We recently connected with Dantes and have shared our conversation below.

Dantes, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?

In June of 2018, Dantes signed with Sony Music Entertainment. Under Sony, Dantes released his debut EP “meristem.” The extended play was spearheaded by the single “GREENHOUSE,” produced by multi-Grammy award winner !llmind. The papercraft animated music video for “GREENHOUSE” was created by Stefano Bertelli, the award-winning director behind Frank Sinatra’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!.” Additional production on “meristem” included international artists ROMderful & Engelwood.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Fusing five-octave vocals with woodwind layers, Dantes represents the unorthodox. Born in Broward County to exiled Cuban dissidents, Alec Arritola took up the clarinet at 10 & was a member of the South Florida Youth Symphony by 12. A prodigy saxophonist & National Hispanic Scholar, he gigged throughout Miami, where he performed in the same venues as influences including Herbie Hancock, Paquito D’Rivera & Arturo Sandoval; his repertoire comprised of jazz, classical & native Afro-Cuban music.
In 2016, the then-anonymous singer under The Count of Monte Cristo-derived moniker “Dantes” garnered attention with his R&B/hip-hop collaboration project Divino, which featured rap acts like Project Pat, Smokepurpp & Ski Mask The Slump God, over beats from formative trap producers including 808 MAFIA, Wheezy & Young Chop.

Following the release of Divino, Alec Arritola landed songwriting placements on FOX series “STAR”. Along with JAY-Z’s protégé Memphis Bleek & Ruff Ryders producer Teflon, he penned Save Your Love (performed by Luke James & the Star Cast). While working out of Bleek’s Roc Nation studio, he sung bilingual references for international stars Shaggy & Maluma. He was additionally featured on UMTV’s Emmy Award-winning show “Off The Wire”.

Apart from his solo releases, Dantes has been a featured artist on songs along with Playboi Carti, Nessly & Tory Lanez.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting from a professional music career at Sony to being an undergraduate at Harvard University portended a tremendous adjustment. The sporadic nature of the music industry juxtaposed to the disciplined nature of academia warranted a complete lifestyle change.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I believe NFT’s that contain utility can be valuable assets and/or meaningful collectibles. In April of 2022, I released an NFT collection with artist Playboi Carti. This NFT collection was a dual-media venture, containing both an image and an exclusive song for collectors.

Contact Info:

• Website: dvnt.es
• Instagram: @dvntes
• Facebook: @dvntes
• Twitter: @dvntes
• Youtube: @dvntes

Image Credits
Photographer: Xavier Luggage Stylist: Danny Santiago Hair/Makeup: Tina Echeverri