BY RISHA INAGANTI
Staff Reporter
BY TABITHA REEVES
Staff Reporter
For young up-and-coming artists, dreams can come true, and 23-year-old indie artist Dayglow is evidence of that. Now with over 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, it is hard to imagine that he started as teenaged Sloan Struble, making music in his bedroom. At sixteen, he adopted the name ‘Dayglow’ from a favorite song of his, “Day Glo” by Brazos, and has been growing in popularity ever since.
“Being ‘Dayglow’ was my first serious project where I was like, ‘I’m gonna release my music,’ you know, but I was still in my room,” he said.
Seven years later, Dayglow is no longer just a kid from Texas. He has released two albums with a new one on the way.
While creating new music, he made time to perform at Firefly Music Festival on Sept. 23. Dressed in an almost-completely thrifted outfit and his red Nike Blazers seen in the “Hot Rod” music video, he performed 45 minutes of feel-good songs that the crowd went crazy for.
When not touring, he lives a life of routine and mindfulness.
“I love routine,” Dayglow said. “So, I like to wake up generally around the same time: 8 or 8:30. I make breakfast, take my vitamins and drink some coffee.”
When asked what his favorite breakfast food is, Dayglow expressed his love for fried eggs.
“I usually eat like two fried eggs,” Dayglow said. “I actually found out that that’s what Albert Einstein ate every morning. I was like, ‘You can’t go wrong with that.’ So I eat the same breakfast as Albert Einstein in hopes of becoming a genius.”
After breakfast, work usually begins. While he has a clear appreciation for fashion and thrifting, he often finds himself in a simple outfit on days spent in the house.
“When I’m home, I just wear the same shorts and t-shirt for like two weeks,” Dayglow said. “That’s not good. I need to start like getting dressed or something. That’s a part of my routine I need to work on.”
With a third album coming out Oct. 7, most of Dayglow’s schedule recently has consisted of making music in the comfort of his home. He also explained that he is constantly creating new music, in addition to the album itself.
“Who knows when I’ll put it all out?” Dayglow said. “I write [music] all the time. It’s kind of like a curse. Lately, I’ve been trying to do something else but I can’t help it.”
Dayglow likes to listen to his upcoming album while he works, so it is a sure bet that he approves it. However, when not producing or writing new tunes, Dayglow spends his free time the way most of us do.
“I love playing with Benny, my dog,” he said. “I love to like spend time outside going for walks or eating good food. I don’t have any TV shows that I watch or anything, but I watch a lot of YouTube.”
He also expressed an appreciation for podcasts, specifically nutrition podcasts. His go-to podcast lately has been “Realfoodology,” which he discovered through pop singer, Tove Lo.
Dayglow ends his day by relaxing as much as possible, revealing that low stimuli activities are important to him.
“I try to get off my phone around 9:30 or 10,” Dayglow said. “Like, get it away. And then if I have the focus, I’ll try to read something. I’ll just slow down before bed.”
While life on the road during touring seasons can be hectic, days spent at home for Dayglow seem to be something he cherishes. No matter how busy a tour or an event can be, at Firefly, Dayglow proved that he always puts his best foot forward on-stage, bringing energy to everyone – both Dayglow groupies and newfound fans.
When asked if he would be willing to do a show for the university sometime, Dayglow responded with genuine enthusiasm.
“Be willing?” he asked. “Absolutely. Yeah. No, I love doing college shows.”
