By Ural Garrett
Dreamer Isioma walks a multicolored tightrope between going with the stream and having a transparent plan for his or her inventive trajectory. This strategy allowed their alt-funk breakout 2020 single “Sensitive” to develop into a viral TikTok sensation that additionally earned a placement in the course of the ultimate season of Issa Rae’s iconic comedy-drama Insecure. It’s additionally obvious on a refreshingly unfastened current Zoom name with MTV Information, the place Dreamer chills on a settee with a miniature Ms. Pac-Man arcade stand to 1 aspect and a snare drum seen to the fitting.
All the pieces in regards to the Chicago-based singer-songwriter is pretty impulsive, from their music that hops seamlessly between indie rock, funk, pop, and hip-hop to stylish outfits along with cleverly made DIY-looking videos. The place does this unpredictable nature come from? Dreamer solutions with nonchalant glee.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing myself,” Dreamer says with fun. “I actually make up what I’m going to do as I do this shit, and if it really works, it really works. And if it don’t, it don’t. That’s how I be. That’s how that occurs.”
All of it works on Goodnight Dreamer, their new album that dropped on February 23, which continues this artistic momentum via its fluid maneuvering round numerous soundscapes and themes of being one’s genuine self.
Rising up dwelling world wide together with suburban Illinois; Lagos, Nigeria; and components of the UK, Dreamer settled in Chicago for faculty to check communications (they have been initially a advertising and marketing main however the math credit required have been a no-go) as a strategy to research individuals. They’re a self-proclaimed observer. As they leaned extra into music, their slick fusion of sounds garnered them a small native fan base earlier than having that breakthrough second artists dream about as soon as “Delicate” gained traction.
By the point their Delicate EP dropped in the beginning of the worldwide COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020 — adopted by the EP The Leo Solar Units later that yr — Dreamer’s buzz reached past Chicago. It was simple to know why genre-bending fan favorites like “Blue Sky” and “Cease Calling the Police on Me” featured vibrant sonics impressed by Dreamer’s eclectic vary of influences like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Chief Keef.
Dreamer utilized social media to maintain their buzz till touring might safely resume. However as ever, they did it at their very own tempo.
“I assume it has been bizarre, as a result of despite the fact that I am an web child — I grew up on the web, at all times on social media and stuff like that — I am nonetheless a really real-life individual,” Dreamer says about rising their fan base via social media. They usually share posts that give perception into their private life and inventive course of. “I do not discuss to anyone until you are proper in my face. And so from that to, like, you actually cannot see no person, it’s a must to do loads of stuff on-line.”
In the meantime, dreamy music movies like “King” and “Meadows in Japan” engaged followers much more as Dreamer made probably the most of their indie price range. The “King” visible seems like a surreal kickback in a small residence, whereas just lately launched “Unhealthy Ting” showcases a surreal romance on the seaside.
“The littlest extra I can get, the extra we will do. Me and all of the individuals I work with, we’re all studying as we go. I just about solely work with my mates, and so the DIY shit solely makes issues extra enjoyable. You have simply acquired to be artistic with it.”
As rules started to ease up for reside performances in 2021, Dreamer was admittedly unprepared as they hit the highway from coast to coast on a tour of round 12 dates. However fortunately, they discovered packed crowds looking forward to actual interplay.
“To be straight up, I had no concept what I used to be doing that total time,” Dreamer says. “I believed that if I’ve the fitting tools, every thing will go clean. I did not take into consideration, now we truly should carry out and have interaction and switch individuals up and all this shit. I actually had no concept what I used to be doing.”
Round that point, a private transition started to occur in Dreamer’s life, partly impressed by social media. “I keep in mind on tour I’d be going to events after the present. When individuals would tackle me, they’d tackle me as ‘Dreamer,’ as a result of that is what they see as my at-name on TikTok and shit like that.”
The extra individuals known as them by the TikTok deal with as a substitute of their gender-specific deadname, the extra one thing felt off. In an enormous Instagram announcement in January, Dreamer made the change official. The caption merely learn, “Name me dreamer pls & ty.”
“I used to be identical to, my deadname do not even sound correct,” Dreamer explains. “I’ve by no means even thought that my deadname sounded proper. I’d actually simply be taking a look at myself within the mirror and be like, this is not added up. I do not even see this individual. As soon as the names grew to become a norm in my life each day, I used to be identical to, oh this makes far more sense. That is when all of it simply clicked sort shit.”
Taking issues additional, Dreamer donated a share of their merch income to a corporation that helps trans youth in an Instagram post.
Dreamer represents a paradigm shift in music with the elevated visibility of Black LGBTQ+ artists reminiscent of Younger M.A, Saucy Santana, Syd, Tiffany Gouche, and Kehlani, in addition to present mainstream top-charter Lil Nas X. In response to Dreamer, there’s work to be carried out for Black queer artists to achieve extra mainstream acceptance.
Till then, Goodnight Dreamer is celebrating Dreamer’s unparalleled creativity. That includes singles “Huh?,” “Crying within the Membership,” “Actually Actually,” and most just lately “Unhealthy Ting,” the album is a set of songs for which they discovered inventive inspiration in all places.
“I am a extremely huge fan of Declan McKenna, and David Bowie is a large inspiration to me, simply on how he was altering his persona each time he would drop an album,” Dreamer says. “The Neighbourhood’s Chip Chrome & the Mono-Tones album was actually cool. That impressed me creating the character Dreamer as a result of I used to be actually impressed by how lead singer Jesse would paint himself silver on some loopy shit and paint his complete physique silver and simply be out within the streets of L.A. appearing a idiot.”
Dreamer already has plans to take the conceptual type to their upcoming reside performances, as effectively.
“After my final tour, it’s way more vital to me than ever to ensure that I construct a real story and create a brand new world,” Dreamer says. “I’m making an attempt to be on my Tyler, the Creator by constructing units and doing all kinds of loopy shit, like costume switches and all that.”
Between the hustle of gaining extra followers, partaking on social media on their phrases, rolling out an album, and pushing previous anxieties each day, Dreamer is rising and studying. “The extra I study issues, the extra I steer away from what one would historically consider when they give thought to faith or Christianity or sexuality or queerness. I simply discover myself going increasingly left than what individuals suppose is the norm, I assume.”
