Dallas singer Slow Joy almost threw in the towel. Then came TikTok

Wearing an orange hoodie, Slow Joy stands in a field
Slow Joy (aka singer-songwriter Esteban Flores) Photo: Courtesy Stunt Company PR

It’s Homegrown Music Month, and every day, we’re tipping our hat to a different artist or act with North Texas ties. Listen to hear the day’s artist on KXT 91.7 FM and check back tomorrow to see who we shout out next.

Slow Joy

From: Dallas

Sounds like: Reconnecting with your smart, sensitive songwriter friend over several cups of coffee

Goes good with: Vance Joy, Dashboard Confessional, Maggie Rogers

Origin story: New Mexico-born, Dallas-based singer-songwriter Esteban Flores, who performs under the musical moniker Slow Joy, approaches music as a way of processing his emotions and making sense of the world around him. Just as he was about to throw in the towel on making music for a living, his songs “Crawling” and “Soft Slam” went viral on TikTok, resulting in him releasing EPs like Mi Amigo Slow Joy earlier this year, as he works toward a full-length release.

Quotable: “These [songs] are snapshots of something I believe in. If you connect with it, you connect. If you don’t, you don’t, but I want people to see that there are other people struggling through the same things … I want people who connect with it to realize that they’re not alone in these crazy times that we’re in.” — Flores to KXT in May 2024

Fun fact: Slow Joy has over one million likes on TikTok, the platform where its music first caught fire

Why we picked them: Buzzy indie rock singer-songwriter making waves beyond DFW’s borders

Where to hear: Streaming on most digital music providers

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