Dylan Holton
Photo Supplied by Lauren Tutty Promotions

Dylan Holton – Five Questions With

Dylan Holton Shares His Latest Single, “Beach Please”

Dylan Holton is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and is now based in Ottawa, ON.

With hit singles like “Take Your Top Off” and “I Used To,” Dylan has made his mark in the music scene, winning accolades from competitions like Unsigned Only and Songdoor International.

From touring the East Coast to signing a record deal in Los Angeles, his journey has been remarkable.

His latest release, “Beach Please,” has earned him recognition as a Semi-Finalist in the 2023 International Songwriting Competition. Beyond music, Dylan’s entrepreneurial venture, Capital Content, supports artists globally. With his latest music video released this month, Dylan Holton’s star continues to rise, promising an exciting musical future.

First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Dylan Holton and in the music world, I’m a Singer, Songwriter, guitarist, storyteller & performer.

Tell us a bit about your recent release.

Well, “Beach Please” was a fun one to write and have produced by my producer Bill Bell out of Toronto, ON. It was written last year and if I released it then, it would have felt rushed. I really wanted to get this into the ears of people this Spring as we anticipate warmer weather. The cold weather can be frustrating. This is Canadian Beats, right? We here in the North know what it’s like to be in the dead centre of a snowfall. This year alone, my hometown of Pictou County, Nova Scotia had more snowfall than they’ve seen in years. After living in this climate for a while, I think I can speak for most of us when I say a vacation is needed. Not only do the winter months have us bogged down but after the last few years of isolation, which I reference slightly in the song, there’s nothin’ better than feeling that sun beat down on a white sand beach with palm trees.

How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?

Writing music to me is an art. If someone shows me an abstract painting, who am I to judge if it’s good or not? I say this because songs come naturally to me in an organic fashion and can mean different things to different people. I always have a list of song titles that are catchy or have special meaning to me on the go that I know eventually I’ll get to. I truly feel, like maybe an artist, it can’t be rushed or forced. Beach Please, for example, is a bit of a shout-out to the beach life I used to live in Nova Scotia, North Carolina & California, locations I reference in the song. There’s that special meaning to me. I knew I wanted a fun song with this title, with Caribbean vibes, also sticking close to that modern country sound I love to write so much. So when I have a good title, eventually a melody comes to me. From there, it’s almost like a freestyle session to see what words come out and what works, and well, if it doesn’t work, no one ever hears them anyway.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?

Releasing new music to me now has a different meaning than it used to when I was in my teens or my 20s. When you’re writing music in your mid-30s supporting your family with my wife and kids backing me up, it’s more than just a music release. I treat every song release now like a project. A project that has a start, a middle, and an ending. I want my kids to see that each project I tackle has been begun out of passion, and it’s been thought through and worked hard on, and it eventually, when you put the hard work in, comes to an end, or a success as you may call it. The success isn’t in the number of streams or money generated from releasing any more. It’s a success knowing I put everything into it. This release has been a success. My kids are starting to sing around the house, they see me on the tv with music videos and hear me in the car, and I want that to be normal for them so they have an understanding that they can do it too. When you love it, it’s not work and I want them to find that passion in whatever it is they do in their future. You know I actually started up on my music social media on Instagram again only this year because filmmaking has taken me in another direction over the years. So you can find everything relating to my music at @dylanholtonmusic and I’ll always be promoting my music endeavours there, as well as my Facebook fan page where a lot of my fans, friends, and family live. If a tour or opening slot presents itself, I’m ready to go. I play a lot locally here in Ottawa, and I do have a burning feeling of getting a band together again. For now, it’s been acoustically driven shows which you can catch throughout Ottawa, and writing music for more releases in the near future. I’m looking to expand though so if you’re reading this, I’m ready!

Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?

There have been so many moments that have really felt like a turning point in my career. A few years back I signed a record deal with an independent producer, Bill Bell, who has had so many credentials to his name because of his amazing work. At the time he was based out of Los Angeles, where I signed a management deal and it all went hand in hand. Working with Bill, who has worked with artists like Jason Mraz, Tom Cochrane, Jimmy Rankin, and Justin Nozuka to name a few, was a huge highlight. All these highlights pointed me in the direction of opening up for Travis Tritt, in my hometown of Pictou County which was pretty damn special.

Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?

Oh man, I feel like I’m discovering new talent every single time I pick up my phone now. My nights usually consist of my wife and I watching country music videos for hours and new artists are popping up left and right. I have to give a shout-out to my favourite East Coast artist Dave Gunning whose musicianship is just incomparable to a lot of artists out there, but also we’ve had a lot of Cody Johnson, Morgen Wallen, Luke Combs & Lindsay Ell all the big ones playing in our house lately. I have to give a shoutout to Kaylee Bell as we were in a songwriting comp together a couple of years back and since then, she’s really made her mark in the industry.  

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