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Musician Nick Dean Shares His Ultimate Road Trip Playlist (Exclusive)

Nick Dean
Nick Dean

Nick Dean has been on the road his entire life. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter grew up primarily in France, traveling throughout Europe in a prestigious boys choir. After moving back to the U.S. at the age of 11, he was homeschooled on the road, traveling throughout Southeast Asia. Today he’s finally settled – sort of — in Los Angeles, where he can concentrate on music (and take piano lessons from his sister!).

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His exploration of the world inspired his rich music, which can be seen in his debut single, “How Did We,” (out now!) which has an infectious pop sound with moving lyrics. His first music video, an artistic piece shot in France, is exclusively premiered here first:

“I used to listen to a lot of different types of music, I think it was a really eclectic combination but I pull a lot of inspiration from visuals as well as audio and from what I see and do on a regular basis,” Dean shared with Us Weekly, explaining where he gets idea for his music and his videos.

Before the former X Factor contestant went to film his next music video for the single, “Make It Come Back,” (due late 2017) in Shanghai (a project he called “spontaneous” and done partially because he wanted to see the city), Dean told Us what he listens to on the road — a “paced” and “smooth” collection of songs.

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1. “Sleep on The Floor” by The Lumineers

2. “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran

3. “Coldhearted” by Bryce Fox

4. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys

5.  “Let it Be” by The Beatles

6. “ Loyalty ” by  Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna

7. “Hello” by Adele

8. “Imagine by John Lennon

9. “The Bird” by  Anderson Paak

10. “Rude” by Magic

11. ”The A Team” by Ed Sheeran

While his own music may not have made the list, Dean’s description will make you want to add it to any playlist.

Nick Dean
Nick Dean

“People should listen to  my music because it will make  them feel something and make people have a great time ,” he explained. “The goal of music, for me, is to move something or make someone feel something. If you can reach someone, anyone with your art, that’s enough for me.”

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And for Dean, his art is extremely fluid.

Last day in Florence 🇮🇹🌊… Off to my home town/where I grew up in France tomorrow ❤️Then off to Paris to shoot my music video!!

A post shared by N I C K D E A N (@therealnickdean) on

“I want people to know my music is a work in progress,” he said. “I’m always going to evolve and I’m always going to change. The more I grow, the more I discover about myself and the world. So my music will never be a consistent thing, it will always be consistently me, but it will always be ever changing.”

Next up for Dean is a collaboration with music producers J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, who have worked on albums with Eminem, The Weeknd, Ne-Yo, Rick Ross, among others. His track “PERSONAL,” features Rapper Rick Ross and is a “complete departure” for the rising star.

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