speak with Qiuntelli about the new single, his success with TikTok and what is next for him in music.

photo courtesy of Qiuntelli

Q: Of course, you just dropped Rent Free. What was the creative process for the song?

Qiuntelli: "My producer was sending the beats and I just happened to come across that beat. It was the last song that I recorded before I left. When I heard it, I was like..“Oh this is fire”. And I usually like keep topics in my phone. I type it up, if it comes. If it pops into my brain, I just type it up. So when I record I have it. And I always wanted to do a song called rent free, because everybody has a person that just lives rent free in their mind, you know, like they may not be talking anymore or whatever the situation is, but they always find time to, you know think about this person crazy, unintentionally and intentionally.”

Q: Do you plan on dropping a visual for it yet?

Qiuntelli: "I don't know if I am dropping a visual to Rent Free yet. The people are really demanding it, like it is doing amazing. The fan base is really growing like really really growing. So, if the people keep demanding it and streaming it like they are then we probably will drop a visual for it."

Q: Lately, you have been poppin' on TikTok! How does it feel seeing your snippets go viral on TikTok and become challenges before the full version is released?

Qiuntelli: "It has been amazing. I started TikTok during the pandemic and I couldn't figure out what my thing was going to be on there, because I didn't want to be cliche and do you know all the challenges and dances to try to redirect that traffic to my music. I wanted the people to be there for Qiuntelli, the artist not because I did a funny dance or corny dance. But yeah, TikTok has been going crazy. I'm glad that I found my thing on there and that the people are receiving the music in the way that they are."

Q: Along with the viral TikTok success, there have been users comparing you to Bryson Tiller and Tory Lanez. How do you feel about this?

Qiuntelli: "Yeah, people compare me to Bryson (Tiller) and Tory Lanez a lot. I feel no way about it, honestly because Bryson and Tory are my influences. Everyone comes from a tree of artists, you know, and even when you're figuring out who you are as an artist it takes for you to be influenced by someone to really spark that fire in you. So, getting those comparisons don't really bother me, cause like I said I come from that tree of artists. I come from the Partys (PARTYNEXTDOOR), the Drakes, the Torys (Lanez), the Tiller's (Bryson). That's the tree that influenced me most, so I don't feel no way. I do have the Tory Lanez's Just Like You Remix coming out soon so definitely be on the lookout for that."

Q: What's next for you in music? Any goals you hope to achieve by the end of the year?

Qiuntelli: "I'll say what's next for me in music is, getting a Grammy for myself and really breaking as an artist to the world, building a core fanbase, and continuously putting singles out. I just got nominated for a Grammy this past year for writing on Eric Bellinger's album New Light. I went platinum, I wrote on Moneybagg Yo's Gangsta's Pain on (song) This Feeling with him Yung Bleu and Ja'niyah. I wrote the hook on there and her (Ja'niyah) verse. So, I have gone platinum as a songwriter, I've been Grammy nominated as a songwriter. I wish we would've won but you know that will come full circle. So, I say that's one of the things I want to win a Grammy for myself. I just want to continue to wake the world up. I will break into the world as the new R&B guy superstar."