Dallin McKay is quickly making a name for himself as a talented singer-songwriter able to tackle multiple genres and sounds. Also an actor and a model, Dallin was recently seen in a starring role in Valerie’s Holiday.
We spoke to Dallin McKay about his new single, how music inspires him, what listeners can expect from his sound, and what he hopes to accomplish next.
Read on for our exclusive interview with Dallin McKay:
What would you say initially motivated you to pursue music? Was there anyone who influenced or inspired you?
I guess I’d have to say that my older sister Lycia was who got me really started with music. I asked her to teach me how to play the piano and she said she didn’t have time but that I should teach myself. Having someone tell me that I could just teach myself was probably one of the most important things I’ve ever learned.
What does your music playlist look like lately? Who are some of your favorite go-to musicians to listen to?
I’ve actually been listening to a lot of the people that are on the “Dallin McKay Radio” Spotify Playlist, because it’s all of the people that “Listeners Also Like”, so I’ve liked getting to know the kind of music that my fans like. A lot of them are actually good friends of mine, like Makayla Phillips, Evie Clair, Jonah Marais, Zach Herron, and even a band of siblings that live with me called Avintaquin.
You recently released your new single on May 1st. How would you describe your musical sound for those who haven’t heard your music yet?
One thing that I’ve loved doing is making sure that every song that I release is just slightly different in genre and feel. The song I just released on May 1st is actually one of my more upbeat songs and has a lot of Reggaetón influences in it. The next song that I’ll be releasing on June 12th has some Classic Rock influences in it. I’ve loved being able to experiment with all of these different genres that I already love and being able to put a piece of myself into each of them. I love that you can’t know what my music’s like by only listening to one song, it keeps things interesting.
Who would you most like to collaborate with, if you could pick anyone?
If I could pick anyone to collaborate with it would almost definitely be Shawn Mendes. I’ve already written a few songs that I think he’d sound great on. I also have a goal of writing a song in every major influential language, so I would love to collaborate with artists from other countries like Daichi Miura from Japan, Shaun from Korea, or my friend Lesha Liton from the Philippines.
You must be so busy also working as an actor and a model! How did you get into that profession?
I actually originally moved out here to LA because a lot of people had seen my potential for acting. After just a few months of being out here a producer from Texas cast me as the male lead of his Feature Film “Teenage Girl: Valerie’s Holiday”. One of my favorite things with acting since I’ve been out here is being able to act in music videos, and being able to meet some amazing artists. I’ve always loved being in front of a camera, for some reason I get a lot of energy any time I’m in front of a camera.
What do you love most about acting in addition to making music? Would you say you prefer one over the other?
I used to always think that I would choose acting over music because acting can last so much longer. There’s always a big role for anyone of any age and any look, whereas with music the potential for a fanbase keeps going down the older that you get after 40. But just the other day I realized something; if I made a career with music I could be completely fine without doing any acting and I’d still love it and be super content, but if I made a career with acting, all of my extra time and money would probably just go towards making more music, because I can’t live without it. So in the end I guess that music will always be more important to me than acting.
We have all had to spend a little more time at home lately. How have you been keeping busy during the pandemic?
During the quarantine I’ve been FaceTiming with all of my friends that are artists and I’ve been co-writing as many songs as possible. I’ve also been trying to learn some more songs in foreign languages.
What else are you working on? What can your fans look forward to from you next?
One of the next things I’m working on is getting some merch ready, and traveling more to actually get to meet my fans in person as soon as this quarantine is over.
Thank you so much to Dallin McKay for taking the time to answer some questions for us!
Keep up to date with Dallin McKay by following him on Twitter and Instagram.
Be sure to follow Dallin on social media to hear his latest music!
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