Today we’d like to introduce you to Demian Arriaga.
Demian, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Both of my parents were and are music lovers, so I grew up surrounded by all kinds of music ranging from classic rock to salsa and more. As I grew older, my passion for music exceeds my abilities at soccer and other activities. I started taking drum lessons and thanks to bands like Extreme, Mr. Big and Megadeth, I started dreaming of one day playing in arenas and touring. Post high school, like many people, sad face, I was confronted by the reality that pursuing music as a career was not a reality where I grew up. I have to say that my folks always supported and encouraged me to go abroad and study music but I was definitely not confident or sure enough to make music my life. Fast forward a couple of years and I found myself in Boston at Berklee and graduated in 04. After college, I started working with Gary Cherone, my favorite singer back then and now and eventually moved to LA as per his suggestion. Since my time here, I have worked, toured or recorded with people such as Richie Kotzen, Streetlight Manifesto, Iggy Azalea and many more. I currently play drums for Nick Jonas and percussion for The Jonas Brothers, with whom I’m touring right now.
We’d love to hear more about your music. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Since I have been involved in music, I have always been in situations in which I played other people’s music. I think it wasn’t only due to the instruments that I play but also about the ones I didn’t. For the past decade or so, I’ve been playing bass and guitar which has made me grow musically more than drums have to be honest. I always saw my friends who could write as these magicians and as people that had a gift and such was a gift I did not think I had.
About two years ago through many fortuitous events, I discovered the handpan which is an incredible instrument that combines harmony and percussion, unlike anything I had ever seen. The handpan changed my life and I currently actively write and produce my original compositions which are available in all digital platforms under my name.
My newest release is titled “Hippocampus” which was inspired by the brave Dr. Blasey Ford and her testimony during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. I was moved by her guts and will to help others. As a feminist and someone who believes in justice, I couldn’t have picked a more inspiring source for my music.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I am an immigrant and as an international student with loans, I was required to start paying them the day after I graduated. Aside from the loans, I have had to spend thousands of dollars in immigration fees, lawyers, materials, etc. Furthermore, I am required, by law, to only earn my living through music. I say this basically to encourage anyone out there reading that feels down and out that it could be harder, haha. Honestly, though, I have tried my best to shift my focus and see those things as inspiration and fuel. If I didn’t have to do music full time at all costs, maybe I would have looked for other income streams but instead, I focused on music. I worked so hard and networked as much as possible but in my life, the thing that I love the most is what has been able to get me through the rough times not only financially but mentally as well and that is teaching. I love teaching and I make a decent living monetarily yet beyond that, what I gain as a person has no price.
I have also never ever seen music as my livelihood in a weird way. I made the choice to pursue this, knowing it was difficult and not the best-paid job. I am not one of those people that gets really bothered or insulted when a gig does not pay what I think it’s fair. I just do not take the gig. My time, energy and art are not really negotiable and I really value my happiness above the credits or connections.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
As I mentioned, my music can be found online under my name everywhere. I am also incredibly proud of recordings I have done through the years with Heffron Drive, MiaKoda, Streetlight Manifesto and others.
The biggest support anyone can show me is to see what I have been able to do and know that they can also accomplish it.
I do have a podcast called The Music Mentor Podcast in which I am to motivate, inspire, challenge and empower people of all ages and levels, who want to pursue music for a living and I do through anecdotes, opinions, interviews and more. You can find it on your podcast app, SoundCloud or TuneIn, stitcher and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: demianarriaga.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/demianarriaga
- Twitter: twitter.com/demianarriaga
Image Credit:
Carla Rogers
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