Today we’d like to introduce you to Dre DiMura.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dre. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in New Jersey. Both my parents were artists, so I was always encouraged from a young age. I started with painting and theater, I put up my own plays in the basement and developed a passion for writing when I was very young. There was always a guitar around and my mom showed me a few chords when I was little, but I didn’t start playing seriously until I was 12. The first band that really inspired me to play was Iron Maiden. When I was 14, I started going to the Princeton School of Rock. My dad’s coworker saw a video I posted on YouTube and suggested my parents sign me up. Her daughter, Kaleen, was a drum student (and one of my best friends to this day). This was also my first year of high school and my parents were getting divorced so the sense of community and discipline I found at School of Rock were extremely positive. I made a lot of friends there and got tons of hands-on experience. By the time I turned 18 I had three US tours under my belt and some pretty heavy credits with Gloria Gaynor and Dee Snider. In 10th grade, I left public school entirely and finished my degree online. That helped to eliminate the social anxiety I was feeling at high school, and let me focus most of my energy on music. I was dead set on doing music as a career. I have to give a lot of credit to my family for believing in my gifts and giving me the freedom to explore. That same year my parents let me withdraw my college savings and build a small recording studio in our house.
After I graduated, I spent the end of my teens in and out of local bands, always lusting for LA. I was dying to prove myself on the highest level and I knew Jersey wasn’t going to cut it. The standard of excellence here seduced me. I needed to prove to myself that I could compete on the elite level. I took the leap in 2015. The first sixth months were unbelievable. I had some incredible opportunities working in television and film. I worked for HBO on an unreleased series with David Fincher, and found myself on Nickelodeon and in commercials. I was enjoying the change of pace after grinding in bands for so long, exploring this other side of the business. After that honeymoon period ended I crashed really hard. I completely burned through my savings and I had so much baggage that I magically thought I would leave behind when I left home and found some success. I was so hyper-focused on the results I was missing out on the entire process. Two years of acting class began opening me up as an artist and made me a better musician. The acting process gave me permission to fail. In fact, it taught me that failure is what makes art interesting.
I spent the next two years playing hundreds of gigs and going on hundreds of auditions. I faced a LOT of rejection, had a few close calls and more near misses, and found my friend group through the Sunset Jam, which made me finally feel like I belonged here.
At the beginning of 2017, I met Jukka Backlund, my good friend and writing partner in Vegas. Jukka is an amazing producer and plays a massive part in the development of my own artistic voice. The first time Jukka and I wrote together is the most excited I’ve ever felt about music. It was the first time I surprised myself. It was the first time I had more fun creating the art than watching myself do it later. Our sessions broke down that lingering obsession over the finished product. They taught me that you can’t curate a result, you can only trust the process, and helped me to rediscover my reasons for being a musician. We released my first single, “Suicide Hotline” in February.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not. Everyone struggles in their own way. For me a lot of it was bullying. School was extremely difficult. I never quite fit in, I had long hair and I dressed differently and endured a lot of torment. Bullying is traumatic, and it can impact your ability to succeed professionally as an adult. Navigating this business having experienced that is especially difficult, because you constantly face rejection, and you’re told not to take it personally. So much of your self worth can ride on somebody else validating you as you share the most vulnerable parts of yourself.
I had the misfortune of entering into school at a really awkward time, socially. The “zero tolerance” to bullying policies were being talked about, but most of the administrators actually enforcing the rules were still very old school. I got shoved into a brick wall by this kid in my 1st-grade class. My arm was bleeding. My parents came in the next day to address it, and the vice principal called us into the office and told us to “shake hands and be friends”. I’ll never forget that. The student wasn’t punished at all. Someone threatened to kill me once because I painted my toenails. This went on for years. Needless to say, I didn’t feel very safe or put much trust in authority.
I attempted to overcome that adversity by playing sports and learning guitar. I wanted to become somebody who would fit in. I tried to be trendy and buy American Eagle shorts and make popular friends. It actually sort of worked. I earned a lot of credibility by winning talent shows and playing football. I became “cool” for a minute. As an adult though, I felt bitter that I had to work so damn hard just to be treated with dignity by my classmates. That feeling made it challenging for me to come into myself as an adult. I had to come to terms with how much of that “likable” persona I had created was me and how much of it was a survival mechanism. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to face because I was so fully committed to that identity, the idea that I could be living my life just to impress other people was terrifying. I did actually feel that way for a while, as if I was more powerfully motivated to prove I was strong and worthy than I was to be a successful artist. As you get older you learn to hold onto the good parts and let go of whatever is holding you back.
Ultimately, things do get better. The struggle can be part of your story without defining who you are. You define who you are.
Dre DiMura – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What sets me apart is that I’m the best version of Dre DiMura. You’d have a hard time finding a better one. I bring my unique energy and perspective to every tour, every video, every album, with no exceptions. There are a lot of good guitar players, good songwriters, people I respect and admire. I don’t compete with them, I only compete with myself. I approach this like an elite athlete. You have to be wholly devoted to your craft or you won’t be prepared when opportunity comes, and it may only come once or twice and vanish in the blink of an eye.
As a solo artist, the key is being unapologetically yourself. Unfortunately, not all artists have the opportunity to shine like that because of outside pressure or insecurity. I feel that, with my brand and the people I work with, I have total freedom. My goal is to create a platform where anything goes, connected by my voice and my experience and my language as a writer. I feel confident that I’m achieving that.
My fans are amazing and I’m nothing without their support. I’ve taken a lot of risks and learned not to compromise on who I am. Eventually, people will recognize and respect that, but it may take them some time to understand what you are doing. This is actually a good thing. I had to find the strength to believe unconditionally in what I was doing and take no prisoners. That’s what I’m most proud of.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When I was younger I thought being successful was being Led Zeppelin. I didn’t give myself permission to be successful (or happy) until I was Led Zeppelin. You miss out on a lot of blessings this way. Comparing yourself to others certainly isn’t it. We’re all trained to do this now with social media. I have so many amazing friends doing big things, I constantly felt like I was playing catch up. Obviously, I was doing big things the entire time, too, and I was so busy thumbing through my phone I forgot. Social media trains you to analyze what you aren’t as opposed to celebrate what you already are.
I’m only starting to feel successful recently and it’s for none of the reasons I originally anticipated. I’m working with people I admire and doing great work. I’m still hustling and I love the hustle. I don’t have a lot of money yet, I don’t have a Lamborghini or a platinum album. These are the mile markers I grew up with. I started working professionally right at the demise of the old music business, so it’s taken me a while to adjust and embrace the model we have now. When I was 13, getting placed on RapCaviar wasn’t a dream, Spotify didn’t even exist! I thought being successful was selling out the Garden and getting on an episode of MTV Cribs.
Success is wonderful but it can be dangerous. It can come at a price. I’m grateful that I haven’t gotten too much too soon. I’ve only received as much success as I’ve been prepared for. If I’d gotten what I thought I wanted when I initially wanted it, I would be a complete mess. Failure forced me to redefine my version of success and invest in myself as a person, which is paying dividends in my career, and for my mental health. I believe, if you work on being a successful human, you have the chance to be successful in your work, it may just take you a little longer than those who neglect their humanity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dredimura.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dredimura
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingdredimura
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/dredimura
- Other: www.youtube.com/dredimura
Image Credit:
Ryan “Mr. Hollywood” Wheeler
Rome Da Luce
Jessica Jones
Alyson Coletta
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