What happens when you turn the stories of ordinary people into music? For Utrecht-based artist PAX The Humanoid, the question has shaped the past five years of his creative life. The answer comes in the form of Dandelions VOLUME 1, an eleven-track album built from real experiences and conversations with people from across his community. Developed through his Life Writer project, the record brings together experimental hip-hop, jazz influences and an unconventional approach to songwriting, placing other people’s lives at the centre of the creative process.
The idea began long before the album took shape. PAX sees collaboration as a constant throughout his life in Utrecht, a city where creativity often happens collectively. When he made music, there would usually be a room full of people listening, reacting and even contributing to the process. They would spend a day together before turning something from that experience into a track. That changed when the COVID-19 pandemic brought his debut tour to a halt and left him seperated from the community that has always shaped his work.
PAX didn’t feel like accepting that distance, so he developed Life Writer, a live music production stream on Twitch and YouTube. He invited people to join him in the chat instead of gathering around the studio sofa, opening each episode with a simple question: “How was your day?” The answers ranged from hilarious and fascinating to tragic and even some deeply personal stories. Over time, those conversations became the starting points for new music, creating a format in which listeners could share their experiences and watch them develop into songs.
“Real people living real lives have always been the basis of my music,” PAX explains, “I have no interest in projecting success or danger or anything kayfabe. Real life is way too interesting and valuable.”
Five Years of Life Writer
Although PAX had a plan for Life Writer from the beginning, the project quickly developed in a way he least expected. He originally mapped out different phrases, expecting to make around 20 beats during the first stage. However, his father passed away unexpectedly in the first month, leaving him working through that initial phrase for much longer than expected. Instead of 20 beats, he made 100 beats.
PAX suspected that his father was perhaps encouraging him from the afterlife to spend more time practicing developing beats. Around beat 50, he began noticing a significant improvement in the quality and experimentation of his production. The extended process also gave the project room to grow beyond its original framework. As people became comfortable sharing their experiences, the stories moved into subjects PAX had never expected to explore.
One track, “Transformation”, takes inspiration from a father describing his son’s transition from being his daughter. Another adresses a viewer whose younger brother died by suicide. There is also a story about some more relatable stories: three children jumping on the sofa while their parent cooks, someone celebrating a date night or another person chasing a rush during the night. PAX points to the song “Beautiful Chaos” as an example of how ordinary moments can become meaningful musical starting points.
The community contributed more than stories, too. As the streams moved from initial ideas into more technical production, knowledgeable viewers began sharing advice in the chat. Some suggested drum machines to achieve specific sounds, while others explained techniques such as parallel compression. PAX described these experiences as an unexpected education, as he learned more during those first two years than at any other point in such a short period.
That exchange was very important for Life Writer. The project was never simply about collecting stories and turning them into lyrics or beats. It allowed people to participate in the making of music, bringing their own knowledge and perspectives into the process.
The Meaning Behind Dandelions
The album title carries several layers of meaning. There is a connection between the stories shared through Life Writer and dandelion seeds travelling across the globe. As the record reaches new listeners, PAX hopes those experiences spread, offering lessons, motivation or comfort that people can carry into their own lives.
There is also a more political meaning behind the name. PAX explains that “Dandelions” is a nickname used by some online communities in China for Palestinians. The title is an ode to Palestinians who have endured the ongoing devastation in Gaza throughout the album’s development.
PAX let every track develop according to its own needs, sometimes staying close to the original account and sometimes using it as the basis for a much wider parallel. “Normal Boy”, for example, follows the relatively literal perspective of a young man trying to act normal. “Transformation” takes a slightly indirect route, using the transition from a village boy to becoming a city man as a parallel to the original story.
“A song writes itself”, PAX explains. “The song is in charge. I just do what I can to help it write itself.”
That approach fully depends on trust. PAX always consults the people whose experiences inspire the music, giving them the opportunity to confirm that they are comfortable with the level of exposure involved. He believes that privacy belongs to the people sharing their story, not the artist adapting it. Personal experiences don’t always have to be painful or deeply private to become meaningful material tho. Celebrating a date night or describing the mindset behind a period of self-improvement can be just as valuable.
Collaboration Beyond the Studio
PAX his collaborative approach also reflects years spent working with other musicians. His time as the frontman of the Kyteman Orchestra, alongside a decade of collaborations before and after that experience, helped shape the way he thinks about music as a collective understanding. Even when working under his solo name, he still sees himself as a team player.
The Kyteman Orchestra also encouraged PAX to think on a much larger scale. Watching Colin Benders develop the orchestra project showed him what could happen when an ambitious idea was given the space to grow. He recalls Benders encouraging him to be “pretentious”, although PAX never liked that word. He now sees that idea less as an invitation to show off but more as a reason to aim beyond what already seems achievable.
Life Writer became an opportunity for him to build something that could have not happened from working alone. Its community helped shape the music, taught him new production techniques and influenced the subjects explored across the album. The eleven tracks on Dandelions VOLUME 1 represents only a small part of the material created during the process. With 100 beats already developed and more stories continuing to come, PAX sees the first volume as the start of something bigger.
He already confirmed that more music will follow, although he has not decided what a second volume should sound like. It could draw from the existing collection of unfinished tracks or introduce entirely new material. He prefers not to establish a concept too early, allowing the next group of stories to determine its direction. The challenge now is finding a faster production process without losing the openness of Life Writer.
Job Kind Brings the Stories to Life
Artist Job Kind created individual work for all eleven tracks, developing a world centred on a group of children surviving in a post-apocalyptic setting. The work can be seen as another dimension of Dandelions, with the illustrations adding depth to the stories and creating associations that listeners can discover alongside the music.
The artwork will take centre stage at the album’s release event at NAR in Utrecht on Friday 20 November. An exhibition opens at 16:00, with the album playing on repeat so visitors can spend time with the music and connect each track to its corresponding artwork. PAX and the team are also exploring ways for people to eventually bring the individual pieces into their homes.
At 21:00, the evening continues with a live performance bringing the album to the stage. The show will be led by keyboardist Niels Broos, with drummer Yori Olijslagers joining PAX.
Hearing Yourself in Someone Else’s Story
After five years of listening to other people’s experiences, PAX hopes that listeners will recognise something of themselves in Dandelions VOLUME 1. One of the most important lessons he took from Life Writer is that individual experiences often reflect a wider collective mood. During the streams, conversations could begin with seperate stories but gradually develop into a shared atmosphere that everyone seemed to recognise.
PAX remembers how certain moments affected the entire community. A full moon could make people feel as though something unusual was happening. Winter brought a sense of seasonal depression, while the arrival of spring seemed to shift everyone’s mood. When his father passed away, the community felt that impact together.
That sense of feeling united defines the album. Its eleven tracks begin with individual stories, but they become something larger once listeners bring their own experiences to them. PAX hopes people find energy, comfort and a feeling of connection in the music, recognising that they are not alone in the things they experience.
Dandelions VOLUME 1 releases digitally on Friday 6 November 2026. The release event takes place at NAR in Utrecht on 20 November, with Job Kind’s exhibition opening at 16:00 and a live performance followingbringing at 21:00.
“We live this life together,” PAX says, “I hope people take energy, comfort and togetherness from the album. I hope they “Keep Pushing.”
The album artwork is made by: Job Kind
PAX The Humanoid Turns Real-Life Stories Into Music on Dandelions VOLUME 1
