Sophomore Dylan Johnston performs one ofhis original songs after the Glow Run in Bison Park Oct. 19, 2019. Johnston's music is inspired by his life experiences. I photo by Madison Meyer There were many creative outlets for college students, and for sophomore broadcast journalist major Dylan Johnston, it was Christian rap. For about three years, Johnston wrote, released and performed his own music under the name "TheRealDyl." Once Johnston received a beat from a producer, he started writing. He released two albums by fall 2019. Johnston's inspiration for his music came from artists he listened to and his life experiences. Because a surplus of artists made it challenging for Johnston to gain attention, he promoted his work to his followers on Instagram and used promotional ads. At times, Johnston faced backlash from others because of his music. "For Christian rap, people don't really give it a opportunity as much," Johnston said. "When people hear it, they think of 2010 Christian rap when there were only a few Christian rappers. It has evolved now where it's a lot different." Johnston had the chance to perform live multiple times. In 2019, he performed at a church's Easter services. It was the largest gig he had booked to that point, with a total of 5,000 people in attendance. Johnston worked on building his own team for the creative process. He collaborated with a beat producer, studio manager and graphic 162 sophomores designer for his merchandise. Sophomore Hallie Beck helped Johnston promote his merchandise. "In July, [Dylan] messaged me on Snapchat and said he had new merch that just dropped," Beck said. "He wanted to see if I would promote it since I keep up with my Instagram and have good content. So, he sent me a free T-shirt in the mail, and I got one of my friends to take pictures of me wearing it. He posted them on Instagram and Facebook, and I put them on my Instagram story." Johnston featured other artists in some of his songs as well. Christian singer Donell Taggart worked with him on his previous album. "I love Dylan's heart and his story," Taggart said. "I think the things he has been through is what makes him the artist he is today and gives him the passion to work harder e eryday." Johnston said he was unsure of what the future held for his music career but was excited to see where it took him. "I'm majoring in broadcast journalism for security, but with music, I guess it just depends on the next five years and where it takes me," Johnston said. "A lot of people don't realize it takes a long time for you to get where you want to be. You could put in 10 years of hard work before you make it. I'm going to keep doing it ... and see where it goes." story by Grace Baker
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==