FEATURE:
Spotlight
Dylan
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WHEN it comes to young artists…
PHOTO CREDIT: Phoebe Cowley for NOTION
who deserve a load of success and a long career, Dylan is right up there. She has been putting out music for a few years now, but I think her work post-pandemic (if this is what you can call it?!) is lifting her to new heights. The No Romeo EP and latest single, Girl of Your Dreams, show that Dylan is releasing some of her best material this year. I know there will be a lot of talk and interest around a studio album. I have seen on her Twitter feed how she has been noticed in America and her music is making waves there. An international success story who is going to go on to be a legend, I wanted to use this opportunity to spotlight Dylan. To do that, it is worth sourcing a few interviews. Most of them are from a couple of years ago (as I cannot see any recent ones). It gives us a chance to know more about a sensational artist. F WORD introduced Dylan in an extensive chat. I have chosen a few questions and answers that caught my eye:
“R.E Hey Dylan! Is your real name Dylan? D: No it’s Tash - Dylan is what my parents were going to call me if I was a boy... and I really didn’t want to be called Tash! They still call me Tash but everyone in the industry calls me Dyl or Dylan. I’m so used to having two names now!
RE: How did you get here today? D: I drove miles to get here!
R.E: Where’s home? D: Suffolk. I was in London last year but I moved home just because it was getting a bit expensive and there’s no real reason for staying in London if no work is going on!
R.E: How has it been? D: It’s been really good - I’m not angry at the whole corona thing because it’s given me so much time to find my real sound and discover what really feels like me. I’m so happy with how it’s all sounding and where it’s going and the music that’s about to come out!
R.E: What would you say the biggest lesson you’ve learned since being in the industry is?
D: Don’t expect anything to happen overnight! I used to think that all of the people who were doing well at the moment were just overnight successes but after getting to know a lot of them I realised that they’ve been doing it for years.
R.E: Do your family listen to your music in the house a lot? D: Oh yeah, we have listening parties with wine! I stand on the table and perform - lipsyncing my own songs! It’s so embarrassing because I like this music so much that I will just sit and listen to it”.
I am going to move onto an interview from NOTION. In 2020 (when the interview took place), we were at the start of the pandemic. Dylan, a relatively fresh artist then, was in the position so many others were: charged with promoting herself and getting music out without being able to play gigs or see people. Despite that, she was gaining success and adulation:
“The 20-year-old musician from Suffolk in England notes AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses as some of her musical heroes, as well as Flume. With her sights set on a Wembley show in the future, DYLAN isn’t afraid of putting in the work to get results. It’s an approach that’s obviously paid off as she’s just been selected as one of Virgin Money’s Emerging Stars.
As part of Virgin Money’s exciting programme, DYLAN joins a number of up-and-coming artists heading for the stars. The music initiative, supported by ambassador Laura Whitmore, aims to identify, encourage and amplify the best emerging talent in the UK.
Thanks to the programme, DYLAN will be putting her Virgin Money bursary development fund back into recording new music and playing live shows. “I think those are the two most important things for me because they’re my favourite parts of the job and they’re what I really want to develop, and where we’ve been slightly saving before so definitely going to progress the live show,” she explained.
DYLAN’s already been getting airtime on BBC Radio 1 and has had gigs at legendary venues such as London’s Electrowerkz. Her performance at the venue has become a treasured memory “because it was the first time that I heard anyone sing my songs back to me.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Phoebe Cowley
How does it feel to be one of the first Virgin Money Emerging Stars?
It’s crazy to me because Virgin Money is quite a big company and I’m a very small artist so having them believe in me is insane.
What is the highlight of your career so far?
Maybe “Sour Milk” getting BBC Radio 1’s track of the week because it was my second single ever and something like that was slightly ridiculous and out of reach at that point, but it happened.
If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Tough one, I’ve got to say Flume because I’m obsessed with him. And then maybe Nina Simone as she was a massive part of my upbringing.
What is the best thing about being in the music industry?
That you’re allowed to do what you love, and no one tries to change you for it. It’s being able to write for a living, like writing is just the thing I love most in the world and for it to be a job is insane.
How has music helped you get through lockdown – have you been listening to and/or creating/writing/producing more music than you typically would have before lockdown?
Definitely writing more, despite having a massive lack of inspiration. I’ve been writing a lot more and almost going further into my problems that I’d written about before than I ever had – getting deep into them and writing more emotional, more vulnerable songs than I normally would.
But then also I’ve been going into writing happy songs which has never happened. I’ve written my first happy song that I actually like”.
Before coming to something more recent, Wonderland. chatted with one of the finest artists in this country. There is no doubt that Dylan is going to be a major artist and make a lot of tremendous albums. If you have not discovered her, then go and follow her now:
“What was the moment you realised you wanted to go into music?
I don’t remember ever not wanting to do it. It’s been the only real constant in my life. I think if I had to pinpoint a moment it would be playing on stage for the first time. I was 11, in a band called Clueless, and we wrote all our own songs cause none of us could read music. Looking back at it now, we sounded horrific, but it was the biggest adrenaline rush. And the feeling hasn’t been any less than what it was since.
Who did you listen to growing up?
I was introduced to a weird mix of music as a kid. Mum loved jazz and musicals, and Dad was obsessed with rock’n’roll. I very quickly became a wannabe rock god and listened to a lot of AC/DC, Guns and Roses, and Aerosmith. I spent most of my childhood on the kitchen table singing stupidly loudly practising the air guitar.
At this time of uncertainty why do you think music is important – and how do you think your music is playing a part in the dialogue?
Music ties everyone together. It’s the only thing we’ve got right now so I think continuing is incredibly important. It’s certainly not going to stop me; weirdly because we’ve all been shut inside I’ve been more productive than ever. If this is going to last a while then at least I’ll be playing a part in giving people something new to listen to.
What’s next for you/what are you excited about?
Everything and anything to keep me entertained. I’m working on my master plan to take over the world”.
Girl of Your Dreams is an amazing new song from Dylan. It is among her best songs to date. When the Horn Blows featured it recently. I love the new track and I cannot wait to see what comes next from the magnificent Dylan:
“The Suffolk-born singer-songwriter released her first song ‘Sour Milk’ in 2019. Since then, DYLAN has brought out 3 EPs, with the latest being her ‘No Romeo EP’, which features the hit track ‘Nineteen’, and has gained over 40 million Spotify streams. With recognitions from Dork, Clash, and Notion, the 22-year-old has received support from a variety of music platforms. This year alone, DYLAN has toured with Bastille, Tate McRae, and recently Ed Sheeran, where she has been playing her new single ‘Girl Of Your Dreams’ in stadiums across the UK.
The much-awaited track gained widespread attention even before its release, after a clip of the song went viral on TikTok and amassed over 1 million views. DYLAN describes how the concept for ‘Girl Of Your Dreams’ came from the frustration of wanting someone to like her back, as she pitches herself as the ideal girlfriend. The song combines catchy guitar hooks and steady drum beats with DYLAN’s impressive vocal range, to create a feel-good summer anthem that is perfect for festival season. The studio version of Girl Of Your Dreams was premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 13th July, just ahead of its release, after being selected as Jack Saunders’ ‘Power Play’.
With various festival appearances over the summer, her sold-out UK tour in November, and a headline show scheduled for 20th February 2023 at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, it seems that DYLAN has a lot of plans for the coming months”.
Someone primed for the big time, Dylan is an original and seriously impressive talent who is her forging her own path and making her music. I think that the next year r two will see her play big stages and get big recognition. She is already known in the U.S., but I feel like there are no limits when it comes to her music. Some artists have limits and they are restricted. When it comes to Dylan, you just know that she will go…
ALL the way.
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