Right now, Dexter Kelly (Dex) is known for his role on the CW drama series All American. However, the actor is expanding his resume to include his love for music. The Los Angeles-based multi-hyphenate stopped by ENVERT: The Podcast to talk with host Flisadam all about this journey.
During the sit-down, he discussed his transition from sports to acting, his role in All American, and his two recent EPs, Thanks To You & Quit Playing Games. The full episode is available in video form on YouTube or audio on your preferred podcast platform (Spotify and Apple Music). Read the transcript of the breakout moment below.
Stay connected with Dexter Kelly across Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
I found it interesting that music wasn’t even your first entry into the arts. You were going to pursue sports first. Could you tell me about that?
I was an athlete my whole life. I grew up playing sports. So that was kind of always, you know, my identity. But I was interested in art and other things rather than just sports. Being an athlete, they try to trap you in a box. But I was always the one interested in other stuff. So I grew up playing sports my whole life, went to college at the University of Oregon & University Of Texas at San Antonio, and played Division One football. My mentality has always been from an athletic background, which makes me competitive in the sport of music in its own way. It’s always given me a competitive nature and a great work ethic.
You speak about “remaining coachable” as an independent artist.
Being in the studio, I have to be open to taking advice, whether it’s just getting advice from my engineer or whoever’s vocal producing the other writers or me. Just accepting that I don’t know everything and that I have a lot to learn in this field to soak up as much knowledge as I can from other artists I’ve worked with (different engineers, producers, etc.) and allow them to teach me and bring out the best in me, which is the goal. I’m thankful for that experience because it has helped me in terms of my art and music as well.
Do you think that it was serendipitous that you ended up on [the series] All American, given your athletic background?
Yeah, it’s funny how that works. It was pretty full circle being a football player, and how that opportunity came to me was, too. I wasn’t expecting to get into acting when I first entered the entertainment industry. But that opportunity came, and it was just a perfect match. And so that’s actually led to other opportunities, too, in the sports and acting world. It’s a pretty cool feeling because it’s allowed me to live my sports dream as well, even though I’m not playing at a professional level.
You released two EPs this year: Thanks To You in February and Quit Playing Games in September. As a newer artist, what have you learned from the first project to the second?
I learned a lot being an independent artist. People aren’t gonna straight up listen to a whole album from me because they don’t know me yet. So it’s taught me to spoon-feed them–allow them into my life and into this journey that they have with me in increments. I feel like if I give them too much too soon or at all at one time, they might not be able to digest it as well. So, between those projects, I’ve dropped singles in order to get them ready for future projects and EPs. I definitely have to learn how to promote myself at a high level. Not to be afraid of self-promotion and pushing my stuff.
That first project was a few more songs. I put that project out with some songs that I’ve made in the past and put them on certain projects, a project of vibes, feelings, and emotions. Just making sure it’s cohesive and wanting to express myself.
You’re a lover boy, and the vulnerability of the projects navigates that space sonically with themes of romance, love, and heartbreak. That could be attributed to your background as a multi-instrumentalist. So, what was the inspiration going into the projects?
I feel like the title is kind of self-explanatory. ‘Quit Playing Games’ is talking about relationships in terms of a girl that I might be pursuing. I know you want me, but you’re playing. It gives you a view into my love life right now, and trying to navigate that and figure out what I want and what type of emotions that brings. What I love about music is it allows me to express myself and be vulnerable in ways that I might not know how to articulate in the fullest form.
Sometimes, it can feel lonely when you enter and navigate the industry because it is a business. But you have such a great support system around you, as far as other musicians, songwriters, and producers. What is the collaborative process?
I like to collaborate with artists because I like the versatility and contrast of having another voice and another perspective, especially if they can blend together in a way that makes the final piece sound more appealing and interesting. Even when I’m by myself on a track, I try to switch up my voice and contrast so they’re not getting bored. I feel like that is the most fun part. I love to see how others create and their creative process because it inspires me.
You showcased different dialects and cadences and your ability to rap and sing. Did we get some musicianship on this project?
No, I didn’t play. So I didn’t play any instruments on this. I got the beats from producers. I’m very specific about sounds and beats. I always have to hear my voice on it before I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s run with that.’ I’ve gone through thousands of beats, and I appreciate producers. I don’t play as many instruments as I used to, but I think that has helped me to understand the sounds–knowing what I want to hear in each of my songs on each of my projects.
You’re still growing as an artist. You mentioned your sound, and often, [listeners] put pressure on a newer artist to come out the gate with a concept. Could you speak more to that?
The biggest thing for me is don’t overthink it. You know, do what feels right, do what you think sounds good, and if the people like it, then you love it. You know what I’m saying, but you can’t put yourself in a certain lane without trying different sounds and different vibrations. I’m really big on being versatile. I don’t know what sound is the right sound, so I don’t get to choose that. My listeners get to choose that. They might like one style of Dexter Kelly, and somebody else might like this style of Dexter Kelly. But if I don’t put it out and see what people like, I’ll never know myself, and it allows me to express my creativity and have that freedom to try stuff.
Are we going to get visuals for Quit Playing Games?
Yes, yes, you definitely are. I feel like that’s really important, right? Branding yourself and allowing people to know you and your personality.
Do you have plans for more music in 2025? Are we going to chill?
There’s no chill right now. I have so much music ready to drop, and it’s just about me organizing it and getting all the little stuff in order. There’s so much behind the scenes that goes into it: the cover art, getting the right content, understanding what the story is, and what you want the esthetic to be. So there’s definitely a lot more music on the way. I have some singles I will be releasing for the rest of the year, maybe another EP. I’m having fun with it. So I’m excited to share, you know, and show people the other parts of Dexter Kelly. I’ve been given a lot of the lover boy, some rap stuff, and some other collabs/features.
As a native of Pasadena, and currently based in L.A., California is on fire. So many projects throughout this are in a really collaborative, unified energy. Are there any hometown heroes or Cali natives that you have your eye on?
Off the top of my head, that’s tough because there are so many. I have to think about that before I just name somebody because I don’t want to name somebody and leave somebody off. We have so many talented artists from my city and county, which I love because it allows us to represent our region and show the world what we can do.
Coming up on the first anniversary of Thanks To You, if there was a message you could give to yourself next year, what would you tell your future self?
I would tell my future self: keep going hard, keep trusting God, and keep believing in yourself. Chase your dreams. Don’t let nobody talk you out of your dreams. Years from now, you’ll look back and be happy that you went hard. Continue to express yourself and create. I’m thankful for this opportunity and for the talent that God gave me. So I would just tell my future self, man, just keep going hard.
I love that you continue to maintain your faith because this industry can certainly shake you.
It definitely can. That’s why you have to stay grounded, humble, and true to yourself. You know what you hear about the industry and all the other stuff, but you have to stay true to yourself.
Well, we look forward to supporting everything that you have coming up, especially with the visuals.
Thank you so much.
