I recently sat down with the fabulous Dylan, this week’s campus celeb, to talk about her experience singing the National anthem at the Boston Celtics game. Not only is that an amazing accomplishment, but it is one she has achieved, THREE times! Once in a group and twice solo. When she isn’t sharing her wickedly awesome talent with the rest of us mere mortals, she majors in Psychology and plans to own her practice in the future.
Name: Dylan Rose Santos
Age: 20
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, California
Status: In a relationship
What are your hobbies?
I think my number one is singing. I love to sing. I’m in the Suffolk Ramifications acapella group.
You got to sing the national anthem at a Celtics Game. What was that like?
Oh my gosh, it was crazy! I decided to audition at the last minute. When they announced my name, at first I was like “That’s so cool I won!” And then it sunk in and I started to freak out a little bit. I was thinking “oh my goodness, I won. I’m going to perform in front of 17,000 people. What am I gonna do?”
Is that the biggest crowd of people you’ve performed for?
Oh for sure. Prior to that, I had performed for a few hundred people but 17,000 was the biggest for sure. It was great though. I have family throughout the East Coast and everyone came to see me. It was a lot of fun. That was my first time being able to try it out with so many people and I was really nervous. I think I did decently, but I wish I could have done a little better. Luckily, I got to sing at the Celtics game again a couple of weeks ago and that was a lot better! I knew what I was getting myself into so I could focus on doing it well.
How did singing happen for you?
I’ve been singing since I was a baby. We have tapes of me singing. I would put on shows for my family and the neighborhood kids in my living room. I grew up with music. My whole family is musical. My brother is an actor, he was on Broadway for a little while. Both my parents work in Show biz: my mom has been a performer and my dad plays guitar, piano, and sings. Music was always around me. It has always been my passion. We would sing in the car during roadtrip when I was little and I was in the choir in throughout school.
What was your first big performance?
I’d have to say the Celtics stood out for me the most, but I did a lot of musicals and stuff like that in High school. If I had to think back to the earliest performance I remember, it’d probably be my role as Annie in the musical Annie. That was in the 5th grade. I loved it because I got to play the lead role and do all the solos! Yes, that’s the first I remember.
Are you interested in any other art forms apart from music?
I am the worst actor you’ll ever meet. I learned that in the 8th grade and never acted again, but I love to doodle. I love to paint and write. Other than music, my biggest emotional release is being able to write my thoughts.
Who is your favorite artist of all time?
Ooh! It’s gonna sound corny, but my teen heartthrob was the Jonas Brothers. I’ll forever have love for them. Other than that, I’m a huge Beatles fan but I don’t know that I could pick just one.
Tell me a list of artists you adore
Judy Garland, I’ve always been a fan of her voice. The Wizard of OZ is my favorite movie because of that. Nick Jonas, well he’s got some talent. I also love Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. I like oldies, newbies, classics, alternative, rock. I don’t know, just whatever song is good.
If you could go back to any Musical Era, what would it be?
The 20’s. I absolutely love 20’s music
What’s your process before you go on stage?
I do warm-ups and breathing and I do a lot of mindful meditation. I think about the worst that could happen and then I calm myself down. My mom calls me a diva because I don’t like people talking to me too much before a show because I like to focus. She never likes to be backstage because I keep telling her to be quiet when she tries to be her typical stage mom self!
Would you want to have a music career?
When I was younger, I thought I wanted to be a pop star. Now I’m a little more realistic and I know I want to do something to help people so Psychology does that for me. I’m pleased with what I’m doing and I get to help people. I know music is always gonna be there, but I don’t want to pursue it as a career path.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to pursue a music career?
Persistence. That’s the most important thing. I have a lot of friends that are into music now and that’s what I tell them. For every one person that believes you, there are going to be 500 hundred people that say no. To really become successful you have to say “you don’t like my music, its ok I’ll find someone who does”. Those are the people that end up being successful. Persistence and goals.