D’Lourdes

August 7, 2025

By: Danielle Holian

D’Lourdes is a queer Filipino-American artist who is quickly making a name for themselves with a bold and genre-bending sound. Their highly anticipated debut album has just been released and is already turning heads for its raw, unapologetic exploration of identity and visibility. We had the chance to dive into the project, which serves as both a personal manifesto and a powerful statement for anyone navigating life between lines of gender, genre, and expectation. As D’Lourdes steps fully into their artistry, it’s clear they’re becoming a defining voice for a new generation of music that refuses to be boxed in.

Can you share a little bit about yourself?

My name is D’Lourdes, and I am a queer, Filipino-American, alt-pop alt-rock music artist based in Brooklyn, NY. I was born in Rhode Island, raised in Houston, TX, and got a BFA in acting from the University of Minnesota/UMN Guthrie. Balancing my music career with my acting career (under my given name – Danielle Troiano), I currently have about 5 million streams and around 130k followers across various platforms. I make my music for eclectic music listeners, the queer community, and anyone else who has felt like a misfit at some point. Some rapid-fire non-music fun facts about me: I love the gym. I was hit by a car last year and broke my left calf (I’m serious). I was a swing for a Broadway show once, and I was on Law and Order once. I really love quesadillas, or really any starch filled with cheese and meat. I had a Weimaraner dog named Ike growing up. I used to want to be an Olympic swimmer, so I’m a surprisingly good swimmer..

You released your debut album, You Get It or You Don’t, this summer. What does this release mean to you? How does it represent you?

I did, and I am so proud! For me, it represents growth and settling into who I am and doubling down on it. Before this release, I began my music career in 2022 and released my first EP. I went through a strangely “successful” but turbulent couple of months after that release, as a song from that debut went viral (“How Did You Get So Good?”) on TikTok. It was admittedly a weird, semi-underproduced song and literally the first logic session my friend and I had ever opened. For it to get so much attention online was scary, especially when it ended up being pretty divisive amongst listeners and people online. It scared me away creatively for a while as, at the time, I was an underdeveloped artist with thin skin, lots of insecurity, and little direction, but I still had the long-term goal of completing a full-length project that I was truly proud of. I ended up moving to NYC in late 2022 and was hugely inspired by the live music scene. For the next couple of years, I was flailing and workshopping my artistry, joining every bill that would have me, trying to find the sound that I wanted for my career in these live settings. I was reminded how much I love performing and realized I wanted an album that gave me that same joy and reflected the type of performer I am — brash, fun, unapologetic, honest, sensual, and versatile. Which is what gave me my album – “You Get It or You Don’t”. You can find its sound at the intersection of Paramore, Alanis Morrissette, and Olivia Rodrigo.

The title You Get It or You Don’t is bold and unapologetic. For those who do get it. What do you think they’ll walk away with after listening to the full album?

That’s always a tough question to answer because I never really think I can be the one to decide what the listener will walk with; I can only really make a guess. I do think that for the listeners who get it, they will walk away with reassurance that they are exactly who they need to be, flaws and all, and that they should never try to change that. There is a community waiting for you. I realize it may present as a challenging listen for typical pop or rock listeners, but if you do end up “getting it”, it’s proof that there is space for authentic expression, especially in the face of “nicheing” and AI. I automatically anticipate that that kind of resonance would relate to queerness, as that is my personal experience, but I have found that the more specific I get in my storytelling, the more universal the message can be. 

You describe the album as a manifesto for “misfits” and “people who live in the grey”. How has your experience as a non-binary, Filipino-American artist shaped your songwriting on this project?

Both being non-binary and Filipino American represent not really “fitting in a box”, and I experienced that kind of loneliness and dissonance my whole life. Obviously, I didn’t always have the language to describe my gender identity, but I felt that angst of never fitting in with girls but trying, really wanting to be involved with the boys, but not feeling valid in that space either. It’s the same thing with being mixed, cause not everyone would recognize me as Filipino, but I was different enough to not get the same treatment as white people, sometimes negatively, sometimes positively, but still discernible, and I don’t always feel connected to my Filipino heritage. I spent a long time trying to fit into those “binary” spaces, and I found the most comfort in spaces that turn away from the binary expectations, across the board. It’s hard to say how that’s discernable in my song writing since I’m the one writing the songs, but I can say that all the lyrics are sincere, very rarely do I lie, and that comes after accepting my identity and allowing myself to express it. 

How does it feel to finally be releasing your first album?

It just feels like a big sigh of relief, because I feel I finally have something that reflects who I am as a person, that also is up to the quality that I’ve been working really hard to achieve these past couple of years. There’s (obviously) more growth to be had and there always will be, and I don’t think I can call anything I do “perfect” but I worked really, really hard on it, put my true all into it, including its imperfections. I love it for that. 

Let’s talk about liberation. How does You Get It or You Don’t express freedom, and what do you hope it unlocks in listeners?

I hope it unlocks the inspiration to double down on yourself, and if you’re an artist, to double down on what you’re creating. I’m saying double down because I will always believe that it is such an asset to be yourself. At this point, it’s super cheesy to say that, but the sentiment of “no one doing you better than you can do you” is actually literally true – no one has your life or face or inner thoughts or feelings or fingerprints, and no one can take that away from you either. I hope it unlocks something they’ve been wanting to say, but haven’t quite found the right way to say it yet.

Which song from You Get It or You Don’t is your personal favourite and why?

My personal favourite is definitely “One of the Boys”. It was a song that I had been aching to make, for a long time, long before I knew what I wanted it to sound like, about being out of my body, like another. It’s one that connects with people who are a lot like me. It unlocked a piece of me that I was just scared to express, and every time I share it it feels like a risk, which is a mark for a successful piece of art for me, as the artist. It’s one of my more straightforward songs writing-wise, which I was afraid would be clunky, but I wrote the lyrics in one go and could never change them. I also love the production and had never produced a song like it before. It being at the top of the album felt like kismet too, because “HEY!” was actually slated to start the album but I wanted something with more heart to swoop into “HEY!” I pulled out an old voice memo of “One of the Boys” out and it ended up being the exact same BPM as “HEY!” which I took as a sign to keep going in that direction and keep trusting my gut. It was really hard to make, tricky to balance its fusion into rock and alternative, but I think the payoff is beautiful, and all these sounds that are opposite of each other, like the strings and electric guitar, the distorted “HEY!” samples and warm piano, all complement the message. 

Are there any songs or moments of songs you’re proudest of that you want to highlight?

Choosing is the hardest thing ever because I made it a point to be involved with every inch of this project, it’s like choosing a favourite kid? I don’t have kids, but I imagine it’s like that. But ok, if I had to choose, a huge highlight is “I Know Better”. I literally wrote the verse and pre-chorus 8 years ago. It took 8 years to make that song, and it is so lively and classic and one of the most fun songs to do live, and you would never know just how old it is and how young I was when I first wrote it. I am particularly proud of the bridge, with the blending and panning of dialogue and background vocals – I had truly no idea what to do with the bridge because that final surfer rock chorus was one of the pieces that was locked in for 8 years. It took a leap of faith to create that soundscape because it had to be meticulously planned to work, and I made it in such a scattered and desperate mindset, so I’m proud that I was able to create something in that space. The other song that I am most proud of is “Dare You To Be Happy”. It is such a massive, vulnerable, and dramatic song, and it was so scary to make, for its emotional content but also its production demands. I had never done so many background vocals at that point. It was essentially creating an entire choir, with its own arrangement and arc. I recorded all of it on the floor of a closet, while helping my dad move out after having a stroke (he’s fine now!). It’s similar to “I Know Better” in that I was able to create something while being in a bad circumstance, because there was nothing left in my way. Being stripped emotionally is obviously painful, but it can lead to beautiful creation if you allow it to.

Describe how we can encourage your career growth.

I always encourage people to come to the live shows, whichever ones you can. I know that my strongest suit is in performing, and though someone may not be into all the music I do, I can always put on a show and end up winning over loyalty through that medium. I am currently trying to solidify opening slots for larger tours with bigger artists. Following socials and interacting is also one of the most valuable things, as much of the career is online now. There’s an oversaturation, so engaged interaction makes it easier and way more fun for me in the long run. Playlisting in personal playlists is always valuable to me as well!

Anything else you want to share or add?

I am often creating music videos! We are in production for the’ One of the Boys’ music video currently, and the album itself has two other corresponding music videos for “Get Hurt” and a DIY one for “HEY!”. My next live show will be at the Sultan Room in NYC, co-headlining with Pig Milk. If the mention of my acting career intrigues you, you can find me as Danielle Troiano.

Follow D’Lourdes on Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Spotify, YouTube and take a listen to You Get It or You Don’t, here.