Dylan Conrique has released an emotional new single, “Birthday Cake.”

Despite the euphoria and joy often associated with “Birthday Cake,” Dylan Conrique’s single goes far beyond the surface-level emotions of an annual celebration. Guided by a sombre piano keyboard that gently tugs at your heartstrings, “Birthday Cake” is a mournful single that functions as a love letter to a friend in mourning. It’s clear that the song is a soulful tribute to Dylan’s best friend, with the tangible empathy that pours out of her angelic voice. Dylan lost his mother to cervical cancer when he was only 12 years old.

During the triumphant chorus, Dylan laments all the things he thinks his friend’s mother would have said to her if she were still alive — telling her to “live like a world on fire” and “break my heart.” Bolstered by uplifting synths and Dylan’s artful storytelling, this track becomes the sonic equivalent of a hug. Despite its poignant perspective, the track lifts listeners, leaving room for sadness while navigating an optimistic narrative.

To celebrate the success since the release of “Birthday Cake,” and ahead of the drop of her new single “I miss you (skin to skin),” we sat down with Dylan for an evening’s Zoom to see what Dylan has been up to so far. We discussed careers, her experiences. Moved to LA, her dream collaborator.

To read the full interview and stream “Birthday Cake” and her new single “I miss you (skin to skin)” now, see below…

Hi Dylan, how are you?
i’m good. i’m good. What about you?

I’m fine, thanks! We wanted to start by getting to know you a little better. One interesting fact I didn’t find in the press release.
Perhaps I grew up on a farm. I don’t know when I tell people it looks so amazing. But yeah, I grew up on ten acres with horses, pigs, cats and dogs, and my family is from the area.

Oh wow. Is It was fun?
live life? I really did. I certainly thought it was normal. Because when I moved to LA, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment as soon as I came here. I didn’t have a 10 acre backyard for him, so I didn’t have an ATV to ride. So I want to go home and experience it again.

Did you grow up in Loomis, California?
yes.

Do you think being in the suburbs affected your sound?
I think so mainly because I didn’t grow up listening to a completely different type of music than I do now. I grew up listening to country music. Country music is very storytelling. And I think it has benefited my writing process and the way I write, but when I get home I think the experience I have to go through has benefited me in a good way.

And you moved to LA. What was that experience like? Was it a bit of a culture shock?
Oh no. Mainly because I live in a town of 6,000 people and it takes him an hour to come to LA and go 11 miles away. That’s not the case at all. There were back roads and no street lights. Our small town had streetlights, but the back streets didn’t.In LA, everything is lit.I think LA has some very gorgeous spots, but nature makes me want to go home. I miss you.

Where do you think you get most of your inspiration when it comes to creativity? Do you think it’s in LA? Or locally?
I just started writing music after moving to LA, so I definitely think LA is the source of my music. But thanks to the experiences I’ve had growing up, I believe I’m incorporating them into my music.

And who do you think has been your biggest influence and inspiration in your music?
Yeah, I was a huge Taylor Swift fan when I was really young. He was also a huge fan of Justin Bieber, who was pop and T-Swift was country. He also often mentions that his country band Rascal learned how to make riffs from the Flatts. They definitely taught me how to sing how to really identify my voice.

that’s so cool. If you had to say one word, how would you describe your sound?
that is difficult. Mainly because my new song “Birthday Cake” really made me realize that music can have a huge impact. And that’s what I want to go further.

They released their debut EP ‘Baby Blue’ during lockdown. Writing it, what was the process like?
So I wrote “Baby Blue” before COVID started. And it was one of the first songs I wrote when I started songwriting, and it came to mind easily. After that, “Wasted Making”, “Not So Secretly”, and “Homesick” were easily gathered. And of course, COVID hit and it took a while to shoot the music video, but I think it’s definitely an achievement.

I don’t think there are many people who can say they did that during lockdown. Congratulations! Also, how was it received? What did your friends and family think?
You know, I’ve been let down by a lot of people in the music industry. I was a very young girl and I only liked singing, so when someone said to me, ‘Oh, we’re going to make you a star,’ I immediately said yes. At the age of 14, he signed with his own label. From there it became a supportive place and they let me do what I wanted to do. They guided me and helped me with everything. I am very grateful for such a support system. The music industry was very tough at first, but I had a really good team supporting me.

And you released “Birthday Cake,” which feels very personal and intimate. I almost burst into tears! So what inspired you to take a more personal direction with that track?
Before I wrote “Birthday Cake,” I came into writer’s block for a bit. About two years ago, I was writing songs every day. And I was writing about my experience because that was the only way I could actually finish the song. One day I walked into the studio and felt like I didn’t want to write a song about myself. I wanted to write a really challenging song about someone, for someone. And when I was talking about my life story, it clicked right away. We completed it in one day with him. But I originally wrote it just for her. I just wrote it for my best friend. It was so specific to her story that I didn’t want it out. It was a challenge for me, but I made it. And I wanted her to have something to rely on when I wasn’t there.

did she like it?
was fun. That day she showed her a demo and she loved it. And she was immediately like, “When are you going to put this out?” And I was like, oh no, I wasn’t going to put this out.

What do you hope other people who aren’t in your social circle can take away from your truck?
I don’t know how many other people have gone through this when I put this song out. I never really thought about it. My mother lost her mother when I was one year old. But I’ve never really experienced it in my life enough to understand that feeling. And it was really heartbreaking to see the number of people associated with this song. But also, hearing that the song brought them peace and impacted them, people took the song positively, knowing that the person they had lost was watching over them and wishing only for the best for them. I hope you will..

And I heard that you will be releasing an EP this summer. I don’t need to tell you everything, but is there anything I can expect? Any tips?
What do all teenagers experience?

Do you have any near future goals in your music career?
I want to be able to release a lot of songs and do mini intimate tours with them and grow from there so that I can really connect with people. But yeah, I want to hit the road. That’s ideal.

Who would you like to travel with? Who is your dream collaborator/guest?
Hmm. It is difficult. When she was little, she grew up wanting to sing with Rascal Flatts, so I want them to come on stage. that would be great.