A Quick Chat with Dylan Wright
What has your music journey been like?
I’ve been performing music for 15 years now so it’s had its fair share of ups and downs. There’s been times where I’ve being playing at pubs and shows to barely anyone and then times where I’ve played in front of thousands. It’s taught me to try connect with the people that are there, no matter how many, it’s an incredibly special thing to connect with people through music.
Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration for the Half A World Away EP?
My new EP, Half A World Away, started off from my chaotic start to there year. Having been on a tv show for two months and been thrown into the deep end a little. All the while trying my best to be a father, husband, friend and myself. There’s stories of wanting to go travel, finding faith again, stories from other writers and how they were feeling at the time. It’s a melting pot of emotion and a chapter of life.
What does Half A World Away mean?
At the start of the year there were times where I felt I was so far from what my usual day to day was and not many people could understand what I was really going through or how hard I was working. I was finding my feet in a turbulent world and I had incredible support along the way but inside I was making sure to keep myself grounded and keep on the path of why I started music, its always been an incredible outlet for myself.
Who have you worked with on this new EP? How did they help you shape your sound?
I have worked with some incredible writers on this EP, Nick Zaharias, Robby De Sa, Garret Kato, Andrew Grant and Lach Bostock. There was never any desired outcome or pressure on what to create. So for each session we would get a coffee, chat life and stories and then start strumming some chords. It was really natural and I love each song so much. I felt like these group of writers/producers each brought their own flavour to each song and was able to being the best out of me as well.
You’ve been touring around Australia for the last few months – what have been the highlights and what is your favourite part of playing live?
It has been incredible to get out to regional Australia and see spots that have been on my list for a while. Theres been a few sold out shows which has been absolutely amazing to see the support come after releasing the first half of the EP. My favourite part about playing live is watching peoples faces in the audience, seeing them sing if they know the words, and there is one song I perform at the end acoustically, hearing the crowd silent and taking it in is very special to me, I’m very grateful for those moments.
What do you think life would be like for you if you didn’t have music as an outlet?
Life would be very different. I’ve used music as an outlet from when I started playing guitar at 10 years old. Maybe I would’ve become a writer or a painter, I know I would definitely be using something else as an outlet but music has helped me out so much during my life.
What advice would you give to emerging artists who are trying to find their unique voice and navigate the music industry?
Keep going and believe in yourself. The best thing I did was join different bands, play and write as much as I could. I think those things have greatly helped with who I have become today. I’ve been able to meet, connect and hear stories from people I wouldn’t have usually been able to and I think that is a great way to grow.