We Interview ‘Girl Of Your Dreams’ Singer Dylan
The 22-year-old artist talks burnout, Ed Sheeran and writing an intentionally “pick me” song.
Since Dylan released her EP Purple in 2019, she has written a body of songs that balance the evocative imagery and bluntness of today’s hits with the power of 80s rock.
This summer, Dylan (whose real name is Tash Woods) stuffed her calendar with a rush of international performances. Amid her travels to Lollapalooza and the Latitude Festival, the Suffolk-born singer also supported Ed Sheeran on tour, including his Wembley Stadium show.
In July, Dylan debuted the rock-infused pop anthem “Girl of Your Dreams.” Dylan’s first release for Island Records, the single meshes poignant nighttime musings with a rapid tempo and blast of guitar strums.
We sat down with the 22-year-old-artist to discuss her new single, upcoming tour and music journey.
First off, thank you so much for talking with us! You’ve discussed listening to classic rock as a child and loving bands like AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. How has classic rock influenced your work? Are there any rock elements that you try to incorporate into your songs?
Dylan: My childhood was a serious musication all thanks to my dad. Proper dad rock stuff. I have always been obsessed with guitarists, and Guitar Hero was also a massive part of my upbringing. Air guitar being my main instrument as a kid!! As a writer anything I write will always be a pop topline, but as I’ve grown as an artist I’m so much more confident with bringing hints and elements of the rock world into my music. Through the use of more live sounding drums, to big ass guitars, right through to the live set up being a bigger more rocky version of the recordings.
In one sentence, can you describe your music style?
Dylan: Wannabe-rock, pop music.
We love how your latest single, "Girl Of Your Dreams," is honest and real yet remains confident. Can you describe what inspired the song and what the creative process was like?
Dylan: It was a bit of a mad session. I had someone very uninterested in me that I really quite fancied. Naturally as a songwriter you create mountains out of molehills but I thought it was hilarious creating a “pick me” song, whilst still sticking to my usual empowering style.
What was the decision behind releasing an acoustic version of "Girl Of Your Dreams"? What do you feel the acoustic version achieves compared to the original?
Dylan: I just love that song, I wanted it to live in more forms than one. Having the recorded version, the acoustic, and the live version (that you can only hear at a show) means there’s more to experience.
You recently supported both Ed Sheeran and Tate McRae on their respective tours. What was that experience like? Have they influenced how you approach music in any way?
Dylan: Mental. Both so so mental. Tate is an absolute star, and her fans are just fantastic. Getting to do Europe for the first time was also super crazy for me. Ed is just a legend, massively down to earth and a lot of fun. Doing stadiums with him has really set the bar for what I want to achieve. It’s definitely influenced my writing of recent, helping me be less afraid of making tunes hayuuuuge.
Tell us about performing at the Latitude Festival.
Dylan: Best gig ever. Home crowd. Everyone turned up, everyone screamed the lyrics. That has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember as [it] is the only festival I have been to pretty much religiously every year. I LOVED it, and the aim is to get back there as soon as I can!!!!
How has your life changed since releasing Purple in 2019?
Dylan: I think a better question would be how hasn’t it changed!! It’s been a wild ride, I’ve had a lot of identity crises, confidence dips, tried my hand at most genres, to having a massive burnout in 2021. I was exhausted of trying to keep up a persona that wasn’t true to myself. Luckily after I burnt out I was almost forced into being myself again, which ultimately is the goal, which gave me the confidence I’ve never had before. And here we are now!
What’s next for you?
Dylan: A lot. There’s a lot coming. A new project that will be in your hands by the end of the year and a lot of tours!!! I am so so excited to start this new era, I’m super proud of how it’s turned out and I think it’s gonna really make an impact on who I am as an artist!!
Up next, “We Interview Bad Ass Olivia Anthony from Liv Streetwear”
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