WAYNE COUNTY, PA — There is no denying that living in a small, rural community has its upsides, but it comes with some disadvantages. Often there are not as many opportunities available as there would be if you lived in a more populated area. Therefore, residents have to go out and find their own ways forward. 

At least this was the case for Wayne County local and rising artist Dallas Newsom. 

Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Newsom and ask him some questions about himself and his music career. 

Originally from Bell Port, NY, Newsom moved to Wayne County when he was eight years old and has lived in the area ever since. Now that he’s 20, his interests include playing golf, hanging out with friends, going to concerts—and, of course, making music. 

Therefore, the first question I had for Dallas was: Why music?

“Ever since I was young I always had a passion for music, regardless of the type… I think during high school is when I realized I wanted to make my own music,” he said. “I feel that I could make a lot of relatable music for other people who are going through different aspects of life. I’ve gone through a lot of things, and music has always been a big gateway for me to get out of them.”

Next, I wanted to know how growing up in Wayne County has affected his music career so far, and what advice he would give to aspiring artists who also live in rural areas. 

“There obviously aren’t many studios,” he said. “There really aren’t many people who make music in general. If someone is looking to start or create music, you’re going to have to travel. You’re going to have to go places… I have to drive 45 minutes to the studio.”

When you spot an opportunity—to do almost anything—it will demand time and often money.

However, there are also many advantages to living in a small community. People tend to help out fellow community members when they have the chance. Just look at Newsom’s music mentor, NEPA local Kelly Shaun Parker Jr.—also known as Methadonix. 

Newsom and Parker met one night on the streets of Scranton and started talking, and they realized they were both passionate about making music. So they exchanged contact info, but never really followed up.

Until, that is, about a year later, when Newsom got a text from Parker, asking if he would be interested in joining a mentorship program he was starting to help guide local artists. 

Parker’s program is called Stardom, and I asked him about it. Why help local artists? 

“When I first started my career, I didn’t really have anyone to guide me in the right direction, so that’s why I started [Stardom]. I wanted to give [local artists] the extra step they need to make it farther than I have in the past six years.

“Stardom was supposed to just be a local-artist thing until it turned beyond that,” Parker continued. Currently, there are 18 artists in the mentorship program. Five of the artists are local, while the rest are scattered across the U.S. 

To promote these artists even further, Kelly helped create Atmosfere, the first-ever hip-hop music festival in NEPA, which was held at the Ritz Theater and Performing Arts Center in Scranton last weekend. 

Although it wasn’t easy getting started, Newsom says he is glad to be working with Parker and is beyond excited for his first-ever live performance. 

Find Dallas Newsom on Facebook, or on Instagram at officaldallasv. And if you missed Atmosfere this time, you can still follow @atmosferemusic on Instagram and stay on top of the festival’s music news.