The 20-year-old indie musician has been making music for five years, rising from bedroom beginnings to playing notable London venues including O2 Academy Islington

Dean Longden(Image: Joseph Dadswell/@joeandhiscamera)

“There is nothing I’m more passionate about than music.”

Music has long served as a vehicle for artists to transform personal experiences into compelling stories. For Dean Longden, it is the pastime that became his entire world.

The 20-year old indie/alt-rock musician channelled pain and anguish into passion and determination. Over the past five years, he has been navigating the vibrant streets of Camden Town, building his career from a modest content creator to performing at the O2 Academy in Islington and headlining at the Finsbury.

Dean is a self-made artist rising above pain to create dreams. His path into the music industry was far from straightforward, beginning his journey in 2019 with no musical background in his family to steer him in the right direction, armed with nothing more than a broken guitar and rudimentary online tutorials.

“It was just me sat in my room playing with a guitar missing a string,” he said, casting his mind back to the earliest days of his musical career.

As with many artists, when looking back at the tracks he produced during those formative months, he readily acknowledges they were far from polished.

“After learning the basics on guitar I started creating my own songs, although they were nothing special looking back at it now.”

What initially started as a hobby shifted into something deeper after his mum was diagnosed with cancer, turning his hobby into his passion to cope with the emotions he struggled to process.

Through all the heartache, music led him down the path of college, studying music and eventually began properly recording songs in 2021. With every journey there is doubt, he admits that in his first year of college he nearly quit because he “was doubting his quality”.

But, where there is rain there is shine, and with the help of the people around him, he was encouraged to not give up and to continue to develop his music and name.

Dean reflected on the process of his craft, saying: “My songwriting process usually starts off in my bedroom at 3AM, in my feels. From there it kind of just comes together, I always start with just guitar and vocals.”

His most recent single ‘He Loves’ highlights his process perfectly. Stemming from a trying time he shared with a close friend.

He said: “We’d both been going through a rough patch in our lives and he had written some lyrics – it ultimately became a concoction of lyrics.”

Slowly this dream became a reality, moving on from writing songs to performing them. Beginning with small shows, his first real experience began at college, performing in 2021 to a small crowd.

He said: “[My] voice was shaking, I was sweating from nerves and quite honestly it was a disaster’, a small mistake which would have sent most beginners running.

But he persisted, his confidence grew and began performing across London and Camden’s music scene. Since his first performance five years ago, he’s reached new heights, performing at the O2 Academy Islington, a surreal moment he thinks about fondly.

“I’ve seen some of my favourite bands play here, so to be on that stage was a dream,” he said.

Moving up in the music world as he headlined at the Finsbury earlier this year, perfecting his stage presence just months away from his first ever festival set this July.

Dean has had to build his platform brick by brick, utilising social media as a tool to grow his fan base and get his music out there. From performing his music to covering songs he resonates with his character and sound, he’s reached fans all over the UK and is branching out into Europe.

“It’s such an amazing feeling hearing from people all over the world that relate to your music. The music scene has never been bigger so you’re constantly battling against millions of other musicians,” he said.

“More times than not you just have to do it for the love of music.”

So what’s next for this inspired artist? Dean has discussed his debut EP and what plans he has for the album. With each track carrying an emotional story, putting some of his most difficult experiences into song to share with his fans.

With his EP being in the works for the past two years, the collection of songs are going to hit home, “it was written in the toughest part of my life”, exploring moments of grief, anguish, and his journey out of the darkness.

Alongside his new releases he’s perfecting his music, drawing from his favourite artists and albums: specifically Bury the Hatchet (The Cranberries) as a way to keep his mum with him throughout his journey.

From picking up a skill with nothing but an old guitar and a phone to thriving within the live music scene, his journey is far from over.

Built off passion and dedication this artist is moving through the scene and he’s doing it fast, personally an artist i’ll be following throughout his career.