When Dylan Joseph started sharing his new music on TikTok, he had no idea that the one decision would change the entire trajectory of his life. The rising star was just settling himself into a career in music, after injuries derailed his original plans of being a professional baseball player, when he decided to post a new song on TikTok, quickly garnering hundreds of thousands of views.

“Honestly, that was just me going into it, not expecting anything and just having fun with it,” Joseph tells Everything Nash. “TikTok, I started getting into it a little bit more seriously when the COVID pandemic hit and everybody was inside, because I had nothing else to do. So randomly, when I was at a friend’s house — and I remember the exact video I posted, and it was a very cringey video. I was just not into TikTok.”

Still, Joseph, who had not explored the TikTok platform much up until this point, saw the song immediately gain traction, and he realized he was on the cusp of a new career.

“I posted it late at night, and I remember waking up the next morning and it blew up,” Joseph recalls. “I was like, ‘Whoa, this is interesting.’ And it kept going and going and going, so I started making more and more along those lines. I just realized this is working, so I’m going to go with it, and stick to it. And eventually it turned into a decent following. That for me was nothing planned. I just had fun with it and stuck with it. It’s definitely been a game-changer; TikTok is just game-changing, everything about it. Especially in music, people are now streaming the music and go to the YouTube videos. There’s comments saying that TikTok brought us here, so that really has just opened up a lot of doors for me.”

Joseph just dropped a new song, “Desert Daze,” which is unlike almost anything he has written and released in the past.

“Songs that I’ve put out, they’ve been more love songs, and romantic stuff like that,” Joseph acknowledges. “But for me, growing up, baseball was a priority. And if I had a day off, I would be out somewhere dirt-biking, whether it be at a friend’s ranch back home or out in the desert. I always looked forward to having an off-weekend from baseball to go to the desert. And so I called my friend Cole [Cassidy] and basically said, ‘Look, I’ve never put out a song about dirt biking,’ which is something I grew up doing from six years old. We sat down and we wrote that song over Zoom, probably in about 45 minutes from start to finish, It’s all about going out to the desert and having fun.”

Based on his success, it might seem like Joseph was made for music, not sports. The son of a professional drummer, Joseph showed an early musical ability, but still felt pulled to baseball.

“Music was always a hobby for me. A drum set was always around the house,” Joseph recalls. “I was probably seven when I actually started with a drum set and  played around, and had my dad teach me a few things. Music became a hobby because baseball was the priority, whenever I had free time at home. Eventually when I was 17, I picked up a guitar, started learning how to play chords and stuff like that. So after baseball practice, I’d go home and sit and play guitar. English in school was always a strong point for me. Writing essays and kind of creating stories ultimately led into songwriting. So from playing guitar, I started writing my lyrics to that.”

Joseph landed a song, “Just Friends,” on the YouTube show Malibu Surf, still holding on to hopes of playing professional baseball. But after a series of injuries throughout his time in sports, including a shoulder injury that required surgery and a fractured back, Joseph knew he had to decide what was best for his life for years and years to come.

“I definitely know my family helped me through that one,” Joseph said of his decision to quit baseball. “They ultimately said, ‘If you want to be 35 and able to play with your kids and not be hurting all the time, this is probably the right move.’ At the end of the day, I’m happy with that decision.”

Joseph might be having plenty of success with “Desert Daze,” but he is also eager to share more music with his fans, and soon.

“I actually was in the studio yesterday, and we’re probably going to wrap up today with that single,” Joseph reveals. “This one I’m very excited about. It’s back to more of the relationship and kind of lovey-dovey song, but it has a very aggressive side to it too. Like it’s lovey, but it has this edge to it. Overall, I’m very excited about this one.”

Find all of Joseph’s music by visiting his website.