Dylan Bernard first garnered attention when he released his EP “Sparks”. It was released in March 2017 and the four-song EP was featured on many of the top teen outlets, and was well received by Apple Music, who added two of the tracks to their “Breaking Pop Playlist,” and their “Best of the Week Playlist.” This propelled Dylan to be listed as an “On the Rise” artist in Tiger Beat Magazine, as well as earning him a “Crush Alert” feature in Popstar! Magazine.
His new song “Forever For Now” is a beautiful sequel to his EP. The lyrical genius of the team involved in creating the song is clearly evident from the title. To the listeners who will be exploring Bernard’s track, the narrative will be a huge surprise.
Written in collaboration with Will Jay, the song explores the struggles and pressures of dealing with relationships while navigating adulthood and a career in the entertainment industry. It showcases a new sound for the young singer-songwriter as well.
Please tell us about your musical journey and how has it been so far.
My musical journey started when I was just a kid. My mom introduced me to music by putting me in a church choir and I fell in love with it at a young age. She passed away when I was 7, and ever since then I knew that I wanted to pursue music in her honor. It’s been quite a journey. Music was always my passion and I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life, but coming from a small town in NJ, it was always seen as an unrealistic, or unattainable goal. It’s been a rollercoaster but through the ups and downs, music was always there for me. Finally being able to see all of the hard work pay off is amazing and I am so grateful for all of the support.
What has been the highlight of your journey so far?
There’s been a few honestly! Releasing my debut EP and celebrating in the Hollywood Hills was definitely a surreal experience. That EP really changed a lot for me personally and helped me see myself as an artist. Recently though, I heard my song air on Radio Disney for the first time, and just hearing my name and song announced on a station that I always listened to growing up was such a surreal experience.
We read that you try to bring together all your favourite sounds in your music. How do you see the evolution of your sound over the years?
It’s funny because when I first started working on original music, I always called myself a “singer/songwriter” but I was never really confident in my songwriting. I think now, after writing over and over again, and even writing for other artists, I’ve grown to find my strengths and weaknesses as a songwriter and am able to really put out music that is true to who I am. As far as the sound goes, I think when I started I felt like I had to sound like a certain artist to fit in, but this time around, I just want to play with sounds in a new way, and do things that I would personally listen to.
Your new song “Forever for Now” is musically quite catchy. One listen made us want for more. Please tell us about the single.
Thank you! “Forever for Now” was written by myself and Will Jay and produced by Keaton Stromberg. When we got in the studio to produce out the track and record the vocals, Keaton really made this a collaborative effort to craft a sound that fit what I heard. We wanted to make something that had some movement in it, and then when the bridge came around, we wanted to experiment with sounds and make something a little different.
Lyrically, the title is quite opposite to the narrative being told through the song. This song has been written in collaboration with Will Jay. So, how did you guys conceptualise the narrative and how did the collaboration come about?
Will is a good friend of mine and we write together a lot. The song comes from a very true place, and so I called him and said, “Hey this is what I’m feeling right now, let’s write a song about it.” He came over and we wrote the song in like 30min. It doesn’t always happen like that but with this song, in particular, we knocked it out pretty quickly.
Be it “Sparks” or “Forever for Now” the lyrics put forth the struggling aspect of a relationship. While the theme is repeated across different sings, the manner of treatment is different for each single. Please tell us a bit about your songwriting and creative process.
I like to just write about what I’m feeling honestly! My Sparks EP was actually written about one relationship and it tells the story of start to finish in order; “Gasoline,” “Sparks,” “Flames,” and “Burn.” Each song is about a different stage of the relationship that ultimately ends with “Burn.” I like to journal every day as well. It lets me go back and pick up on emotions that I was feeling, and turn them into songs. I’ll usually write to guitar or piano and then have the songs produced out, but I’ll also occasionally write to tracks to pitch for other artists.
Do you plan to release the music video for the single?
Yes! I am filming the music video and plan on releasing it within the next month or so. I’m really excited about the concept and I think it’s going to be pretty cool!
Today, artists are trying to share personal stories that people can relate to. How do you think that musical landscape has changed in terms of songwriting and audience reception?
I think with social media, artists are just required to be more authentic and genuine. It’s a lot more difficult to connect with an audience if the song doesn’t come from you because listeners can recognize that now. If you aren’t being real, it is definitely going to translate through your social media. It’s awesome because it allows for some really authentic music to shine through.
Would you like to share with us your future projects or endeavours?
The music video for “Forever for Now” will be coming soon, and after that, I’m looking forward to releasing more music and just continuing on this journey. I’m also going to continue writing and pitching for other artists. I’ve had a couple placements so far and I’m excited to explore that world even more.
What do you think about the single? Share your thoughts via tweet @CelebMix.