Today we’d like to introduce you to Davy Boi.
Davy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Early on I was interested in all things art, and it was around age six when I initially developed such an appreciation for music & especially singing that It was something I wanted to pursue. One of the biggest plot points in my story from this time was around age of seven when I was spending the weekend with an older cousin who wasn’t encouraging of my interests. I can remember singing aloud around the house, playfully, as most children do and I remember staring at posters of pop artists from J-14 and the like on my younger cousin’s bedroom walls and then expressing that I wanted to become a big pop singer like those kids.
I remember then turning to my older cousin and seeing what I knew to be a dismissive look on her face and then shooting my down with early criticism of what she thought at the time was I assume my weak voice. Well, this memory sticks with me and always has because it was when I went home to my mom after that weekend that I said right away on the drive home that I needed to be enrolled in singing lessons. My mom being the constant support she’s always been found the money and that next season I started classical voice at LSU in Louisiana, and since then I’ve only been to conservatory & arts schools my entire life. So I would say my start was an instinct that no matter what negative voice was in my ear, early on I knew I wasn’t going to be denied, that my gift was there, so I made it a point to pursue it, wholeheartedly.
Has it been a smooth road?
Life has taught me there are no completely smooth roads, with even the smoothest most recently paved of surfaces always having a few bumps here and there. I think my road has been made easier by the hard work & sacrifices of my family who’ve made it a mission to be behind all the way and to my credit I’ve really pushed myself and been a self-starter from day one. I have albinism and learning to love myself, love the skin I was in being albino was hard for years because I feel like the uniqueness of it was overshadowed by stigma and criticism and a limited world view of what it is. It was hard growing up and always standing out, whether I wanted to or not because as a child I think most of us are just trying to fit in.
That being said not having a grasp on that made me turn to the arts as an outlet and something I had real control over. Having a talent, I could grow and develop put me in the driver seat and also taught me how to control the attention I was getting. Secondly was finding the confidence to want to pursue entertainment professionally in a world that loves boxes it’s used to. I thought for so long I couldn’t shine or become a real star or even working entertainer because of my being queer or because of my albinism but then one day that just changed and I realized uniqueness was the suddenly a new box people wanted to dig into, and then I had to unpack & reprogram my mindset.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a 24-year old albino r&b and alternative vocalist, songwriter, & producer born in Oakland, California and then raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As of 2020, I have a growing music following everywhere around the world, anywhere the internet touches from Berlin, Germany to Mexico City, Mexico. In my music, I explore my sexual identity as an out albino man navigating romantic relationships in a murky app culture, while also working through issues of self-love & self-doubt from my youth.
My self-written & co-produced debut single “Dirty Mind” featuring Queens, NYC rapper Dai Burger along with my self-released compilation ep ‘everything so far…’ have seen me covered by Billboard, GayTimes, Earmilk, DNA Magazine, & Subvrt Magazine among others most of which calling me out as being an artist to watch and garnering attention for the quality of my music, approach to my art itself, and my mission in the entertainment industry. Currently, I’m working on my debut ep set for release later in 2020 continuing to work with my longtime co-producer Johan Lenox (Travis Scott, Selena Gomez, Lil Nas X) & Brooklyn, NYC mixer & producer DJ Shiftee.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I am so proud & relieved that I am coming of age in my career as an entertainer at a time when things have opened up more broadly for people of color, queer people, and people who don’t look as cookie-cutter as we’ve been used to for several generations of artists. I am lucky to be a wave of new talent coming along that has every opportunity to find their own audience, carve out their own lane, and use our own uniqueness to pave our way through.
I’d like to see more labels throw their money & marketing weight behind queer talent, I love to see a&r become a real thing again, and I’d love to scripts that leave themselves open to the possibility of ‘alternative’ casting. In regard to a&r, sure at labels, the scouts should be looking at various factors for considering who to sign but follower count shouldn’t be a large enough factor to outweigh potential and also taking risks on artists you believe in for reasons other than them being safe bets is a better way of doing a&r than just jumping on an already moving train.
Then in regard to casting & scripts, as an albino entertainer I’d like to not only be considered for a villain role or a supernatural character of some sort. We need to also be called in for the lab tech, the comedic best friend, the detective, & be written more often as the super hero instead of the villian. My goal is to be casted in roles that are real that don’t just forward this old media idea that albino actors or models should only play one type of ‘fringe’ part.
Contact Info:
- Website: iamdavyboi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdavyboi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamdavyboi/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamdavyboi
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/davyboi
Image Credit:
Nova Fox (1) & (2)
Maxwell Poth (3)
Unknown (4)
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