The story behind the songs
Dilan Jay.
Recording artist, songwriter, producer and filmmaker.
Artist biography
Music built from life, from the first idea to the final record.
Dilan Jay is an American recording artist, songwriter and producer whose work moves between hip-hop, pop, Americana and singer-songwriter music. Born Walter Dilan Jayasingha and shaped by his Sri Lankan heritage, he became the first artist of Sri Lankan heritage to appear on the U.S. Billboard charts.
His journey began in hip-hop, where sampling taught him how to build a feeling from sound. That foundation eventually led him into more organic songwriting and Americana. Today, Dilan writes and produces his records in his own studio, playing drums, piano, guitar and bass as he carries each song from its first idea to its finished release.
In 2026, he set out to release a new song every two weeks. The project is the latest chapter in a catalog of more than 50 songs and a creative career that also includes filmmaking, entrepreneurship and independent record making. Across every format, the through line is the same: honest stories about love, identity, family, resilience and what happens when life stops being practice and starts becoming real.