Interview with Soul Pop Artist Dylan Chambers

MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us. What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?

Dylan Chambers: Hey! Of course. Thanks so much for getting in touch.

I was born into a very musical household, so from an early age I was always doing something with it. My mom is a professional vocal coach and I started taking singing lessons from her when I was 4. What I would call the “big bang” of my musical life happened when I picked up a guitar at 13. That sent me down the songwriting path and helped me realize that I wanted to be a defined artist.

Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?

Dylan Chambers: Oh man. There have been so many. Off the top of my head, I would say anyone from the Motown/Stax roster as well as James Brown, The Beatles, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Eagles, Bee Gees, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Tower of Power, Nile Rogers, Sam Cooke, Al Green, The Beach Boys, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Maroon 5.

What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?

Dylan Chambers: I definitely want to take this thing as far as possible on all different fronts. People like Paul McCartney and Quincy Jones are big inspirations of mine. They’ve had success with their own music as well as with others. As I grow, I see myself producing and songwriting for other artists while simultaneously releasing and touring my own music. I’m doing that now to an extent but I’d like to be doing it even more.

What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?

Dylan Chambers: I’ve seen a lot of great concerts in my life so it’s hard to narrow down. I will say that I saw Silk Sonic during their residency in Vegas two years ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it. Between Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, I feel like the showmanship bar was set higher than high.

Your latest release is the single ‘High (When I’m Low)’ featuring Dave Koz and LunchMoney Lewis. How did this collaboration with them come together? What was it like making this track with them?

Dylan Chambers: This song sort of came about in three different parts.

I wrote the first full iteration of it during the pandemic with my childhood friend, Gregory “Aldae” Hein and longtime friend/collaborator, Stefan Lit. At first, I was the only artist on the track. Then, I reached out to Dave who I’ve known since 2015, and asked if he’d be into the idea of laying down a featured sax solo. Luckily for us, he loved the song and said “Yes!”

After sitting on the updated version with Dave for a bit, Greg suggested that we get LunchMoney Lewis to re-write and record a second verse. I didn’t know Lunch yet but have been a true fan since I first heard his 2016 single “Bills”, so I was all for it. Greg had worked with him before and had his number so he reached out and sent the song to him. I hadn’t heard anything about his involvement for months and then out of nowhere I got a text on my phone from Greg with the updated version of the song featuring Lunch. I listened over and over just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming and that LunchMoney Lewis was actually on this song with me. It was a wild full circle moment.

The disco soul sound of yours is a blast from the past with a modern twist. How did your sound develop? Any tricks to creating that classic kind of sound in today’s age?

Dylan Chambers: I’ve always been a lover of classic music from the 60s and 70s. A lot of it was very groove based and that type of feel has had a hold on me since I was a teenager. When I’m working on a song, I tend to picture myself in that era and think “Would my heroes like this? Would they approve?” Obviously there’s no way to know but if I convince myself that they would, it’s off to the races.

In terms of taking that sort of “classic” sound and shaping it to be more “modern”, find yourself a Stefan Litrownik! I owe a lot of credit to him. We both love and respect the same type of music which has been very important in our working relationship. He understands me as an artist and more importantly as a human. We were friends long before we started working together, which makes the creative process that much more fun and not so serious. Making music is a sacred process and requires a lot of trust. I trust him more than anyone I’ve ever worked with musically. He just gets it.

You’ve found a lot of success as an independent artist. What advice would you give to other indie artists to find similar success?

Dylan Chambers: Learn how to surf. I mean mentally. Being an artist can be a rough path. There are lots of waves that come at you in the form of challenges, criticism, financial struggle, imposter syndrome, etc. Everything starts in the mind, so if you don’t learn to control it or give yourself grace, it’ll overtake you and you’ll drown.

What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?

Dylan Chambers: I’ve been getting things ready for the release of my debut EP “For Your Listening Pleasure!” which is set to come out on May 17th. Besides that, I’ve got a lot more music I’m working on that seems to be taking the shape of a full-length album. We’ll see. On the co-producing/songwriting side, I’ve been working with Nashville based soul artist, Alex Lambert on his debut album which is coming out this year.

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