Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Holland.
Hi Dylan, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started live-streaming around 2011 on a site called blogtv before it was called streaming as it is today. I would just play guitar and sing to my viewers, and eventually, they convinced me to start posting on YouTube. My viewers turned into a community really fast, which led to my covers going viral and eventually getting the attention from Ryan Seacrest and KISS LA. A year or two later, I won an online contest to perform in Nashville at an event called Teen Hoot. Teen Hoot ended up growing into what was the first “Social Media” curated live event, which I headlined for years. Teen Hoot kept growing and eventually hosted a show in London, England. Fast forward a few years, I ended up touring all over the country on a handful of tours with artists such as Rae Sremmurd, and Jacob Whitesides. I partnered with Empire Records and signed a deal with the CEO Ghazi, which led to collaborations and writing for some other artists in the industry. I’ll try to keep this short, but around 2019 I partnered with Sony and Fresh Goods music. Fresh Goods was started by multi-platinum songwriter Rome Ramirez, who at the time was the lead singer for Sublime W Rome. I took a year or two off of music after the pandemic and, for the first time in my career, became an independent artist. From ages 16-27, I was constantly online, and I felt like I had almost burnt myself out. I took a year or two to realign and figure out what I wanted for myself in the future. Today, at 29 years old, I am independent and trying to navigate the industry on my own.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road. When you’re a kid and experiencing fame before you’ve really had the chance to fully develop a business mindset or even fully develop on a maturity level, it really has an effect on you as an adult. Most of my life was ran by other people. I’ve constantly dealt with shady management or getting screwed over by people that are supposed to have your best interest. When you’re a kid, you’re just having fun. I wasn’t really thinking about where money was going or tax returns because I trusted that was being handled. It’s very hard to trust people in the music industry. Not to mention when the spotlight is on you, more people are trying to bring you down. I even had my iCloud hacked and personal information blasted on the internet. I could go on all day about the trials and tribulations I’ve been through, as I’m sure many have.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve always been in love with songwriting. I’ve written with/ for other artists in the industry, such as Cierra Ramirez, Ty Dolla $ign, Rome Ramirez, and the list goes on. I even had the opportunity to write a song for Justin Bieber and had a studio session with him years ago. The song never released and never saw the light of day, but still an amazing experience. I think people know me for my songwriting and my lyricism. I’m proud of the impact I had on so many people from around the world as a kid. I was on tour in 2019, and we were in Minnesota. We decided to go to a random club one night, and a girl came up to me and recognized who I was and proceeded to tell me how much of an impact one of my songs had on her growing up. That song was at least 10 years old at the time. I’m just really proud to have positively affected people in a way that they’ll remember forever.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory would probably be from homecoming. I dressed up in Michael Jackson’s outfit from Smooth Criminal and did the entire dance in front of the school. I have no idea where that confidence came from, but I’m glad it was there LOL!
Contact Info:
- Website: Dylanhollandmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedylanholland?igsh=MTZyYWcxeWxpZ2VxNw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DylanHollandMusic?mibextid=2JQ9oc
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@DylanHollandMusic?si=XwKmZPYfAyvMft6J
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/JLdo6XssQPFkdEZf8
Image Credits
Sophie Seay Photography
