Last month, Shawn Mullins was in Washington, entertaining former President Bill Clinton. Later this month, the Atlanta singer-songwriter plays for a hometown crowd at Hearts With Hope, a benefit for the Partnership Against Domestic Violence.

“I’m really excited to be involved,” Mullins said. Best known for hits “Lullaby” and “Shimmer,” his song “Eggshells” tells the story of a woman who has endured an abusive situation.

“It’s never not been on my mind,” he said.

Suzanne Sitherwood and Guy Griswold chair the Feb. 21 black-tie event, which raises money for violence prevention, emergency intervention and long-term advocacy for battered women and their children. The gala features a cocktail hour and seated dinner, silent and live auctions and a raffle of a 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera S coupe along with Mullins’ headlining performance. Tickets are $350. For info call 404-870-9616, e-mail development@padv.org or see www.padv.org.

We caught up with Mullins, whose wife is expecting their first child, to talk about his fledgling acting career, becoming a dad and his recent Clinton encounter.

Q: What are you writing these days?

A: Simplifying sometimes is the way to go. The first 10 or 15 years of songwriting, I want to connect with people. I do upwards of 150 shows a year, and after each show I go meet people and thank them for coming. There isn’t a single show where someone doesn’t say, “Your music helped me through something.”

Q: What do you think people want from the music scene today, given the dreary headlines?

A: We need hope right now. We all need to feel like the struggle is going to end. Things are going to be OK. We’re going to work it out.

Q: You performed in Washington around the time of the inauguration?

A: It was a fund-raiser for Terry McAuliffe, who is running for governor of Virginia. I got to meet Bill Clinton. What a presence. He’s like a rock star. He made it a point to come over and say hi. He said, “I should have brought my sax!”

Q: How’s the acting going? (Mullins is appearing in a new online series called “High Rise,” and just read for a part in the movie “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek.)

A: When I was a kid I was in a lot of plays and musicals. I took classes at the Alliance. I haven’t had any training as an adult. I want to do it well.

Q: How are you preparing to be a father?

A: The biggest thing is stopping all the negative stuff that a kid can pick up on, just being the most happy, positive adult I can be. I’d like to write songs for my kid. That’d be really cool. I can’t wait to be able to sing for my kid.