Dyland & Lenny

Dyland (Carlos Castillo Cruz) & Lenny (Julio Manuel González Tavarez), originally from Puerto Rico, have formed a duo that is shaping up to be a true surprise in urban music. Dyland & Lenny come to the genre with another vision, with a sound that reflects the youth that characterizes them and the feeling of a whole generation. In early 2010, fans of urban music and other styles that came from the streets, will find the original and innovative rhythms of Dyland & Lenny in their debut CD, My World. And to jump into the competitive urban world with the credibility that is required, Dyland & Lenny called upon important producers in this genre, Luny Tunes. Luny (Francisco Saldaña) and Tunes (Víctor Cabrera), were instrumental in the development of the genre and in the boom of great artists like Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Tego Calderón, among many others. In that list no doubt one will soon find Dyland & Lenny, with their album My World, from which the first single chosen was Nadie te amará como yo, composed by Luny Tunes. In all, 14 compositions (12 written by Dyland & Lenny), make up this new musical production, My World. “Luny gave his touch to this production and got us the best producers, people like Tainy,” commented Dyland from the city of San Juan “It was clear that only Luny could bring key musical elements to the project.” That commitment to quality is part of their sports creed, since Dyland & Lenny, while growing up, were on a promising path to becoming successful basketball players. Dyland received a scholarship for his talent to study at Florida Air Academy, in Melbourne, Florida. His life as an athlete meant everything to him, until he discovered the joys of performing music. “I had a cousin who was trying to break out as a singer, and who one day made me join him at a studio,” recalls Dyland. “The producers told me ‘you look like an artist, why don’t you go into the sound booth and show us what you can do.’ So I went in and I improvised a rap.” In 2005, back in Puerto Rico, Dyland decided to change professional paths. “I was very serious about my sport, but music won me over,” he explains. Lenny, meanwhile, also saw himself developing a career in the sports world, even though he had tried singing at an early age and had liked it. After entering the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, in the area of Santurce, on a sports scholarship, he suffered a lower back injury that forced him to change his goals. Encouraged by a friend, he entered an auditions process and was chosen to be part of a boy band called Ánima 5. With time, Lenny received an offer from Dyland (whom he knew from their days on the basketball court) to join forces with him and do urban music. Lenny accepted. “He brought me into what really fulfills me,” says Lenny. “I am a balladeer and a reggaetón artist, and it was in urban music that I felt the most comfortable.” They recorded a first album, La nueva camada de leones, which went unreleased, but served to help them gain a valuable experience to proceed with their next big step: joining Sony Music. Besides My World, Dyland & Lenny have also recorded a song with Mexican singing star Ana Bárbara, Rompiendo Cadenas, and have performed along with Pee Wee on stage for the Tecate Premios Deportes (June 2009, Los Angeles, California). “For us, music is something professional”, says Dyland. “It is not a game. And we don’t want to copy anyone else. We want to be recognized for what we can bring to urban music.”