dylAn Q&A Session on "Florida Daydream, Euphoric Horizon: Side A"

Recently, dylAn took to Instagram Live to connect with fans and answer questions about his latest EP, "Florida Daydream, Euphoric Horizon: Side A". The casual, laid-back session gave fans insight into his creative process, journey into music, influences, and future plans.

Here's a deep dive into the key moments:

The Creative Process:

dylAn's approach to creativity is both intuitive and introspective. "It really depends every time," he shared when asked about bringing ideas to life. "I think I take my biggest inspiration from my everyday life. When I'm alone, it's one of the best times to create, but it's also the scariest because you're vulnerable."

He emphasized that creating music isn't always about actively making sounds: "A lot of times, working on music isn't necessarily working on music. Being alone and processing your feelings and emotions, understanding what you want to convey - even though you're not making anything in that moment - is still working on music and working on yourself, you know what I mean?"

From Kickflips to Beats: dylAn's Journey into Music:

dylAn's path to music was anything but conventional. He shared the fascinating story of his transition from skateboarding to music:

"I was living in Florida, and I was a major skateboarder. That was the dream - sponsored skateboarder, do the whole thing, GoPro. But it didn't work out. I sprained, or rather tore, the meniscus in my right knee. It was a really bad tear, and I couldn't skate for like maybe 6 months."

This setback led to a period of soul-searching and exploration. "I love to cook, so I almost went to culinary school," dylAn revealed. "I just f***ing quit my job. I was like, I want to move back to LA."

The turning point came unexpectedly with a poem called "The End of Summer." In a serendipitous twist, dylAn's brother asked him to recite the poem on an album he was working on. "Through that, I found my new passion. I kind of fell in love with music and expressing myself and writing these poems and these excerpts of my life that I couldn't express just conversationally."

dylAn emphasized how this introduction to music was life-changing, also crediting early experiences: "That, mixed with when I was 13 and making music with my bro Kevin, one of my best friends in Florida - he kind of showed me or mirrored the talent that I had. He just looked at me like, 'Oh sh*t, you could really freestyle. Yo, you're really good.'"

He concluded, "This is how I became like a musical artist, and I never went back. I've just been locked in ever since. But I still skateboard, and that's like a huge part of my life. It's like my first love in life."

Collaborations and Influences:

dylAn gave a special shout-out to his executive producer, Jaden Smith, sharing some valuable advice he's received: "Jaden's always telling me to stick to my guns and believe in myself. He points out that people often want more for you than what you want for yourself, but you have to be the one to get yourself there."

When it comes to musical influences, dylAn listed a diverse range of artists who shaped the sound of his EP: "Toro y Moi, Mk.Gee, Babe Rainbow, Hiatus Kaiyote, Grateful Dead, The Smiths, The Strokes, Dominic Fike... yeah, a lot of stuff. Oh, and definitely Vampire Weekend too."

The New EP: Expectations vs. Reality

dylAn's excitement about his new EP was palpable. When asked how close the released EP is to what he imagined, he shared: "It's pretty close, honestly. This is the first time I really embarked on doing something just so different and out there. It really falls in line with who I am."

He added, "I didn't imagine it would be doing this well after the release, but as far as how it would sound and how it makes me feel, this is definitely something that's way beyond what I had anticipated. It's through the roof, this sh*t is crazy."

Future Plans and Live Performances:

Fans can look forward to more events and live performances. "We might do another listening party in LA for Side A," dylAn revealed. "We're also thinking about taking it to New York and somewhere on the East Coast, maybe even try to take it to Florida."

He emphasized that this is just the beginning: "This isn't just a rollout - people are going to start seeing me perform this live. You'll see me in the blue and white shirt at Flog Gnaw, that's going to be tight as f*ck."

dylAn's enthusiasm for live performances hints at a potential tour in the works, giving fans across the country a chance to experience "Florida Daydream, Euphoric Horizon: Side A" in person.