Mary Chen/Merle Cooper
At just 23 years old, Toronto singer Dylan Sinclair has plenty of experience in the music industry and the success to match it. His debut project Proverb, released in 2020, received a nomination for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards Of 2021. Two years later, his second project No Longer In The Suburbs was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize. These two moments, along with others, helped to stamp Sinclair’s talents, which come alive more than ever on his official debut For The Boy In Me.
The 12-track project, complete without guest features, is an ode to being in love and in a stable relationship. “In a world where men are not encouraged to be vulnerable, this album For The Boy In Me disregards that, choosing to tell it like it is,” Sinclair said about the album in a press release. The feel-good spirit Sinclair exudes lives on records like “Lemon Trees,” a song made for driving with the windows down and soaking in a warm breeze. “Slo Mo” wades into intimate waters as Sinclair sings about passionate moments in the bedroom while “IMY” lands as a moving ballad about longing for a partner’s physical presence. Altogether, Sinclair uses For The Boy In Me to detail the beauty of the love and intimacy and the many ways it shows up in a solidified relationship.
Together with the release of For The Boy In Me, Uproxx spotlighted Sinclair for this week’s Uproxx Music 20 column. Scroll down to learn more about the Toronto native’s influences, inspirations, and aspirations.
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What is your earliest memory of music?
Worship music.
Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?
A lot of moments and a lot of people but primarily, Daniel Caesar.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
I’m always down to learn new instruments cause I pick them up fairly quickly but I put most of my time into the piano.
What was your first job?
Customer service rep at an RESP call center called Heritage RESP.
What is your most prized possession?
Probably my Acura ILX because right now I live outside the city and I don’t like transit.
What is your biggest fear?
Being broke and lame.
Who is on your R&B/rap/afrobeats Mt. Rushmore?
Right now I’ll say Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, Beyoncé & Alicia Keys, but that’s hard.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
Wake up. Have a smoothie. Work out. Eat some Filipino food for breakfast. Go to the beach with some friends. Get drunk. Have fresh fish tacos for lunch. Go home to shower. Go on a dinner date and see where the rest of my night leads.
What are your three most used emojis?
, , and .
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
I love Laila!
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
Noluvmar’s 20v1 series. Maybe I’ll find my wife there.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
Pharrell. His creativity is contagious and he’s always evolving.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
Filipinos are the sweetest people in the world.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
Playboi Carti’s “Flex” featuring Leven Kali. It’s just one of those. If you know, you know.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
I love London’s energy. I’m looking forward to performing in the Philippines and Australia.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
Ask me this in a few months. My favorite artists are my friends and they haven’t released music yet.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I have no idea. Around the time that I was getting into music more consistently, I was also getting into skateboarding so maybe I would’ve stuck with that.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
The past of course. Then I can do what I’ve done but better because of what I know now. The future belongs as a mystery.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Carve out your own lane.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
For it to be remembered in itself is lit enough to me. The “how” is up to the listeners.
For The Boy In Me is out now Five Stone Records Inc. Find out more information here.
