Like a flower rising through the ashes of a burnt forest, Montreal’s Dylan De Braga‘s debut single, “Hold The Door,” blooms from devastation into something achingly beautiful. Written in the aftermath of a painful, heart-shattering breakup, the folk-infused track captures raw emotion with a tender, unguarded honesty.

Unable to even touch his guitar for nearly two months following the breakup, De Braga eventually found the courage to sit with his pain and within minutes of picking up his guitar again, “Hold The Door” emerged. “Without this song I wouldn’t be where I am, and I certainly wouldn’t be who I am,” says De Braga. “It will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Pairing confessional lyrics with a soaring, powerful vocal performance, “Hold The Door” transforms personal grief into a universal meditation on loss, healing, and resilience. The result is a song that feels both deeply intimate and widely relatable, inviting listeners to find their own reflections within its stirring lines.

1. Tell us the story of this performance, why did you choose to capture this song specifically?
I chose to record hold the door specifically because of all the songs I’ve written, it has done more for me than all of the others combined. Before I wrote this song, I was lost, heart shattered and completely empty. I didn’t even touch an instrument or sing for a good 2 months. The first day back I picked up my guitar, and this song basically wrote itself out of thin air. Later I decoded the meaning and realized it was an homage to the very girl who broke me 2 months prior. Since writing the song my life has changed in so many magical ways and it has (no pun intended) opened doors for me that would have been locked without it. Doing an acoustic live demonstration of the song as it was written only felt fitting before releasing the real song.

2.What were you feeling inspired by the day of this performance?
On the day of the performance I was thankfully able to tap into some of the raw energy and emotion that the song was written from. Even 2 years after the event in my life which led to Hold The Door, the pain and damage is still very easy to access through a time portal of music.

3.What was the process of making this video?Creating this video was a deeply immersive and emotional experience. I had the privilege of working with two incredibly gifted videographers who brought not only technical brilliance but also a profound sensitivity to the process. They transformed what began as a chaotic, nondescript studio into something that felt sacred, a space filled with warmth, intimacy, and a quiet kind of magic. That environment allowed me to connect with the emotional core of the song in a way I hadn’t anticipated. It felt less like performing and more like surrendering, letting the music and the visuals guide me to a place that was raw and honest. I truly believe that energy is captured in every frame of the final piece.