Dylan Allura: The Story of a Musician with a Creative Spunk in Political Science

March 2020 was the beginning of a plethora of changes in each and every single breathing being on this planet. Let’s face it, COVID-19 changed a lot in many, mainly, for the better. Musical Artist, Dylan Allura, had no option but to be inspired and innovative throughout this period of time. 

“I felt so many emotions of uncertainty but also frustration at the same time,” said Allura. “As a way of combating it, I had to set aside time to write everyday so I didn’t go crazy.”

Allura began her quest as a musical artist as a little girl, as she always liked singing, dancing, and playing instruments. Although she was in bliss doing all of the above, Allura always tried to suppress it because she thought being a musician wasn’t good enough in society.

“As I got older, I started blocking that out and decided to continue pursuing music, even though I had little support and not many people believed in me,” she said. “I always say I’m an artist because I have no option but to be one...there’s nothing else in this life for me!”

Allura used to play shows around London with a band she was in when she was a teenager. The first ever show she performed with the band took place in Camden, London. Even though she and her band members were only kids and were nerve-wrecked prior to performing, they were ecstatic even if there were only five spectators for their performance. Overall, Allura and the band performed all over the place in London.

Many also wonder where Allura’s music inspiration arrives from. In her eyes, bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers inspired her to start performing live, however, music icons like Michael Jackson, Sade, and Mariah Carey really inspired her to sing everyday and really delve into songwriting that resonates with people. 

“If I had to give my music’s genre a label, I’d say it's alternative/experimental R&B,” said Allura. “I’m always bringing sounds from all over the place into my music and ended up in this genre because I think it suits my voice and the stories I’m trying to tell best.”

Although Allura is inspired and does well for herself as a musicianshe believes the music industry is one of the strangest industries out there, as crazy things are always going on inside. Being comfortable with how the music industry works has taken time for Allura to comprehend, which she’s still getting to grips with.

“It can seem virtually impossible to stand out and motivate myself to continue in the face of adversity, since it is an everyday skill I’m still working on,” she mentioned.

While she always had a love for music, Allura was always pretty academic growing up. She came to a point in her life that she thought that she’d end up becoming a lawyer or working in International Relations since she studied Political Science in London at Queen Mary. Allura believes studying political science really opened up her mind to how a lot of things are run in the world and the subject is more varied than people think. That open mindedness she developed whilst studying led her to become the person she is today, although it's made her more cynical and a little more pessimistic on her outlook of the world, she likes to divert that energy into the art she creates.

“I constantly had to deal with a dichotomy in my head, to pursue a more academic career and be valued by society, make money, and settle with security, or pursue music and make no money at the start, put myself up for constant scrutiny, and be looked down by everyone I know,” said Allura. “I chose the music because I hate being bored. The world loves art, but I don’t think they love artists.”

Music is all in Allura’s heart and soul, but she does have hobbies outside of it, and that’s either reading or doing something crazy with her friends. She usually likes reading non-fiction books and loves learning about new things that she can implement into her everyday life or just finding out more about how the world works.

“I also love Stephen King, my favourite book of his is Misery,” said Allura.

As for her time with her friends, Allura loves visiting new places in London with them because there are so many things to discover. They also like trying out new food places or checking out different bars around Shoreditch. 

“My favourite place to chill out for the whole day is probably Soho House on Greek Street,” stated Allura.

Now that this pandemic is coming to an end, Allura would love to perform in Camden, which is the place  she grew up in and has one of the best music scenes in London. KOKO, a concert venue and former theatre in Camden Town, would probably be her favourite place to perform, as well as Venice Beach in Los Angeles. 

“I love being by the sea and Venice Beach reminds me a lot of Camden,” she expressed. “It’s edgy, colourful, and there’s always something going on. The last time I was on Venice Beach, I joined in on a drum circle and the whole place radiates creativity. L.A has much more of a slower and chilled out vibe compared to London, which I appreciate.”

Check out Allura’s new single Lovers Fool on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud and other digital music platforms. To add on, see what she’s up to on Instagram and Twitter and Youtube.