Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Quay Doodae. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Quay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Beyond being an artist I as a human being do feel misunderstood a lot of times and I had many scenarios where trying to be understood is challenging. Being born and raised in Memphis as a black man alone is nothing but mischaracterization. There were times people didn’t even know me or know what I represented. Honestly they could really care less. People really did not care about what I had to say or really check on me as I did for them. I learned from that situation that I was strong minded and meant to lead. I was not meant to be with people who everyone already has figured out. I was meant to be my own biggest supporter and critic. I believe I am still very misunderstood to this day, but I feel like that is who I am. I don’t necessarily think being misunderstood is a bad thing. I honestly believe it is one of the biggest reasons of why I started recording music and writing songs. If you are misunderstood keep being yourself!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
I am Quay Doodae a recording artist and songwriter. I mainly make music for hip hop and rap under the industry’s genres, but I would say I am an artist who’s sound can break barriers deeper than that. I was a freshman in college and really I wasn’t able to keep up with school because I wanted some money. I started rapping with my brother in the beginning of 2020. We were recording in a small room on GarageBand with a xbox gaming headset used as the microphone. I would sometimes even skip school just to make music and get as many songs recorded as I could. I started doing music to help my brother to get back into his groove again, but after my first song I recorded I just feel in love with the art. Plus i didn’t have a big income coming in weekly and money was getting tight so sometimes I would charge $5 or $10 for a verse just to have some extra cash. I recorded everyday from the whole year of 2020 and in late 2020 I begun to work with my brother, JAmadethis, who was in the music game for some time now. JA wanted to help elevate my sound to the next level. I used to go over his house to record, learn to mix, and gain knowledge on music in general. I was introduced to a whole different side of music like never before. I upgraded my whole software and started to invest in myself buying equipment like a microphone, Focusrite, Protools, and basic necessities. Self investment is something that really helped me in the year 2021 because I record from home because money was never coming in big amounts; Nevertheless, I was able to build my brand up as “Quay Doodae”. Quay Doodae is located on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Youtube, Spotify, Pandora, and etc. The big message I am trying convey to anybody that listens to my music is to know that you are not alone. My path to where I am now has not been an easy one just like yours hasn’t I am assuming. I’ve had people tell me my music has helped them get through their depression, and that will be worth more than any dollar amount. I have worked day after day, month after month, and year after year on this music. My commitment and dedication to this brand and myself is what I am truly proud of. I am also proud of my music itself and the impact it is having. Currently on Youtube my music video for my song, “Misunderstood” has over 100K views, and my other songs are finding success. I feel I am bringing authenticate music to those who listen to my music. I want to leave anybody the listens to my music an experience every time they press play.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
What drives my creativity is to insure my family and future never goes back to how it was when I couldn’t really afford the finer things. Once I knew I could make a dollar off of music I knew then to not stop. Money is definitely a goal but the mission itself is deeper than that. My parents always did their best in trying to provide for us and give us what we needed. But I can still remember those days were sometimes we didn’t have air when it was hot or when I was broke myself with no money to even help myself. I really had no choice but to turn into a hustler. I always had to find a way to get some money. Music was just the best way that I could express myself creatively. Music honestly is a path that I chose to reach peace and happiness within myself. I feel like a sense of freedom or feeling that I am in my own world whenever I record. So searching for peace, happiness, and a better life for myself. My past is what keeps my creativity flowing because my past plays a part in the music I make.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Society nowadays seems to support things or people furthest from them. The biggest thing society can to do to support small artist is to show as much interaction and engagement to the artist next to them as they do these big celebrities. It is times where small artist get discouraged because they can’t find a solid support system or they don’t have any sense of hope. This problem is big in Memphis because you have to prove yourself to the world before they will truly accept you. That makes it hard for those who are not really able to travel to build a name for themselves. I feel like there is enough money for everyone to make a living society itself needs to just connect with each other no matter what the business is. Use social media as a connecting platform and build connections because you never know who can get you to that next level.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/quaydoodae327
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quaydoodae/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074650301241
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuayHoncho
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsOCB8999vmouwHDCLHmk7A
- Other: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/quay-doodae/1582531132 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1gkQWuceNBsslre6yUn1z5?si=t9B-M1YJSZ6nyqxA0YtIpw
Image Credits
kalebsvision siciliacreative