Tobey Lynn creates music that feels both nostalgic and brand new—equal parts dance-floor glitter and late-night confessions. From her first high school singles to a brand-new EP saturated with grit and glitter, the 23-year-old Los Angeles based artist is entering her boldest era yet. We spoke with Tobey to talk about writing inspiration, musical beginnings, and the soundtrack she’s writing for her own story.

Your music spans from dancey anthems to intimate ballads—how do you decide which direction a song will take when you start writing?

A lot of my writing is experience based. As soon as something happens to me, the way that I process and cope with it is to just sit down either at the piano or the guitar and just kinda see what comes to mind. There are moments where I’ll be inspired by someone; my biggest influences are Olivia Rodrigo, Frank Ocean, Lizzy McAlpine, some artists like that. So if I’m feeling really inspired by something they’ve already made then I’ll see what kind of direction I wanna go into. But it’s never super concrete.

You grew up in an artistic family—how has that environment shaped your creativity and confidence as an artist?

I first started singing at my parent’s church. My mom and dad worked at our local church when I was little, ever since I was two years old. So I think I gained that confidence on the stage comfortably when I started singing at church in the band when I was ten. I have older siblings who are way older than me. My sister is ten years older and my brother is seven years older. I was five years old and they were already playing instruments with my parents. My dad was a punk rock drummer, he had blue and red hair and was in a punk rock band. My mom and dad both grew up doing classical piano. It’s a very Asian thing to go through piano lessons, which luckily they never pressured me into any of that, I found it on my own. I just felt like I wanted to do music. I know in other households it’s kind of like you’re gonna choose an instrument and you’re gonna do this and be really disciplined, but I think what made me love music so much is because it wasn’t forced onto me.

Your brother, Jamin Reyes, has been a key creative collaborator since your early singles. How has your working relationship evolved over the years?

We’ve been making music together since I was fifteen, just in our parents’ house on the computer. He would play stuff and I would throw out ideas. It’s a very funny relationship. We’re very goofy together so I think that makes it so much more fun. I’ve had sessions with other producers and I love those experiences so much. But I always love coming back to my brother because it’s family. If I don’t like something, it’s so easy to say “can we change it?” so it’s really comfortable and fun.

BOY and SUNFLOWER GIRL marked your first steps into the music world. Looking back, how do you feel those songs represent who you were at that time?

I grew up in a predominantly white town, so those songs were a very strong catalyst from those experiences. Being a Brown girl in very white dominated places, there’s a lot of things to pull from there, so I think it was my first step into accepting myself and loving my culture and where I came from. Even if the songs don’t necessarily reflect that, maybe it reflects more of the struggle I have. The songs got more recognition than I ever expected. It was my first two songs and I thought “no one’s gonna hear them besides people from my high school” and all of a sudden SUNFLOWER GIRL has 1 million streams and I thought “okay, people resonate with it.” It was my first real recognition that I could do this for a career. I always knew in my heart that I wanted to do music and perform and write lyrics that other people could connect to. But I never thought I could do it for a career until that moment.

Your new EP is described as gritty, grungy, with hints of pop star glitter. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this new era of your music?

The last EP I released was in 2020, so I was eighteen. It’s crazy cause I’m in my twenties now. This EP, I’m going fully back to my brother with production which has been really cool. We’ve already started doing a few of the tracks. The one coming out September 26th is called “Chaperone.” It marks a very new era; it’s a lot more funky and indie, it gives a Phoebe Bridgers vibe so I’m really excited about it. It feels a lot more adult too because a lot of my first songs are about crushes and this feels about real adult feelings. It’s gonna touch on a lot more serious topics but it also has that popstar upbeat vibe too.

As a 23-year-old artist in Los Angeles, how do you navigate the balance between personal life and the demands of building a music career?

It feels like a rollercoaster, but I think being in LA and in the heart of it feels like everyone is doing it. Everyone has these moments where your career is going up and then these moments like okay I’m getting nothing right now, like no gigs, no opportunities. I’m a full-time nanny and it’s so fun and gives me the flexibility to pursue my music. Sometimes I feel like Hannah Montana because I’m trying to work my normal day job while trying to pursue being a pop star. It’s a weird seesaw, but I think it’s trying to embrace it all and enjoy the moments where I’m changing diapers but also enjoy the moments where I’m performing a show.

Your music often feels like the soundtrack to a messy coming-of-age story— what’s the most “main character” moment you’ve had in real life?

The first thing that comes to mind was when I was seventeen, my first ever boyfriend broke up with me through voicemail. Obviously being seventeen I was like “this is the worst day of my life.” Now being in an almost five year relationship, it’s so funny to look back on because it’s one of those moments where you feel like the world is crumbling, and now you don’t even think twice about that person. LIke in high school, I was the homecoming queen, but I wasn’t getting any boys. There’s like a juxtaposition to me that feels so movie-like with these silly sitcom moments. Like getting broken up with over voicemail? That’s so silly!

Looking ahead, what do you hope your audience feels or takes away after hearing your upcoming EP?

Well, I’ll reveal the title cause I haven’t said it yet. It’s called Fairytales for the Almost Famous. It’s like a manifestation. It’s everything before the big stuff happens. It shows that you can achieve anything, as cheesy as it is. If you feel really ignited and lit up by something then you have to go after it. I’ve always said to myself that I have no Plan B, so this is what I’m gonna do. It’s about navigating your twenties and I want to say that it’s okay to be a twenty something teenager. It’s okay to hold onto your inner child but also grow up and find those new pathways for growing up. 

Words: Natalie Howard

Photography: Kaylee Scott