Meet Dylan Citron | songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dylan Citron and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dylan, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
End goals have always been evolving for bedbug. Writing music has always been one of my main hobbies, since I was a kid, but I never intended for it to become a career (in fact, I still don’t!) Honestly, I never even expected it to carry me as far as it has. I never expected to play cool shows or have any listeners beyond my immediate friends, if that. So in many ways, I’ve already exceeded the end goal! If I had any sort of goals remaining, it would be less about numbers or metrics, and more about why I started to write music to begin with. As a kid, I really needed music, and I had a laundry list of bands and songs that inspired me to start writing my own songs. I’ve been incredibly fortunate that a lot of fans have reached out over the years feeling that way about my music. For now, that’s my only goal!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Some of these questions are a bit tough for me to answer. I think I’m gathering that my relationship to music is slightly different than a lot of interviewees. Typing that out, I know that sounds a bit pretentious, but I mostly mean that I don’t really have any professional or career goals with music. Even as a supplemental thing, I have very little desire to conflate music with work in my brain. I’ve been super lucky to find the success I’ve had. I think realistically, a lot of artists have wonderful stories of struggles and overcoming challenges. But I also think in the end, success in music is fleeting and random. I know some really incredible musicians who’s songwriting blows some made-for-spotify indie bands out of the water who will never overcome the algorithm. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that chasing that type of success is shortsighted. Create music you’re proud of, regardless of if there’s an audience for it, and the rest of that stuff will follow. Or it won’t! But at least you won’t look back on it with embarrassment.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Overall, I’m pretty new here as well, so it’s hard to say. The places that hooked me in at first are places I rarely frequent now. When I first moved, I went to the Los Feliz Flea market and restaurants in Silverlake and Echo Park. Now, I spend more time around Highland Park. I love Thai Eagle Rock and Huarache Azteca. I’ve had some really great food in Koreatown and Little Tokyo (rotating Sushi is a blast). I also did some door knocking in Lincoln Heights and found some great restaurants/thrift stores, so I would definitely want to head over there. I am no expert though!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s honestly pretty hard for me to pick a single shoutout. There’s been so many bands and people who have inspired me at different times of my life that picking just one feels… unbalanced. I think I would like to put the spotlight on the PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation). Sometimes, music can feel a bit insular and self-serving, even for people who want to use their voice for something important. At a certain point in my life, I realized I needed an outlet for community organizing and social justice that went beyond making music, which is how I found the PSL. From organizing protests against police brutality to mask distributions during covid to protests in support of Palestine, I’ve been lucky to find a real home there! I also think it helps me creatively, to work and interact with people I’d otherwise never speak to!

Instagram: @bedbugofficial

Twitter: @bedbugofficial

Image Credits
Emily Pacini