Dylan

DYLAN, the stage identity of British vocalist and composer Natasha Woods, is a striking and energetic performer who discarded the introspective electronic textures of her opening EPs in pursuit of a direct, guitar-led style that delivered her Island Records breakthrough in 2022.

Born in the Suffolk hamlet of Bures in 1999, Woods absorbed the sounds of AC/DC and Guns N' Roses through her father’s influence. At ten she began teaching herself piano and guitar after repeated family visits to the nearby Latitude Festival. Following secondary school but before her A-level examinations, she sent early compositions to producer Will Hicks, whose prior credits included work with Ed Sheeran and Jamie Lawson. Hicks responded favorably and, together with Grumpy Old Management—the agency representing Sheeran—supported the October 2019 AWAL Records release of her debut EP, Purple. The project invited comparisons to Lorde’s candid and atmospheric pop and contained the track “Sour Milk,” which earned rotation on BBC Radio 1. Woods chose DYLAN as her professional name, the label her parents had reserved had she been born male.

The Red EP surfaced in May 2020, closing the opening chapter of her recording career. Once pandemic restrictions eased across the United Kingdom, she resurfaced in April 2022 with the brisk, assured No Romeo EP. Prompted by a difficult romantic dissolution, the set featured “You’re Not Harry Styles,” which became one of her most widely streamed recordings. Its reception confirmed a previously discussed agreement with Island Records, while arena support dates for Sheeran, Bastille, and Tate McRae across Europe raised her profile further. July brought a return to Latitude Festival plus appearances at Reading and Leeds, where she promoted singles including “Girl of Your Dreams” and “Nothing Lasts Forever.”

Marketed as a mixtape, The Greatest Thing I’ll Never Learn arrived in October and included both of those tracks alongside the mid-tempo, anthemic single “Blue.” The same month launched a run of sold-out U.K. headline shows that preceded her first world tour.