Dreamkid

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Dreamkid
Also known asRyan Morris
Born (1983-01-14) January 14, 1983 (age 41)
Durban, South Africa
OriginLondon, United Kingdom
GenresSynthwave
Years active2020-present
Member ofNew Volume
Websitewww.dreamkid83.com

Dreamkid (real name Ryan Morris) is a synthwave artist originally from Durban, South Africa[1] that is now based in London in the United Kingdom.[2] After finding viral success on TikTok with his '80s-inspired covers of popular songs and original POV compositions, he released his self-titled debut album in 2022 and his eagerly awaited follow-up Daggers in 2024.

History

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Early life (1983)

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Ryan spent his childhood in South Africa, where he spent his formative years skateboarding, surfing, playing the guitar, and listening to Blink-182.[3]

Relocation to the UK and New Volume (2005)

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Ryan relocated to the UK in 2005 and founded the South African pop punk band New Volume.[3] In 2015, New Volume was signed to Sumerian Records.[4][3]

Discovery of NewRetroWave (2015)

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In 2015, Ryan stumbled upon the YouTube channel called New Retro Wave. He credited this discovery with his decision to go into making synthwave.[3]

Internet Success and Solo Career

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Dubbed the first synthwave artist to go viral on TikTok and Instagram[5], Dreamkid's 1980s-inspired soundscapes and POV scenarios had garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

With the 2020 lockdown forcing the majority of people to stay indoors, Ryan was faced with a unique problem in that he now had an abundance of time at his disposal.[3] In January 2023, it was noted that his number of followers ballooned from 1 000 followers to over 110 000 followers in a matter of months.[6]

Dreamkid (2022)

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Dreamkid's lead single for his debut album Hearts Don't Beat The Same When They're Hurting was released in September 2021.[1] The album itself was released in May 2022 and had a notable bubblegum pop influence while also keeping the sounds varied and pacey.[7]

Daggers (2024)

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In May 2023, a music video was released for the single Street Lights.[8] Another single, Take Me On Tonight, was released in September 2023, with Metro Station's Mason Musso featuring on vocals.[9] Daggers was released on 31 May 2024.[5]

Filmography

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Dreamkid provided additional music for The Invisible Raptor and Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World. His song Chrissy was featured in the end credits of the independent horror film Terrifier 3.

Musical Style & Influences

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While he has his roots in punk rock[3], Ryan has described Dreamkid's sound as #blinkwave and he is known for his synth-heavy compositions that evoke nostalgia. Texx and the City described his music as a "refreshingly emo take on synthwave" with a high level of production quality.[1][7]

  1. ^ a b c "Dreamkid's debut single "Hearts Don't Beat The Same When They're Hurting" is a refreshingly emo take on synthwave". 7 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Hand Picked". Qrates.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Dreamkid - 'Fatal Attraction'". 18 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Sumerian Records Sign New Volume". Theprp.com. 3 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Viral music artist Dreamkid announces sophomore album 'Daggers'". Music-News.com.
  6. ^ "#BizTrends2023: Authentic content skyrockets while language barriers crumble". Bizcommunity.
  7. ^ a b "Take a trip back to the '80s in Dreamkid's dynamic synthwave self-titled album". 23 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Dreamkid delivers "Street Lights", a synthwave bop that throws it back in more ways than one". 5 May 2023.
  9. ^ https://www.thelowdown.online/post/dreamkid-masonmusso-takemeontonight