Nothing ever stopped Dom Guyot, not even a crippling pandemic, from sharing his work with the world.

After pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into his first album, everything fell into place.

Dom has come a long way from single releases since 2019 to a full-length album today. His album, Unbeloved, is proof that hard work takes you to good places.

In this article, Dom gets into more detail about his success in realizing his dreams.

How does it feel to release your first ever full-length album?

It is an entire mix of emotions. Of course, this huge sense of fulfillment is attached to it, as it is my biggest body of work so far. There’s also a huge sense of relief, knowing I worked the past year tirelessly to make everything work, and I can now enjoy the fruits of my labor together with my stans. Although there are moments when I think about what I could’ve done better or areas that I can improve on, I am still beyond proud of myself and how far I’ve come.

How has the journey been from your first recording for Unbeloved to finally releasing it?

To say it has been challenging is an understatement. Creating and releasing a full-length album with 12 different tracks independently in itself is a huge challenge, let alone doing so during a pandemic.

As an indie artist, I have to do everything myself, from distribution, creatives, and marketing to PR, merchandising, and funding. I am a very hands-on artist, and I do not settle until my vision is fully realized.

There were many times when I felt like giving up, but I couldn’t let the gays down now, could I? But I ain’t complaining, though, since it is truly my passion to make great music. We gotta do what we gotta do until our dreams are fully realized! Also, my small team really made my life easier, and I couldn’t have done all this without them.

What was your best memory while recording your album?

The funny thing about it is I was literally alone in the studio with one sound engineer the entire time. Because of the pandemic, it is harder to get people who usually come to my recordings, like my producer and some close friends, to join me. So with that being said, I had to record with no feedback from anyone but myself. Looking back, I think that helped me as an artist.

Where did you get the inspiration for this album?

I write music to cope with whatever I am going through. The album is a product of the hurt and ‘unbeloved’ feeling that I went through as I made it. It follows my journey as a gay man navigating my way through love. It’s basically a storybook portraying love through my eyes, with each track connected, engraving each moment into melody.

Out of the 12 songs in your album, what song do you resonate with the most? Why?

I think what resonates to me the most is probably “Ambitions”, for three reasons:

First, it’s a song that I made with three people who I know understand me in ways other people don’t, namely Jolianne (Careless Music), Ana Luna (indie artist) and Phoebe Jugalbot.

Second, it’s a song that opened a lot of doors for me as an artist. It really helped put my name out there.

And lastly, it’s a product of being genuinely loved and accepted. It is actually the first love song I have ever written where I am not sad or at a loss, just genuinely happy in love.

Who do you look up to the most in the music industry?

Beyonce. Mariah. Whitney. Ariana. Jhene. Sza. Amy. Gaga.

I look up to a lot of people in the industry, and most of them are women. I think the way they’re all so unapologetic about their music gives me such an empowered feeling. God knows their songs kept me going through my darkest days, and I wanted to be like that to other people, too. I want my music to make them feel seen, heard, and validated, the way these people’s music did for me.

If you were to explain what Pride Month means to you through a song, what song will you pick? Why?

Personally, as cliche as it sounds, I think I have to go with Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”.

Pride month, to me, is more than just a celebration of my community and our rights. It is a movement to acknowledge everyone who has fought for us from the stonewall riots up to this day and to keep fighting for the generations to come.

“Born This Way” was a song that came out when I was scared to express myself fully, and it made me feel so understood and celebrated. And I know for a fact, it helped millions of LGBTQ+ people all over the world come to terms with who they truly are.

With this, I will wear my pride like a badge until it’s normalized, until the next generation doesn’t have to come out anymore. Openness may not halt the prejudice we experience, but it is a good place to start.

As a singer-songwriter, if given a chance to write a verse dedicated to all queer people, what will it say?

 I actually have a verse from an unreleased song that I would like to quote:

I try to live as much as I can every day

Combat a system that oppresses our society

I fight for equal rights, I’d go to war for all my gays

We deserve our rights to love as much as all the straights

_{Photography by Clint Jason Deguitos}

^{Outfit by Robert Andrew Hiyas}