We were lucky to catch up with Trent Longo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Trent, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
Throughout my life I have always felt projected upon. It happens to all of us constantly. These projections of who we are thought to be are often based on our individualistic choices such as how we dress, the type of music we listen to how we look, how we talk, or anything else seemingly perceivable about us. I’ve always really disliked the idea of being put into a box or category of person. I’ve never felt like any one category. I have always felt like Trent, and I truly believe each person on this planet is entirely unique in their own way. I have learned the more I leaned into any box the more distant I would become from my own true passions and instincts.
One of the most beautiful things about acting is the ability to shed that idealized projection, and take on a brand-new form in a way. To be able to fully lose yourself in a character, and dive into the thousands of categories they don’t fit succinctly in either.
One of the primary reasons I dove into music was because I needed more mediums to express myself where I could speak directly to the people who support me, and not have someone else do it for me. I wanted a way for people to know my deepest self. Everything I write is coming directly from my heart and hands, and I think it’s a special way to communicate with the world. I will never be the artist rapping about things they haven’t done, or things that they think sound cool. Cool is just another box, that I don’t care whether I fit into.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Sure. I am Trent Longo when acting, and Dayetta in music. I was born in Aransas Pass, Texas, and grew up split between Arkansas, Texas, and Poland. I love to create in any form available, so I have been involved in producing music videos, comedy series’, and dramatic shorts for myself and others. I love to be a part of the writing team on projects, and frequently come to set with my own ideas and jokes ready to go. Improv has been a part of my process for as long as I can remember, and I have a deep affinity for it as well. The spontaneity brings so much energy into a scene, and I have so much fun doing it. With my dramatic work I think the focus for me is a lot of preparation, and presence. Just being very present in the characters’ mind. Replacing my thoughts with theirs, and just allowing myself to react to what is occurring around me. I’ve always been inspired by the transformative nature of Johnny Depp and was always amazed that he could disappear so deeply into so many characters. That is what I strive to do any time I am given the opportunity. I feel like every piece of art should feel like one cohesive tapestry, so it is important to me that my role serves that purpose. When making music it’s a lot different than that. To me that is about putting my deepest self into the world. Not every song is meant to invoke deep thought, but every song is meant to show and encompass my truest self to the realest extent. It’s about letting people in.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think to be direct and intentional with their actions. In the world of social media, everyone has a lot more power than they realize. In music, record labels look at the popularity of an artist. They look at if this person has community support, they look at social media metrics, and they look at what types of things people say about the artist. Smaller communities all over the country could help their local artists immensely just by participating in the most basic way with a like, comment, or repost. I think people need to separate their own personal opinion from support as well. A piece of art doesn’t have to be your favorite or the best, for us to recognize the effort of the artist. There are going to be people who love that art, but only if they find out about it. That is the mentality I employ when supporting creatives.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is getting to do the work. I dreamt a long time about just even getting the opportunity to try and do the work, so to be here in this moment actually doing it, is amazing. Without the help of networks, or production companies I can create art myself and get it out to thousands of people in no time. I am so grateful for that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trentlongo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrentLongo/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/trentlongo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@trentlongo7
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/@dayettamusic
Image Credits
Omar Morales Carli Lind Illustration Jhothunder