Winner Of the “Australian Idol” reality television singing series in 2024, Dylan Wright, believes that the key to success in the music industry is not resting on your laurels.

Dylan is a musical balladeer with more than a touch of Ed Sheeran about him who is bringing his one-man show to the Crossroads Bar at 80 Macquarie Street on Friday, May 22.

Dylan grew up in in southern suburban Sydney, but knew he wanted to be a performer from a young age after being inspired by one of rock’n’roll’s greats!

“It was always going to be music, from when I was five and I saw a statue of Elvis. It just grabbed me,” Dylan revealed.

“I’ve been performing since I was 12. I grew up busking and doing weddings and other events like that,” he added.

Recently releasing an EP of his works with a number of singles, he is a performer immersed in the industry.

“Oh yeah, I’ve got three projects going at the moment, including a tour of Europe, I also perform with a band, but will be doing this tour solo.

“I actually don’t mind performing alone, it gives you a little more freedom of what songs to do and how you preform them, you can be a bit more free-wheeling,” Dylan explained.

For fans of his body of work, he is also releasing his third single – “Escape To The Other Side” – on the day of the Dubbo performance, and will offer local listeners a sneak-peak of the song.

“I will definitely be playing it on the night, it’s one of my favourites off the new album.”

He said that, while competitions like Australian Idol are a great way to get a start in earning a high profile in the industry, they are only the beginning.

“Definitely, but you also have to be realistic; you’ve got to be prepared to work really hard,” Dylan believes.

“The perception of the public may be that, winning a competition like that is the pinnacle, but you’ve got to push hard to go further.”

The title track to his album, Crooked Road, explores in a very Ed Sheeran type of way, a time when he viewed his own journey as at a crossroads, as it were.

“Yeah, there was a lot going on, it was a fork in the road for me.

“I’d say it’s a mix of country, pop, singer/songwriter, a bit more folksy, a bit Joe Cocker,” he added.

Talking about a fork in the road, his next tour after his current jaunt through NSW, Queensland, the ACT, and Victoria, is to one of the world’s very definite “hot spots”!

“I’m actually gong to Ukraine, believe it or not, to perform at both Kyiv and Lviv in July,” Dylan confessed.

“I know, I know, but hopefully things will have settled down by then, and my music may help lift people’s spirits,” he concluded.