FEATURE:
The Next Chapter…
Saluting the Amazing IAMDDB
_________
THERE are a few reasons…
why I am writing about the magnificent IAMDDB. Not only is the Manchester-based artist someone I really love and feel has this phenomenal aura, energy, passion and talent. She releases the new single, Where Did The Love Go, on 14th February. It is so easy to be intoxicated by her remarkable music. She is someone I have been a fan of for years now. Evolving as an artist, she will put out her album, Volume 6/Vol. 6, soon. Go and follow IAMDDB on Instagram and Twitter. This week, IAMDDB spoke with YouTube (the video is below). A captivating chat, she explained how she cannot be defined as an artist and that there is this change coming. An evolution of one of the most extraordinary talents from this country is coming. Watching the interview, it seems like she is in a really inspiring place. I am going to bring in a few interviews involving IAMDDB, as I want people to know more about this incredible human. The moniker of Diana De Brito, she was born in Lisbon, and moved to Manchester. Of Angolan and Portuguese ancestry, there is this great and unique mix in her music. IAMDDB put out the Hoodrich, Vol. 3 mixtape in 2017. Flightmode, Vol. 4 arrived in 2018. Swervvvvv.5 came out in 2019. I think this next chapter will be the most important, potent and spectacular one from an artist that everyone should know about. This fluid and uncategorisable artist who should be headlining stages, she is a mesmeric artist. Go and check out her music and dig out as many interviews as you can find.
I want to source a few interviews, so we can learn more about IAMDDB and how she has progressed and moved as an artist through the years. I discovered her music way back, but I really got into it 2021. Singles like JGL resonated and struck me. She has always been this wonderful and inspiring artist, but you can hear something magical and so rich in her more recent tracks. RAYDAR spoke with IAMDDB in 2021. They asked about her then-new song, Silver Lines:
“What initially inspired you to start creating your own music?
My papa. He is my all-time inspiration, he was in a band in his day called “Afra Sound Stars”, toured Africa, Europe, and other places with other huge artists from Angola and Portugal. Having that legacy run in the family made me realize I had to maintain a high level of achievements and global reach to make him proud. It was in 2016 I began taking music seriously and full time. Since then, God has allowed me to wake up and do what I love every single day. I am so grateful for this journey, and to have people around me who nurture me and inspire me to be the best version of myself.
As we know, the single is an ode to women empowerment and you express the importance of sisterhood and self-love in the track. Tell us about how your song “Silver Lines” was created
“Silver lines” was created with the intention of being a feel-good lift your mood type of vibe, a song that will make you feel lifted no matter where you are. I feel like we all have grey days and all need that go-to song that will always put us in a good mood – that is what “Silver Lines” is. Mike Brainchild is on production and we have great synergy in our process and it shows in the outcome. This song was made to remind people that not all that glitters is gold but just because it isn’t gold doesn’t mean it won’t be a life lesson you need.
Your music is clearly not one-dimensional. Some say you are a jazz artist, Neo-soul artist, even a trap soul artist. Would you put your music in a certain genre?
I would never box myself into a genre, the only genre I stick to is Urban Jazz, because urban jazz is what I am. I am multi-dimensional, I bring jazz elements into every other genre that exists and make it my own. That is the beauty of urban jazz, it is whatever the creator makes it. I have been tapping into so many new dimensions within my sonics that I do not think people will expect what’s coming…
An artist in 2021 can be bittersweet at times but very rewarding. It requires a lot of dedication and work! How much does your team contribute to your success?
I am only as good as my team. 2020 was a real year for me! You can’t build with people who make a profit off of keeping you naive and in an unhealthy environment. Now that I am surrounded by beautiful energy, I am flourishing at God speed, and it is reflecting in every aspect of my career and business. I am in full control of every business move I am making and it feels so good to have clarity and control. I highly advise artists to empower themselves this way, it’s not just about the art, the business and relationships matter a whole lot!
Can we expect a new release in 2021?
Debut Album is on the way, I have some amazing collaborations coming up! Also, the sickest merch line dropping and so much more but as always I would rather show you than tell you. We are also on tour OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2021 so make sure you grab your tickets for this experience – it’s going to be mental”.
As she prepares to release her first single of this new year, I wanted to spend some time reflecting on the past. It has been over five years since IAMDDB broke through. I feel she has decades left in music, and it is compelling watching her path and career unfold. I do feel like this year is going to be one where she commends some huge stages and gets her music even wider around the world. COMPLEX interviewed IAMDDB in 2021. They featured someone who was very much on a high:
“Musically, mentally and spiritually, 25-year-old IAMDDB is in the form of her life right now.
The Manchester-hailing singer, songwriter and rapper, born Diana Adelaid Rocha De Brito, is probably best known for her ability to switch pockets and genres in a way that seems way more natural than the average performer. After bursting onto the scene with her debut single, 2016’s “Leaned Out”, she then went onto capture the masses with her biggest single to date in “Shade” a year later. She has since delivered consistent lo-fi R&B jams, such as “Give Me Something”, along with ‘urban jazz’ cuts like the self-explanatory “Urban Jazz”.
Following a collection of well-received projects, such as Swervvvv.5, Flightmode Vol. 4 and Hoodrich Vol. 3, it’s easy to see why the 0161 native has acquired such a dedicated following. Not only is she bringing a super refreshing sound to her cult-like following, but IAMDDB is self-assured, confident, and moves with an aura that isn’t only compelling, it’s incredibly contagious too.
The daughter of popular Angolan musician De Brito, IAMDDB moved from Lisbon, Portugal, to Manchester as a child and grew to become one of the most recognised and sought-after names from the rainy city. But it’s not just the streams and views that have brought her all the attention. After coming third in the BBC’s Sound Of 2018 list, she supported Lauryn Hill and Bryson Tiller on their global tours, this all as an independent artist with a small, close-knit team.
Your 2017-released single, “Shade”, really put you on the map as an artist we should all be tapping into, and you pretty much had the whole Manchester music scene behind you. What does that track mean to you today?
I feel that every song is different. It depends on how you feel emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually—all of that. But I definitely look back at “Shade” and think about the feeling I had when I was creating it and the vibration it has when it translates to people. It’s a feel-good anthem! People just want to sing to it and feel great and turn up! I always think about how what I’m creating is going to make people feel and what message I want people to be singing back to me. You have to remember: music is a mantra, so you always have to make sure that the music aligns with positivity and raising the vibrations, because if it ain’t that then why are we doing it?
You came third in the BBC’s Sound Of 2018 list, which was a great look for you at the time. Since then, how do you think that you have progressed, both as a musician and personally?
I’m tuned into myself a lot more these days and give less of a fuck about what everyone else thinks and what they’re doing. At the end of the day, I’ve got to where I am because I’ve stayed true to myself. The core of myself is that I’ve always been comfortable with who I am and being true to who I am, that whatever I put my fingers into or create or delve into, I know it will always be a part of who I truly am—apart from what the world wants. It took a while to get to that point and find that balance, to differentiate what I want and what the world wants, but when you find that balance, you understand how to play the game and how to maneuver through situations better. I feel like, when I was younger, I was very erratic and impulsive. I didn’t really think my actions through. Now, I’m at a stage where I’ve experienced so much and seen so much—up close and personal—lost and won so much, that I am now comfortable in my own skin and I’ve taken my time! I know what’s for me, so there’s no rush. I would rather take my time and know what I’m doing, than rush and be blind-sided on the route. That’s not the vibe.
After moving to Manchester at a young age and growing up here, how important is the city to you now when it comes to creating?
I feel like we don’t get the opportunities that we deserve. I feel like Manchester is one of the waviest cities in the UK, but at the same time, it forces you to push harder and test how hard you can go and do things that people don’t think you can do. Like, even with “Shade”, that video cost me, like, £100 to make! Then, you watch it now, and you think it’s one big production. No! Manchester makes you embrace the nothing that you have and create. I think we have a hustler’s spirit and we go hard for what we want here. I think people in London might be a bit more privileged when it comes to opportunities and the attention that they can get, but I definitely think that Manchester—as a musical hub—has a different flavour”.
I am going to finish with something more recent. Even though Sneaker Freaker were speaking with IAMDDB about footwear, there are segments from the interview that caught my eye. The fact that she puts out such honest and direct music that intends to lift the mood and vibrations, IAMDDB also mentioned how she intends to focus on ‘the womb of each female listener’. She is such a magnificent and inspiring person! Someone who, I feel, is going to be a global superstar very soon:
“How would you describe your music? What’s it all about?
My music is my truth, my therapy, the place I go to dissect my emotions, the place I go to create and manifest my dreams and desires, the place I go to heal, the place I go to foretell what’s to come, a place of peace, beautiful chaos. But most importantly, a place I go to express the life form and the emotions of the life I embody.
How has your heritage influenced your sound?
The fact I am Angolan and grew up listening to so many different genres has definitely influenced my musical palette. I hear music in different rhythms and tones. I hear layers that my ancestors would have been chanting back in the day in their village. I feel like my culture has helped me cultivate a sound that is only mine, unique to me and every sound I jump on.
Whether it’s music, fashion or another industry, who are your heroes and why?
I don’t have heroes, but someone I look up to highly is Bob Marley, Miles Davis and Nat King Cole. They were all divine masculine and were so regal, raw and vulnerable when it came to their artistry. I aim to one day reach just 10 per cent of that level of vulnerability and greatness. I think this is what the music industry is lacking. Real, Raw Vibes straight from a FULL soul.
Do you aim to empower women with your music? If so, how?
One hundred per cent with every song – whether I am talking about how men ain’t worth it or shaking our nyash, my music’s true intention is to raise the vibration of the womb of each female listener. If I can influence every female listener to activate that fire within and live a life without fear of the unknown or judgement, I can say I have done a good job!”.
With a new single out 14th February, and Vol. 6 coming soon, this is an exciting time. As IAMDDB stressed in the YouTube interview, she is someone who is evolving and people have to accept and handle that. In sonic and lyrical terms, whether that signals a dramatic shift or something that departs from her earlier work, I am not too sure. She is always moving and staying fresh. Someone I have so much respect and love for, you miss out the wonderous IAMDDB…
AT your peril.