Close-up: frogi – Dylan

(written by frogi)

“‘Dylan’ took me about eight years to write. I don’t mean that in the literal sense where I was working on this one specific track for eight years, but I wrote song after song after song trying to put my feelings around this one particular thing in my life into words and never quite got there. Finally, I did get there.

‘Dylan’ is about a boyfriend I had when I was nineteen who passed away from a drug overdose. After eight years of grieving and feeling and learning and growing, this song feels like the closest I can get to encapsulating that relationship and my grief around it.

The song is conversational. I wrote it as if he was in the room with me. I tried to capture it from a perspective that would be honest and reflective, instead of overly heavy or overly positive. It feels real to me, and that’s what I’m always searching for – the stuff that feels the most real.

I produce everything myself, including this song. The chords came pretty quickly. I wanted something simple and soft but still emotionally charged. The background vocals are the heart of this song, in my opinion. I’m really big on vocal production, and using my voice as an instrument in my tracks. I painted a picture with sound, and tried to encapsulate that feeling of sadness and hope for my future. I wanted the vocals to sway in and out like waves crashing. The ocean was a big inspiration to me when it came to both the production and the song. The ocean has been one of my anchors during my grief and growth, and it provides such a profound metaphor for the ups and downs of life. 

I recorded a podcast style series on my instagram that goes further into depth about the story behind the song, and what Dylan and my relationship was like before he passed. This song means a lot to me, and I felt an immediate sense of calm after it was released (which is not how I usually feel, hah). I feel very proud of this song, and I think Dylan would be proud too.”

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The ‘Close-up’ series contains insight provided by artists about their work.