Kind Villain’s current single ‘I’m A Little Off’ is forging a powerful personal connection with an audience of fans who connect with its first-person reflection of dealing with neurodivergency. Now Kind Villain – a project led by the 21-year-old Tampa Bay musician Ev Frederick – launches the track’s accompanying video for the song as he introduces himself to UK audiences. Watch the video HERE.
The Kind Villain back story also breaks the mould. Ev was just 13-years-old when he started sneaking into a local rock bar, and it wasn’t long before the local bands would encourage him to step up on stage to perform everything from Green Day to Linkin Park via Lynyrd Skynyrd. That unorthodox grounding gave him the foundations for the full-throttle shows he now delivers, which have resulted in three Best Concert nominations at Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay awards and have seen him support Daughtry.
The Kind Villain project got started in 2021, with songs such as ‘This Is Not A Love Song, It’s A Cry For Help’ and ‘Dancing As The World Burns’ informed by alt-rock, pop-punk and emo but also touching upon hip-hop, alt-pop and post-hardcore. His diverse influences have also seen him put his take on songs as eclectic as Khalid’s ‘8teen’ and ‘Certain Doom’ by early 2000s Miami emo scene favourites Sunday Driver. His song ‘Bulletproof’ was his first track to land airplay across North America, while further Best of the Bayaward acclaim saw him win Best Vocalist and Best Song.
Aside from his rock ‘n’ roll heart, Ev Frederick is also passionate about theatre. He performed as Audrey II in a rock opera take on ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ when he was younger, and will feature in an upcoming musical adaptation of Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ at Tampa’s Jaeb Theater – a natural progression from singing in a Green Day tribute band when he was a teenager. He is also hyped to be planning his debut UK tour this summer.
We caught up with Kind Villain for an interview which you can check out below!
How has the release of ‘I’m A Little Off’ gone down with fans so far?
It’s been amazing so far. I’ve had so many people reach out, sharing personal stories and how the song has connected with them, and it makes me emotional.
How has the music video gone down? How long did it take you to create this?
The music video has gone very well; it was shot in a day and was meant to highlight the lyrics, and it seems to be bringing the message of the song front and center, which makes me happy.
Will you be releasing an EP/Album this year?
Yes, there are a bunch of Kind Villain songs releasing this year. I’m unsure if it will be an EP or as singles, but there is definitely more music on the horizon.
So you’re planning a debut tour in the UK soon. Are there locations you’d want to play?
I love British culture, and I’m beyond excited to tour in the UK!!! I want to play everywhere, and I would love to explore and appreciate the culture that sets England apart from the rest of the world. I did grow up watching some of my favorite bands perform at Reading Festival on YouTube, so performing at Reading would be pretty awesome!!! Also, Wembley, because it’s Wembley, and some of my favorite performances were filmed in Wembley! London, everywhere too many to name! My ancestors are from Peckham, so I would love to visit there as well!