Dan D’Lion has gone from strength to strength, with his performance at Reading Festival this summer marking a “full circle” moment for him.
Fresh from the release of his latest single, Knock Knock, Dan says making music is about the crowd enjoying themselves.
“There’s a real… there’s a moment, probably about five or 10 minutes before I go on anywhere, that I have this lack of energy, just focusing.
“Some people like to jump about and hang out, but I like to be on my own for a bit just to kind of focus mentally on what I need to do.
“And that is making sure that everyone’s having a good time, and I feel like if I can have a good time and encourage other people to have a good time, that’s all that matters to me.”
This duality of both performer and audience enjoyment is partly fostered by his experiences attending Reading Festival
“It was the first festival I think I ever went to, so it was a real experience, surrounded by all my best friends having just finished school.
“I’ve got so many great memories and certain scenes, so many great bands, and artists playing and so I remember being at some of those stages and thinking ‘right I want some of this at some point.’
“So it was nice to come back and actually have that full circle moment.”
It doesn’t mean he wasn’t somewhat anxious about the turnout for his performance.
“You never really know what these things turn into at a festival – there’s so many different artists and people want to go and see so many different things, so it’s hard to judge how many people are going to join.”
His performance at the BBC Introducing stage earlier in the year, however, was well-attended.
“We had a great crowd– it was a good atmosphere, especially being on at the same time as some of the headline acts.
“I think the people that were there were just in a great spirit– it felt like a real moment for me.”
During his set, he brought on singer/songwriter Griff for a collaborative performance, which he said was one of his stand-out moments of the year.
“We did a remix that I’d done of hers last year– that was a real special thing, because it’s so difficult for these festivals.
“Even if you’re playing on the same day, everyone’s schedules are in a different place, but she made the time and we hadn’t even rehearsed that song with the band.
“I’d never played it live, and I don’t think she ever played it live either.”
For Dan, performance is a “freeing” experience.
“I think it’s the most expressive I can be, playing this music that I’ve been working on for a while with other musicians and bringing it to life.
“For me, that’s just the best part of what I do.”
Though he originally hails from Twyford, he now lives in London, which forms a huge influence on his writing.
“There’s so many people and so much energy around here, but I also take things from movies that I watch, the books I read– everything is inspirational.
“I might even be walking down the street and I stand on a drain and I’ll have a good idea from that.”
As well as his lyrical influences, Dan says he has a broad range of stylistic influences from a range of genres, including from his father, who was a jazz musician.
“I’ve been brought up on so many different things, like my dad showed me a real sort of understanding of jazz music, and my mum was from a more traditional kind of rock’n’roll background.
“So I had that kind of clash, plus I listened to a lot of hip hop, and that’s why I try and make something that is so unexpected.
“I try and be as fresh and unique as possible, because it’s taking things from that– not copying them–just using them to make my own recipe.”
He says also that it’s important to be aware of your influences and the context of your art.
“I think it’s good to have an understanding of where certain things have come from and how have you been influenced, and the culture around specific genres.
“But in a way, as an artist, I feel like I’m here to push boundaries, too.”
Knock Knock is now streaming on all platforms, and Dan D’Lion is set to perform at The Lower Third, London, on Tuesday, October 25.
