D.K. Lyons talks Live Performances, Chappell Roan, and Latest EP “Darling Kiss Louder”

Indie singer-songwriter, D.K Lyons released his latest EP, Darling Kiss Louder, in August of this year. The EP marks his fifth full length project since his debut in 2018 and showcases his growth as an artist and his ability to create something that resonates deeply with anyone who listens to it.

Group Chat Mag was lucky enough to have an opportunity to sit down with D.K. Lyons and talk about live performances, the creative process, and Darling Kiss Louder.

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GCM: You made a fake advertisement for your song “loveseeking” and plan on releasing a new fake product for each new single. How did you come up with that idea?

DK Lyons: I’ve worked in the advertising space my entire career at this point and I’ve seen a lot of crazy requests from clients. You wouldn’t believe what goes on behind the scenes of creating ad spots for these brands. So as part of this new role out where my content is kind of questioning consumerism in general right now and the chokehold it has on people, I wanted to do something kind of cheeky to poke at that. I came up with the idea of creating a fake product for every song and then drafting a script for an SNL style skit that my friends and I are making for each of the songs.

GCM: What was it like actually creating these fake ads, both coming up with each one and actually filming them?

DK Lyons: The initial idea really came together just one afternoon while browsing YouTube and going through all sorts of classic SNL skits. There’s the subtle dating app one that is kind of like the groundwork for the “loveseeking” ad. It was really taking a lot of nods from SNL and thinking about the context of each song and what the core question I’m asking in that song is and how that directly ties to potential fake products. So far, we’ve made the first couple of videos and I’ve just been really blessed to have such a great group of creative friends that I get to make content with here in New York City. It’s really a combination of people I have around me who are not turned off by my weird ideas and actually get excited about them.

GCM: For the “loveseeking” MV, you chose to do a video inspired by Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova”. What made you pick that specific song/video to use as inspiration?

DK Lyons: I’ve always made music videos for my songs and going into this EP cycle, I wanted to try something different where I didn’t necessarily have to come up with all new concepts for each song and I wanted to really pay homage to the amazing year that women had in music in 2024 that has continued into 2025. For the seven songs on the EP, I set my sights on seven of the most prominent artists that spanned different genres and walks of life and tried to see if there was a natural fit between one of their music videos and songs and one of mine, “loveseeking”, was an absolute no brainer, just because I'm such a huge Chappell Roan fan. “Red Wine Supernova” is the song that made me fall in love with her and that video is based on this concept of magic and in my song, the hook is “looking for a little bit of magic,” so it really was such a natural fit. The concept of the video came together very quickly and one of my really good friends, Emily Whitlow, was just the perfect person to play the magician in the video. I really am proud of my team for how we were able to honor Chappell’s video and have as many of those shot for shot allusions to what she did in her video.

GCM: What was the creative process like for Darling Kiss Louder? Where did the inspiration come from?

DK Lyons: It’s a unique project for me in that I’ve always worked with outside producers pretty heavily where I’ll bring them demos of the songs I’ve written and have ideas for arrangements, but then they take control of the engineering and the nitty gritty of the production. This is the first time that I’ve really done a majority of the production and engineering and mixing myself. I think the EP reflects that a little bit. It’s got a very cohesive but widespread feeling and vibe to it because that’s the way I created it. Thematically, it’s an EP that at its core is asking the question, is love sustainable in our current modern society? Not just love romantically, but love in terms of our passions. I feel like I’m always asking this question: “Can you chase your passion and what fulfills you or do you need to fall in line with the way the world works and get a day job?” I hope I’m answering this question with the EP and saying that you can chase what you want in life and you don’t have to settle.

“loveseeking” was the first song I created for the EP and it set the tone for everything. It was a period of time where I was searching for answers and asking exact questions. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do next after putting out a really long double album last year and I thought I wanted to do something a lot shorter. Then, one day, I got hit with this idea of writing out a full sentence, breaking that sentence into two different song titles, and then writing a song with each of those song titles. It’s really just crazy how it came together over a matter of days where suddenly, I had all this material and I started to refine it a little more over the next six months after that.

GCM: How is this era different from your previous era for your album Sophomoric Rambling?

DK Lyons: The double album was made and released over two years and when the first single came out, I don’t think I’d written two thirds of the rest of the album or really produced it. It was kind of me learning as I went, whereas this time around, I came in with a bit more of a solid plan that I made in January of this year and have just been executing ever since. I’m still obviously flexible and open because social media is always changing and people’s tastes are changing, but in general, from day one, I just decided how to make this album. I knew that I wanted to do the homage to women artists with the music videos, the fake ad spots, and kind of everything in between. It’s been really fun to go from the initial stage of jotting down an idea in my notes app to actually making things happen.

GCM: You’ve just done your second annual Gemini Ball. For those unaware, what is a Gemini Ball and how did you come up with that concept?

DK Lyons: I’ve been playing with a band now for about two years here in New York and as we were talking one day early last year, we figured out that everyone in the band except for me was a Gemini, born within like two weeks of each other. My band is made up of incredible musicians, singers, songwriters, all far more talented than me, at least in my opinion, but we make a great sound together. So last year, we decided to do a special show where we honored everyone in the band. They all got to choose one of their favorite songs that they would take the lead on as part of a bigger show of mine. It went really well last year and we brought it back this year for round two. We got to play Barry Electric with a lineup full of my friends and we had an amazing turnout. The energy was incredible. I just loved watching my bandmates get to step up and take the lead and really get to shine.

GCM: You’ve done a few sporadic shows but have yet to go on a full tour. Is that something you plan on doing in the future?

DK Lyons: I would love to tour eventually. I’ve gotten to go see a good chunk of the country through my day job and there’s just so many different places and cultures and vibes. I think being able to bring my music to any of those places would be amazing. I’d open for pretty much anyone and do pretty much anything because playing live music in front of people is just such a beautiful, rewarding thing. The leadup to the show is nerve wrecking, but as soon as I get up on stage, it’s like the greatest 45 minutes of my life.

GCM: If you could open for any artist, who would it be?

DK Lyons: Oh, that’s a great question. There’s so many artists out there that I definitely take inspiration from. Obviously, it would be amazing to open for Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter. I look at an artist like Japanese House, who’s a UK based artist that I really, really love and she’s an amazing producer; I’d love to get the chance to just pick her brain someday. I also grew up on emo pop rock music, so I’d love to open for The Maine or Mayday Parade or some of those artists from the early 2000s.

GCM: You’ve been making music since 2018, how do you feel you’ve evolved as an artist since your debut EP, Blame My Astrology?

DK Lyons: Last night, I was screening my new music video with my cousin Desiree, who directed the video, and she made a comment, so we went back and looked at the first music video I made back in 2018 and it was really interesting to watch. I hadn’t even thought about that song in a very long time. There’s elements that are still carrying through, but I think I’ve really grown as a songwriter, singer, and producer. Any time you look back on something you did a long time ago, there’s always thoughts of “now that I know what I know, I’d want to change that,” but I think the way that I’m trying to think about it is that each step was part of the process. I wouldn’t be making the music I am now had I not been making the music I did then. I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing in another seven years when I listen back to this EP compared to whatever I’m making then.

GCM: If you had to play one song to convince someone to get into your music, which song would you play?

DK Lyons: I think “Road Trip Mixtape” off my last album is probably one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I wrote it for my sister and it’s been described back to me as being just a big hug. I think that’s definitely a good portion of the energy that I bring to the table in terms of the music I put out and when I play shows. So “Road Trip Mixtape” would be my choice.