[Dylan Bernard](https://www.instagram.com/dtbmuzic/?hl=en) loves cold brew, so much so he makes his own and downs an entire batch over the course of 3 days. Beyond that, the singer-songwriter is a music-lover down to the core, creating his own version of “very lo-fi R&B.” When it comes to his sound, he prefers anything guitar-driven with a smooth, classic R&B bassline and vocal harmonies.
Hailing from South Jersey but now residing in sunny Los Angeles, Dylan injects heavy vocals, ad-libs, riffs, and runs into his records, all while figuring it out as he goes. The end result arrives in the form of feel-good ballads inspired by real-life experiences for the masses to relate to.
Now following the success of “Higher,” which showcased his impressive vocal range and songwriting capabilities, Dylan returns with his newest single titled “Writer’s Block.” Serving as the first track off Dylan’s forthcoming EP of the same name, the record sees Dylan producing a record of his own for the first time—and he did one hell of a job. The overall message of pushing through writer’s block can be applied to all facets of life, from relationships to music to overcoming any obstacle you feel stuck in.
_Flaunt_ caught up with Dylan in downtown Los Angeles, who of course, had a cold brew in hand (his second of the day). Read below as we discuss his move to Los Angeles, the turning point in his music career, the inspiration behind “Writer’s Block,” his strong pen game, studio essentials, his forthcoming EP, and more!
**You’re from New Jersey, when did you come to Los Angeles?**
I’m from a small town called Lindenwold, about 20 minutes outside of Philly. I spent most of my childhood there, and then I graduated high school in 2014, and moved here \[Los Angeles\] immediately after. I came here for music. I did musical theater in high school. My teacher—shout out Mrs. Trip—she’d always say “you have the chops for acting, you should pursue that.” But I always knew that music spoke to me more than acting. Acting still does, but music has always fed me. That’s what’s kept me going.
**At what point did you realize this music thing was forreal?**
Even before I moved here, I put out a song I performed for my high school called “Our Time In The City.” Seeing my friends and my peers’ reaction to that, as well as some other Youtube covers I’d already put out, I knew this was something I could continue doing. Most importantly feel inspired doing, progressing forward and doing the whole thing.
**“Higher” is at over 12 million views on Youtube in a year, did you think it’d blow up like this?**
No, I never expected it. I never try to set any intention with any song. I remember when it first hit one million, I was shocked. I was in New Jersey at the time visiting family, it went from 2 to 5 to 10 and now 12. A crazy time, definitely an exciting one. I’m still getting Instagram DMs from people listening to it and enjoying it, finding inspiration from it. I’m very grateful.
**It details the ups and downs of a relationship. What were you going through recording this?**
I did the same thing with “Writer’s Block” where “Higher” is about my relationship with music. I really enjoy blending your traditional relationship with the way I feel about music because it’s easy for me to blend the 2. The way I view music is almost like a relationship, your love-hate “oh, what’re you going to bring me today? Are we going to have a good day or is it going to be a bad day, or somewhere in between?”
**You’ve had “Writers Block” since last October, what happened then?**
The lyrics speak for themselves. I remember saying that in a session, it came after “Higher” because I was constantly comparing everything I was writing to “Higher.” How can I beat that? “I’ve had Writer’s Block since last October,” I said that out loud. John, my manager, was in the room, he looked at me and goes “that’s the first line of the song.” My friend Mark Otero who’s the co-writer was there, and we went with that. I was able to get into how I really felt about it while blending that relationship aspect. 2 people meeting over and over again wondering “okay, is it going to be the same thing as before? Is it going to be something different this time, what is it?”
**Being a writer, I have writer’s block too. How do you push through?**
Even with this release, working on “Writer’s Block” before it came to be, I couldn’t write or finish anything. I wrote my last single that came out “It Ain’t Up To Me” years ago, which I really loved. While I was struggling with my writer’s block, I was comfortable putting that out. I’m thinking “I shouldn’t force anything,” that’s the one thing I picked up from it. That’s been the best advice to myself: let it be for what it is. Let “Higher” live in the moment where it’s supposed to, and let whatever I’m about to create live where they’re supposed to. Capture the moment instead of trying to recreate something.
**How was producing your first song, then recording on it?**
It was pretty crazy. I found a lot of free time on my hands, as I’m sure we all have. I always wanted to produce, but the idea always scared me until I reached out to my friend, [Keaton Stromberg.](https://www.instagram.com/keatonstromberg/?hl=en) Keaton produced my last 3 songs, I asked him what equipment should I get? And how does this work? After he told me that, it was Youtube tutorials and trial-and-error. That in itself was really exciting.
**How often are you having cold brew?**
Everyday, all hours of the day. This is a Cookie Butter Latte with oat milk. \[points to cold brew\] I love oat milk, it’s so good. I can drink it straight. I had one that went bad. I filled up this glass with oat milk. I dipped a chocolate chip cookie in it and ate it, it tasted like celery. What’s going on right now? After you open it, you’re not supposed to drink it past a week. It had been months of it sitting there, it was pretty bad. I took a sip of it, it was bad bad.
**One thing you want fans to get from the record?**
With the new music coming out, I hope through the production I’m making they’re able to get to know me more personally on both sides—knowing that both sides are coming from me: the vocals and production. I hope they’re able to relate to the new stuff, even though the song’s literally about writer’s block and it’s pretty obvious. I hope they’re able to take something from within themselves and relate to it. The same way I found inspiration in making these songs, I hope they can take that from these tracks.
**How was working with SoundCloud?**
So I released my single “Writer’s Block” through Repost by SoundCloud. My manager reached out and sent the tracks over to them, and they enjoyed them. We decided to link up and see what we could do. It was featured on SoundCloud’s Fresh Pressed playlist and I’m excited to see what’s next!
**Talk about writing for huge international acts like** [**KEY**](https://youtu.be/yt0F4HUNElU) **of famed K-Pop group SHINee, as well as Chinese Popstar** [**Jackson Yee**](https://youtu.be/mX0Z0BACrGk)**. How’d that happen?**
After I put out my debut EP, I’d always put up covers on Instagram. A writer, who later became a friend of mine, named of Jon Asher had seen those, reached out on Instagram and said “we should write.” I said “okay cool.” Jon is a super talented writer who is signed to Roc Natoin for publishing. He’s written for the Chainsmokers, Britney Spears, and so many other artists. We worked really well together and I remember being super excited when I got the news about KEY who cut the track “Honest.” A year after, Jackson Yee cut “Fall.” They both destroyed their rendition of them in the best way. It was really cool seeing Jackson performing a song I wrote in an arena with thousands of people. When they televised it, they put the writers’ names on the TV. Seeing that was like, “what just happened?” Overall an amazing experience.
**How’s it feel to write for such big artists overseas?**
We wrote from a pretty honest place in general, no pun intended. The sky’s the limit. We wanted to write with as broad of an audience as we could, I’m really glad songs that we wrote were able to land with them. They felt the same way after we felt when we finished writing and recording the songs.
**3 things you need in the studio?**
Specifically cold brew, salted caramel flavored oat milk. \[laughs\] I drink Throat Coat Tea. I record in my closet, so I have my cup right there. Mainly drinks. Honestly those 2 things are all I need. What’s my go-to snack? We’ll say Cheez-Its because that’s what’s popping into my head right now.
**What flavor?**
White cheddar, so good.
**What would you be doing if you weren’t doing music?**
Growing up, I’d always paint. I love it as a form of expression. My friends and I did a full-size painting where we all took a portion and we painted our own piece, whatever we thought of. It was a gray, gold, black-and-white themed. Whatever you had in your mind, put it out there. So I’d be trying to find inspiration in painting and photography.
**What can we expect from the _Writer’s Block_ EP?**
The fact that I’m producing everything on my own is going to be something different than what I’ve put out in the past. “Higher” is a good template to take away from how the EP’s going to sound. Looking for guitar-driven, vocals, ad-libs, harmonies, having vocals and guitar really being the forefront of what this EP is going to be.
**How’s the independent grind?**
It’s pretty amazing. It’s definitely a lot of work, but totally rewarding. Literally before heading here, we had to set up our own photoshoot for another interview I’m doing, and even for the photos for this piece, we shot them ourselves. In terms of production, that’s where I spend the most time in general recently. I recommend to any artist seeing this: at least learn the basics of production. It’s a beautiful thing when I can take whatever I’m feeling, slide open my closet door, open up a Logic session, and lay it out. That’s the best advice I can give. I love that there’s no timeline, especially now. When you’re truly making your own thing, you can take as much time as you want and put all of you into it. As you do that more and more, you’ll be able to do it quicker and get records out that way. Practice makes perfect. Not in a traditional sense, but for yourself. For the individual artist.
**What are some goals for yourself?**
Learning more about production for myself and what sounds I gravitate to consistently. Right now, I’m all over the place figuring out “does this work? Does this work?” I’m still in that trial-and-error. Overall finding myself more in the artist sense, and what my go-to vibe will be all-around.
**Anything else you’d like to let us know?**
Get ready for the EP, _Writer’s Block_ coming 2021. I might surprise you somewhere along the road with maybe a record for someone else. It could be for me, but constantly making music.
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