We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Darius James. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Darius below.
Hi Darius, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I first discovered my love for music around the age of two. My aunt gave me my first drumset for Christmas and I never looked back. I started as a musician, playing drums in church, but I had no choice but to learn piano since my dad was a skillful pianist and organist. He had a MOTIF synth keyboard that I used to make beats on when I was 8 or 9. From then on, I started to write songs to the beats that I created and even recorded a few. At the time, music was just a hobby, and I put it on hold throughout my high school years to pursue basketball. Although I was a scholar-athlete when I graduated, I knew that I didn’t want to go straight to college and wanted to give music a try. I moved to Austin, TX with my uncle and his family where I met many dope artists who helped me get started. During this time in 2017, I started to understand the power of social media and how presence on an app can catapult a career. I started to think about all of the beats that I made when I was younger and, to this day, wonder what would have happened if someone recorded me making beats and recording songs at 10 years old. I wish I would’ve understood my talent at a young age and realized creating full instrumentals and songs was very rare and special for anyone, much less a kid in elementary school. When I was 19 years old, I decided to take music seriously and I’m thankful for where I am right now. All of my successes happened in perfect timing and my life is only going to get better with time.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My parents met in church while they were singing in two different choirs. My dad plays piano and both parents sing. I’ve been influenced by gospel music since I was born. I’ve played drums and other instruments since I was five years old and I’ve been writing music since I was 10. My start in music wasn’t a conscious decision; it was something that just happened naturally. Currently, I write songs, rap, sing, and play drums, piano, and bass. My favorite genre is R&B and I think this love comes from the close relationship with gospel music. They’re both very similar. One is a love song to the Creator and the other is to a significant other. They have similar chord structures and feels, and both evoke a lot of emotion. I would describe my sound as a cross between traditional R&B, pop, and even hip-hop. One success I’m most proud of is my recognition from Timbaland. I create remixes to songs that I like and post them on my social media, and one day I created a verse to an instrumental that Timbaland posted on his Instagram. I stayed up until 5 AM to finish it even though I had to be at work at noon. Right before I clocked in, I posted the video and within a few hours, Timbaland liked, followed, and reposted my work. My video got more love than I could keep up with, and many opportunities and connections have come since then. At this point in my music career, I want people to know I’m a regular person who goes through the same things they do, I just happen to know how to bring my journal to life through music.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There’s no better feeling in the world than creating a song that you listen to repeatedly. No matter what, making a song that Darius James enjoys is the most important thing because it brings a fulfillment I can’t get anywhere else. In addition, I love to hear people compliment my sound. Since I still have a day job in addition to my music career, I don’t usually tell my coworkers about my music, but someone always seems to figure it out, and when they do, the whole store hears it. I much rather have someone discover my music on their own and take their time to tell me how much they like it, rather than me showing them my music and them feeling obligated to compliment it. I love the genuine reactions people give when they first hear my music.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
My work never stops. I’m still working on a consistent sleep schedule, my social life is lacking, and there are many other sacrifices I have to make to be where I want to be. To feel like you are fulfilling your purpose as a creative, I equate it to any entrepreneur or someone doing all they can to improve their life. Any passion that’s different from a traditional day job takes an extreme amount of creativity and dedication, so I would say to people to do everything in their power to make their goals and passions happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dariusjamesmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamdariusj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DariusJamesMusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iammdariusj
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCVttowAo8Yn3mOKgVh6qXOQ
- Other: Tik Tok- https://www.tiktok.com/@iammdariusj?_t=8XDK3HNU3ri&_r=1
Image Credits
Alexander Lyons Tyler Simien Racquel Deeds Canon Carter