User:Heustabros/sandbox

DHeusta

DHeusta, also known as Dallin Heward (born June 25th, 1997) is an American producer and songwriter known for creating original music with a blend of electronic and cinematic rhythms and melodies. He is best recognized for his fan songs inspired by the popular video game Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF), crafting pieces centered around its iconic characters and storylines. Additionally, he has created music based on other trending topics and indie horror games, including Poppy Playtime, The Grimace Shake, and more.

Early Life and Background

Introduction to Music

Dallin Heward (DHeusta) was born June 25th, 1997 (27 years old). He is the middle child of 3 boys, sons of Kyle and Rachel Heward. He was born in Mesa, Arizona but grew up in the small towns of San Tan Valley and Queen Creek, Arizona.

Dallin was raised in a structured Christian home where family and faith were prioritized. From a young age, he developed a deep love for virtual reality and video games, which became his go-to pastime. He enjoyed playing on consoles ranging from the classic Super Nintendo to the GameCube. Amid his excitement for video games, his passion for music began to take root. Inspired by the iconic scores of the games he played, he dreamed of creating his own music.

Music played a significant role in Dallin's upbringing. Both of his parents grew up singing and playing the piano, a love they naturally passed on to him. His father introduced Dallin and his brothers to a cappella music at an early age, sparking his fascination with how a few voices could produce such a wide range of sounds. Dallin was particularly intrigued by vocal percussion, also known as beatboxing, and developed a talent for creating drum-like sounds using only his mouth. He even won several competitions showcasing his beatboxing skills.

He first began playing the piano at around the age of six, taught by his mother, Rachel. Once he mastered the basics, he became self-taught, learning more complex arrangements such as John Schmidt compositions and the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. During this period of growth, he acquired various pieces of musical technology that enabled him to create his own music for projects like stickman animations and homemade films, which he produced with his brothers, Jarren and Brenton. His passion extended beyond music to storytelling, as he loved pairing his compositions with the narratives he brought to life.

In his early creative stages, most of his musical influence came from dubstep and trap. Both genres of music were very popular during the early 2000s. Some of it also came from the movies and shows he watched, and as mentioned earlier, the videogames he played.

Growing up

Dallin and his family lived in San Tan Valley until 2011. During this time, he attended Benjamin Franklin Charter School from elementary through junior high. After the family moved to Queen Creek, he enrolled at Queen Creek High School, where he graduated in 2015.

Following graduation, Dallin worked various jobs to save money for a two-year church mission. When his mission call came, he served in the Neuquén, Argentina mission, where he learned to speak Spanish.

After returning from his mission, Dallin began working at Photoplay, an online scrapbooking company. In his spare time, he rekindled his passion for music, establishing a presence on SoundCloud long before gaining recognition on YouTube. Once he decided to pursue music full-time, he left his job at Photoplay and continued living at home while building his brand and developing his artist identity.

The name “DHeusta” is inspired by his father, Kyle, who was nicknamed “The Heuster.” With a personal twist on his father’s nickname and his own first initial, the name “DHeusta” was born.

Career Journey

Dallin began pursuing his music career full-time in 2019. At the time, his close friend Charlie Green was gaining significant traction with his own music. Recognizing Dallin's talent, Charlie introduced him to the emerging genre of Nerdcore, offering guidance and inspiration as Dallin explored this unique musical direction.

His first Nerdcore song, Gotta Sweep, was inspired by the indie horror game Baldi's Basics. Initially, Dallin's approach to music production focused on commission work for other Nerdcore artists. His first major breakthrough came with Ultimate Fright, a song based on the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise. Created as a commissioned piece for Smoke the Bear, now known as Gold Bear Animations, the track garnered millions of views across multiple YouTube channels, significantly boosting Dallin's visibility.

Dallin's original music began to gain traction with the release of Save Me, a song inspired by the character Springtrap from the Five Nights at Freddy’s series. While he continued to produce remixes and covers, he gradually built the confidence to release his original compositions directly on his own channel, moving away from solely commissioned work. This shift marked a turning point in his career as he established himself as a leading voice in the Nerdcore community.

Dallin eventually released an album titled Process + Let Go, which he created primarily as a passion project. The album was deeply personal, drawing from his experiences with love, loss, and mental health. Although it didn’t gain the traction he had hoped for, Dallin refused to let this setback undermine his commitment to creating meaningful, original music.

His most popular song emerged from a collaboration with fellow artist CG5. The idea was sparked when McDonald’s released a limited-time Grimace Shake to celebrate their mascot Grimace's birthday. Creators and influencers online began crafting a sinister narrative around the shake, suggesting it was cursed and that anyone who drank it would meet an unfortunate end. Inspired by this viral trend, Dallin proposed making a song about the Grimace Shake and invited Charlie to collaborate. Charlie agreed, and their song quickly went viral, reaching tens of millions of listeners across platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

Dallin has performed some of his most popular songs at several conventions, including NPC (Nerdcore Party Con). While he has yet to confirm or embark on a tour, he has expressed interest in doing so within the coming years.

In 2024, Dallin began making changes to his brand as an artist. He expressed feeling trapped and constrained by a niche that primarily focused on creating music about trends, while his true passion lay in crafting songs inspired by his own feelings and experiences. This shift began with the release of his song Cut the Cord, which subtly reflects Dallin's desire to move beyond Nerdcore and free himself from being confined to labels or categories as an artist. Despite not being tied to any trend or meme, the song performed well, resonating with listeners as an authentic expression of Dallin's emotions.

Discography

Albums

• Contrast (2020) A collaborative album with Rivver
• PROCESS + Let Go (2022)

Singles

• Time to Climb (2018)
• We Are Society (2018)
• Gotta SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP (2018)
• My Last Plea (2018)
• Principal of the Thing (2018)
• Super Smash Bros. - The Ultimate Brawl (2018)
• The Final Task (The Messenger SONG) (2018)
• SUBSCRIBE TO PEWDIEPIE (2018)
• APEX LEGENDS Song - Apex Champions (2019)
• Jaroslav Beck: BEAT SABER - Feel The Rhythm (feat. BSlick) (2019)
• Ninja Legends (2019)
• The Ultimate Fright (2019)
• What Is Life (2019)
• Masked Away (2019)
• Curse of Dreadbear (2019)
• No Reason To Leave (2020)
• With Every Step (2020)
• Siren Head - Monster (2020)
• Siren Head Misunderstood (2020)
• Into the Pit (2020)
• Curiosity Don't Kill This Cat (2020)
• Always Lose Control (2020)
• Who You Gonna Call? (2020)
• Say Bye Bye (2020)
• A Very Fazbear Christmas (2020)
• To Be Beautiful (2020)
• Count the Ways (2020)
• Show Yourself (2020)
• I'm Just A Shy Guy (2021)
• Goodbye Scott (2021)
• Put A Smile On That Face (2021)
• Closing Time (2022)
• I Am the Dream (2022)
• I Don't Know (2022)
• Take Me Far Away (2022)
• LET GO? (2022)
• Save a Life (2022)
• Needing to Know (2022)
• The Doctor (2022)
• Don't Stop (2023)
• Tender Memory (2023)
• Keep It Hush (2023)
• STATIC (2023)
• Takin' a Life (2023)
• I'm Over My Head (2023)
• Leave a Rating (2024)
• Timeline (2024)
• Are We Human? (2024)
• There Shines a Spark (2024)

Collaborations

• Once Upon A Dime (Ft. Divide Music) (2018)
• [SFM] BATIM SONG - A Chapter To Unfold (ft. Swiblet & CG5) (2018)
• DELTARUNE Susie (song) - MEAN GIRL ft. Cami Cat ~ DHeusta/CG5 (2019)
• Pacify - HUSH (Divide Music & DHeusta) (2019)
• Supernatural Nightmares (Ft. Connor Brinson) (2019)
• SAVE ME ft. Chris Commisso (2019)
• Never Ending Party (Halloween YouTube Singers Collab) (2019)
• Dark Deception (SONG) - Tiptoe (Ft. @danbull) (2020)
• Doom Crossing ft. CG5 (2020)
• The Devil's Swing (REMIX/COVER) ft. CalebHyles & Swiblet (2020)
• Say My Name (ft. Annapantsu, JerBear) (2020)
• FETCH (ft. Dawko) (2020)
• Angry Alex (ft. Chi-Chi) (2021)
• The Lonely (ft. Dawko) (2021)
• It's Spreading (ft. CG5, Dagames, Dawko) (2021)
• Balan Wonderworld: A Cappella Medley (ft. Hailey Lain, Brandon Fox) (2022)
• Miss You Now (ft. Bakoozla, ButterscotchBread, DropsteR, Endicott, Fenyx, Halfy & Winks, Precious Jewel Armor, Wassup_MKJ, Wyn) (2022)
• Out of Stock (ft. Dawko) (2022)
• Make Me a Hero (ft. Dawko) (2022)
• Lights Out (ft. Divide Music) (2023)
• GRIMACE (ft. CG5, Djsmell) (2023)
• Coming Back For More (ft. CG5) (2023)
• No Exit (ft. Kntnk) (2024)
• Cut the Cord (ft. Axie) (2024)
• We're All In This Together (ft. Linford Twins) (2024)
• Swim With Me (ft.FuhNaff) (2024)

Notable Remixes and Covers

• UNDERTALE Remix - Komodo Chords - Steel Yourself (2018)
• Below The Surface (Ft. Nenorama) (2018)
• Shovel Knight REMIX - Main Theme (2018)
• [BEATBOX] BATIM mashup (2018)
• CG5 Memes: I Love Me Some Jarritos (REMIX) (2018)
• Blink Of An Eye - ft. CG5 (2018)
• The Headless Horseman (ft. SquigglyDigg) (2018)
• DELTARUNE - Jevil's REMIX (The World Revolving) (2018)
• Super Smash Bros Ultimate - LIFELIGHT ft. Chi-Chi (Electro Cover) (2018)
• will smith grunt (2018)
• Jablinski Games - Theme Song (2018)
• Retro VIDEO GAME mashup (2019)
• Ultra Instinct Shaggy (2019)
• DELTARUNE - Don't Forget (2019)
• Aladdin - Friend Like Me (2019)
• The Witcher: Toss A Coin To Your Witcher (COVER/REMIX ft. @JerTheMusicBear) (2020)
• CLOVER - Help Me: OR3O (Remix/Cover) (2020)
• Show Yourself (2020)
• Wellerman REMIX - Sea Shanty (2021)
• No Exit (ft. Vannamelon, Djsmell) (2024)

Style and Influences

Music Style

Genres: A blend of electronic, cinematic, and pop music. DHeusta's work often combines rhythmic beats with emotionally charged melodies, creating an immersive sound that appeals to both gamers and general audiences.

Themes: His music frequently explores storytelling, emotions, and personal experiences, transitioning from trend-based songs to deeply personal compositions as seen in Cut the Cord and Process + Let Go.

Influences

Artists and bands: Dallin grew up listening to a number of different artists and music styles. Some of his favorite artists include but are not limited to NF, Cody Fry, Daft Punk, Hans Zimmer, JVKE, Electric Light Orchestra, and others.

Notable Features

• A strong emphasis on narrative-driven music that connects with fan communities, popular media trends, and draws from his own personal experiences.
• A willingness to experiment and evolve, as demonstrated by his shift from Nerdcore projects to original songs.

Online Presence

YouTube

Dallin's official YouTube channel, DHeusta, has garnered over 100 million total views. When combined with the reach of other channels featuring his work, his music has amassed an impressive 7 billion views. His subscriber base currently exceeds 350,000 and continues to grow steadily.

Discord

Dheusta hosts his own Discord server that you can join and be a part of his creative journey, asking questions, getting updates, and responses from DHeusta himself.

Streaming Platforms

DHeusta reach on spotify has surpassed 200 million streams with his top songs each accruing millions of streams. He also appears on Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Sound Cloud.

Social Media

Instagram: @DHeusta has almost 27,000 followers on instagram.

TikTok: @DHeusta has over 80,000 followers and counting.

Twitter/X: Dallin has nearly 15,000 followers on X.

Future Projects

There is not much known about DHeusta's future plans for his music. In the past year, Dallin has expressed desires to leave nerdcore. He has enjoyed the journey of making fan songs but he is feeling "trapped" by the community and wants to make more personal music. Dallin has spoken of "lore" and "storytelling" in his social media posts and on his YouTube videos but that is the extent of knowledge available at the moment. There is more to come.