Rilan is a new and upcoming artist who just performed for Nexus at it’s Miami 2016 along with other performances during Miami Music Week. Although he might be just starting to bloom into the danc epop music world, some of you might know him better from his part on Glee during the final season.
Then again, his trademark curly hair gets all straightened out on the show, making him almost completely unrecognizable, a fact that he humbly recognizes: “I legitimately looked like a different person, and none of my fellow Warblers recognized me until I spoke.” He recalls that on the set he, “of course, garnered the name “Hair” for my unruly curls of doom,” and how, “hiding my voluminous ringlets was a challenge and a half. It took a little more than an hour to forcefully, but neatly, gel my hair back into that prime prepster ‘do.”
For him, being a part of Glee was his “dream job:” he was excited to wake up early and work long hours, “14-hour day full of sweat, soreness and so much fun,” as he recalls. For him, the Glee set was huge and grand, as he says, “before that day, the closest I had gottten to a film or television set were moderate-budget music video shoots: A few dancers, two cameras and a crew of 25, max.”
And speaking of crews, Rilan was delighted and grateful to be working with the crew and cast on Glee, saying that they, “were a delight to work with. The friendships we created from working together day after day will last us a lifetime.”
He is completely humbled by his presence on Glee, as he says, “I would like to thank all you guys again for watching Glee week after week for the past six years.
Your loyal viewership and love of the show made it possible for me and my fellow Warblers to be a part of Glee’s incredibly legacy: One of the power of art, acceptance, individuality and love.” Grateful that he was able to be a part of Glee, one can only imagine how grateful he is to be releasing his own amazing music and having the power of creativity completely at his control.
And he is creative. His music video sets are filled with weird guys in creepy crow masks, snakes, or Rilan dressed up as a skeleton. Despite the amazing time he was having on Glee, Rilan was already beginning to work on his musical career. His first single, Chemical, came out in 2014 and he released his EP of the same title on November 13 of last year. In the dark spirit of his album, which has a spooky, alchemy, horror-pop feel to it, he released it on Friday the thirteenth.
His music is hypnotic, drawing the listener in. It is dark, but easy to dance to. Once you start listening to it, you probably won’t be able to stop. The transformation from Warbler to dark alchemical pop prince has treated Rilan well, and we look forward to seeing more from him.
