Dylan Lloyd Interview

·29 min·2 clips

Dylan Lloyd's raw piano gibberish went viral on TikTok, changing his entire approach to the platform.

The episode begins with host Pete introducing Dylan Lloyd as an old friend and local musician. Lloyd shares that he recently had his first sold-out show at Uncommon Ground in Chicago. He explains how TikTok transformed his career when he started posting raw, unfinished musical ideas instead of following trends. Lloyd reveals he has over 101,000 TikTok followers and his song 'So Caught Up' recently charted on iTunes. He discusses the modern music business where artists often operate as 'one of one' without label advances unless they already have hits. Lloyd talks about his songwriting process, which always begins with piano chords that 'attract' melodies before lyrics. He mentions his music is distributed through Factory Underground with Universal and Virgin, and he has a licensing deal for film and TV placements. The conversation shifts to Lloyd's upcoming poetry book 'Coffee Walk Poetry', written during COVID walks to Starbucks. He distinguishes between writing poems and song lyrics, noting poems have no musical structure constraints. Lloyd discusses the Chicago music scene based on conversations with bands like Two Depressed Kids and The Flips. He explains his TikTok strategy of posting only once every 1-2 weeks to avoid saturating his audience. The host asks about Lloyd's three essential vinyl albums: Foo Fighters' 'There's Nothing Left to Lose', Michael Jackson's 'Bad', and Chris Cornell's 'Euphoria Morning'. They discuss why 1999 was a pivotal year for music across multiple genres. Lloyd reveals he has a new single called 'Home' produced with Taylor Swift's producer Christopher Rowe. He mentions potential upcoming shows at venues like Metro. The episode concludes with appreciation for college radio and WXAV's support of local artists.

As heard by us

A warm Chicago artist interview about a sold-out Uncommon Ground show, a TV placement, and the uncertainty of breaking into college radio.

Dylan Lloyd Interview finds a local artist in a clear moment of movement, celebrating a first sold-out show at Uncommon Ground while looking for more ways to play around Chicago.

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Why you'd press play

You want local Chicago music talk that ties a first sold-out Uncommon Ground show to an honest college-radio question.

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