Gwen(DYLYN): An Interview with DYLYN
In the heart of Canada, a quaint apartment overlooking farm
fields sits. The interior is a blend of 1970-1989 in the form of musical influence.
One wall accents Jimmy Hendrix while another accents John Lennon. Scattered
throughout the rest of the apartment is Bowie, Zeppelin, The Stones… with the
occasional Star Wars memorabilia. The owner of the residence is Gwendolyn
Lewis.
She goes by the moniker DYLYN and is gearing up for the
release of her first album. However, this isn’t the beginning of her career. A
few years ago she was known as Guinevere, a not-so-typical pop singer with a
dark twist. Her single “Fly Away” garnered attention on the Billboard dance
charts and earned her a spot on Jesse McCartney’s In Technicolor Tour. Despite
the initial success, she realized that she wasn’t playing music that best
represented her. “I was writing songs that made people feel good but didn’t
necessarily connect with me as a person 100%,” she said. “I didn’t dig deep
enough.”
In the transition between Guinevere and DYLYN, she spent two
years working on her upcoming release. She dove straight into the tracks that
influenced her and started at the absolute basics to bring out the sound that
she knew she would be most proud of.
Her fresh start has come with its fair share of high and low
points – the latter of which is documented in her first two singles, “Mimosa”
and “Secret”. “Mimosa” deals with anxiety and overcoming it, something she did
by creating this song. “I wanted to make
it a little bit more of a lighter song musically because it’s not something people
should be ashamed of,” she said. “I think people should just try to embrace it.
It’s more of a celebration, that it’s not such a bad thing.”
“Secret” shares a deeply personal story regarding her parent’s
divorce that occurred while she was touring as Guinevere. It was a period in
her life where she was second-guessing everything she did and made her
incredibly vulnerable. During a studio session, 20 minutes of finally
addressing the elephant in the room resulted in what would ultimately be the
start of what DYLYN is all about. “I put it away because obviously I didn’t
feel comfortable putting this on the album but after playing it for family and
friends it couldn’t be more clear. I’m happy I did it. I needed to do it
because it really helped me heal in a way.”
Starting with a clean slate has given DYLYN the chance to
discover where she belongs. Having the opportunity to tell her story has also
given her the opportunity to tap into the emotions of those who listen to her
music. Hearing a song is meant to bring the listener back to a specific moment
in time, and that’s what she’s hoping these songs accomplish.
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