Today we’d like to introduce you to Deondrei Dior.
Deondrei, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been musically inclined. I used to write raps and have vague aspirations to be a professional recording artist, but never took it seriously. In 2016 I decided that I would pursue it, actively. Eventually, I got to recording in my bedroom in 2017, and in November of that year, I started recording in an actual studio. I’ve grown up on Hip Hop and music has always played an integral part of my life. I often reflect on eras in my life in relation to what I was listening to at the time, it’s that closely weaver into my experience. My influences are so eclectic and range from Kendrick Lamar and Drake to Paramore or Toro Y Moi. I learned shortly after recording that performing was a euphoric experience for me, and being able to share a creative piece of me with the world and bring it to life on stage is truly a dream-like experience.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely been challenging and still is. Being a recording artist is not an easy feat, especially when you have so many people that make it look like it is and have social sites that only display the highlight reels and the triumph. There aren’t many people that are posting much of their struggles and lowest days, and this is especially uncommon for the rappers and artists that come up in the genre I’m in. It’s a constant shifting of emotions between hope, doubt, excitement, lack, stagnancy, triumph, more doubt, confidence, inspiration and more doubt. I’ve always believed in this dream of mine, but there are some sobering realities at times.
I have also been dealing with some very unique health challenges that have made my past year and a half quite interesting. In May of 2018, I was diagnosed with a condition called valley fever, a fungal infection brought on by breathing in bacterial spores from the soil. It gets into your lungs, disseminates and then goes through your bloodstream and spreads throughout your body. Some are unaffected entirely, some get a cold, some get pneumonia for a couple of weeks, and some end up losing their life to the infection.
I had an infection in the upper sternum and in my lower leg, which turned into open wounds. I woke up one day with blood all over my torso and a hole in my chest because the infection created an opening in the upper sternum area of my chest. In shock, I actually photographed it, and it became the project cover to my project “Thank You.” It conveyed the reality of my experience at the time, and it was my introduction into the music industry.
I had that open wound on my chest and later on, a similar one would develop on my leg for months. I had to get surgery on my chest in November. After ten months, my leg closed, and only one month ago, June of 2019, my chest finally closed over. It is possible that I may have to be on the pills for this for decades to come and at the minimum, another three years, to make sure the infection in my blood is maintained and doesn’t flare up and infect another part of my body.
This experience has been jolting and threw me off balance a bit, but just like the simple act of walking, sometimes you have to be off-balance to balance yourself out again. Some times, you need a bit of a contrast in your life to show you how much you may be taking for granted, or how much you don’t actually live your life the way you truly wish you could, and that is a change only you can make. For me, it was a combination of all these things and I am still learning lessons from this experience today. I make a conscious effort to stay in a state of gratitude and acceptance to maintain the perspective that I gained when I was in the worst of my situation. Through it all, I grew stronger, more positive and more appreciative for life, because while this was one of the most challenging years of my life, it was, simultaneously, one of the happiest and most exciting years of my life. I released music on streaming platforms for the first time, I performed for the first time, had my first listening party and dropped my first project. Its the balance, the paradox, the understanding that your attitude and the passion you have for whatever you love will navigate you through your life, even though the turbulent times.
What should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I rap and I sing, however, I wear many hats because I have my hands in all aspects of production. This is true for my music and even some of the peers I make music with. I am very hands-on with the mixing, I am very hands-on with the videos that we’ve shot and I have even constructed beats from scratch with the producers that I work with.
I guess I would say my specialty is versatility. I tap into many different rap sub-genres that I connect with: lyricism, melodic rap, mosh pit rap, and so on. I draw inspiration from too many places to only reflect one kind of style in the music. It’s in my bones; its second nature to channel what I love through my expression. I also have a lot of songs where I’m straight-up singing, and although I didn’t grow up singing or learning how to sing, I love to do it.
I like to think no two songs of mine sounds the same, and moving forward it will probably continue this way. My core fan base will know, as it expands, to expect the unexpected. They’ll be the people who are okay with one of their favorite artists not always sticking to the same sounds, but the signature frequency will always be there.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
There are, of course, many manifestations of success, but it is all relative. I believe that success is measured by the feeling of accomplishment and appreciation for your growth and transformation. Its about being happy with the work that has gone into a certain transformation—being proud and content with the integrity, persistence and effort that went into it.
For me, success would look like a few things:
- creating a fan base that would be worldwide
- being able to sustain myself with what I love to do
- being able to help my family and loved ones do the same
- making a more economically sustainable earth and neutralizing the negative effects that we have had on the environment
- being abundant
- creatively expressing my passion in the best way I can
- ultimately, inspiring others to be themselves and do the amazing things that we’re all here to do.
Pricing:
- $150 booking for performances
Pricing:
- $150 booking for performances
Contact Info:
- Website: https://song.link/album/i/1472492724
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @deondreidior
- Twitter: @dontdoitdonyell
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
