Remember the name William Dolan. You you may be hearing it a lot in the future.
The 13-year-old Langford resident recently garnered a prestigious SOCAN Foundation Award for Young Canadian Songwriters plus a cool five grand for Cadillac, a song about equality and diversity that he released this summer.
“I’ve always been into music and dancing,” Dolan said. “But winning the award was kind of surreal. I felt like I was floating for a second.”
Dolan plans to release a second song by the end of the year, with production handled by Roy Hamilton, who worked with Dolan on Cadillac. Hamilton has also worked with Britney Spears and Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Nsync. “This song is a little lighter than Cadillac, said Dolan, who includes Jackson and Justin Timberlake as major influences. “It’s about peer pressure and being independent.” Growing up as the child of a black mother and Caucasian father has shaped values that are reflected in his music, and especially his lyrics.
A student at Brooks Westshore school, Dolan enjoys all subjects, especially science and social studies. When he’s not involved in schoolwork or pursuing his musical dreams, mountain biking and family time top his list of favourite pursuits. “I like just hanging out with my sister and my parents,” he added. “Family’s most important.”
His mother, Suzanne Dolan said the family is pleased and proud of the passion William brings to writing positive songs. “We were over the moon when we heard about the SOCAN award,” she said. “Who knows, maybe the Junos are in his future.”
Although Dolan used to devote a lot of time to soccer, gymnastics, football, cricket and basketball, he has cut back on that to concentrate more on his music. “Music that gets people dancing has a really strong appeal,” he said, adding that he also plays piano. He performed at Youth Day in Toronto this summer, and is scheduled to share his talents at the Black Owned Business Aqwards in November at the Marriott Hotel. In the meantime, he encourages people to check out him out at williamdolanofficial.com.
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