A Conversation with Young Guy, Burkett on Music, Meaning, and Finding Home

There’s some sort of magic that happens when you sit down with someone who’s deeply connected to their art. It’s not just about the final product. It’s about the story behind it. The spark. The process. The why.

That’s what I got to witness in my recent conversation with Young Guy, Burkett.

We talked about his latest release, You Win, a song that started — like many of his others — with a guitar riff and a note in his phone. But what struck me most wasn’t just how the song came together. It was the vulnerability underneath it. The idea that maybe he needs to get his heart broken to write his best music. The awareness that pain, when processed through creativity, can lead to beauty.

Burkett opened up about how his soul comes alive when he’s making music. It’s more than a career. It’s how he feels grounded. Present. Alive. He told me he used to search for that feeling in places, but now he’s ready to find it in a person. To build something real. To create a sense of home with someone, not just in a physical place.

He even filmed the music video for You Win at his parents’ house, not for aesthetic reasons, but because it symbolized something deeper: the comfort of being known. The quiet love of a place that’s held you through many versions of yourself. And maybe, he said, that’s what he’s trying to find in love now too.

As someone who spends a lot of time behind the lens and in conversation with artists, these are the moments that stay with me. When someone lets you into their world, even briefly, and reminds you why storytelling matters. Why music matters.

You Win isn’t just a song. It’s a surrender. A softening. A reflection of a man who’s ready to stop running and start building something that lasts.

Thank you for being here.

– Talie