Dust Cwaine is a Vancouver-based artist who uses music to spread the messages of understanding aromanticism and their sexual identity with the help of their music. In this interview, they talk about their passion for music, their journey of connecting with their sexuality, their musical inspirations, and drop hints about their upcoming work.
How did you start making music and what inspired you to make music?
I have listened to music my entire life. A lot of my inspiration comes from my parents. They have a very eclectic taste. My mom likes a lot of pop rock and my dad likes Can-con [Canadian content] music.
I started doing drag in 2016. When I found drag, I found an understanding of how I could become an artist or how I could pursue doing the things that I really love. So, when the pandemic hit in 2020, I recorded five demos in the closet, by myself … After that, I just had a thirst for finding out what was next. I felt like I had a story to tell, and it was something I wanted to do seriously. Also, after my dad passed away, the grief that I experienced was interesting. I started channeling that grief into making music with … Helm Studios. We started writing and making music, and it has been an incredible learning curve for me.
How would you describe your music style in your own words?
Right now, we are just verging onto what my style would be. “A mixture of what my inspirations are” is the best way to paint that picture. I’m really inspired by alt-rock and pop rock. I seek inspiration from Matchbox Twenty, Liz Phair, Counting Crows, Melissa Etheridge, and Bruce Springsteen — the sort of pop rock eccentricities that have a little bit more depth and emotion to the lyrics, yet still have a repetitive experience to them. My music is light-hearted, and I infuse a lot of my queerness into it. I think that is the best snapshot of what my style is like.
Would you say that your songs explore the themes of sexuality and aromanticism? Are they about your journey of sexuality?
A lot of these themes are very important to me because they are a huge part of who I am. As I venture out into being a singer/songwriter and introducing myself to the world, I think the most authentic thing that I could do right now is sharing myself to the world as I am and where I come from.
So, sharing things about my queer identity is important to me. I am non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. I’m pansexual and also an aromantic. Being aromantic essentially means that I don’t feel a lot of romantic feelings. It is something that I am still unraveling with myself in a society that says that I need to feel those things to be “more normal.” But there are a lot of people out there who are struggling in relationships, who don’t understand that they are not feeling romantic in relationships. They are intellectualizing romantic feelings which is what I was doing. So, it is really important for me to spread those messages.
When I write a song about a specific experience from my life, that song can be very specific to me, yet still incredibly broad at the same time. I experienced a lot of emotional depth from friendships. So, potentially there might be songs that sound like love songs but they are actually about friendships. For me, it’s about learning the nuances to be able to create a song that is broad enough for people to enjoy, but is also specific enough for a specific group of people to feel seen and understood.
So, what can you tell us about your upcoming work and your song “Innuendo?”
It is a sexy song, in the vein of Matchbox Twenty and Rascal Flatts. It’s a really fun song about not knowing the difference between love and lust. It’s about the first relationship one has where they think they are so in love, but it is really just lust.
There is going to be another single coming out in the beginning of January. The album is coming out in 2022, and I am so excited about them both.
“Innuendo” by Dust Cwaine was released October 22; it’s available to stream on all music platforms. Give it a listen and enjoy their catchy tunes.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
