At first glance, D.I.O. may seem like your typical rapper; but the New Jersey native is more than just that, as he pairs different sounds and melodies with authentic songwriting.
“D.I.O. is a very private person,” the Atlantic City-bred, now Tampa, FL-based artist tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder about who he is exclusively in a virtual interview. “I’m shy, so I love expressing myself through music. I’m very relaxed and I just like expressing what’s going on in the world of music.”
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Crediting musical visionaries like Eminem, Drake, Lil Wayne, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar as his musical inspirations, D.I.O.’s early love for music came from hearing these artists’ songs when spending time with his aunt. Taking a deep dive into seeing how they create art and show their expression through music prompted D.I.O. to take the leap and turn his personal stories into song, which has resulted in a slew of singles and five albums over the course of his career, including his most recent release How Do I Escape.
“[My songs are] definitely a lot of personal stories. If I can’t say it to, you know, one of my close friends or something like that, even if I’m talking about myself, I’ll put it in a song as a way to express myself,” D.I.O. reveals.
As for what people can expect from How Do I Escape, D.I.O. says that it’s all about escaping everyday reality and living inside your dream.
“[‘How Do I Escape’] is an album that describes a little bit of an escaping this form of reality that we have in our minds that we gotta do this every day. It’s all about escaping that and just living inside of your dream. You get to hear my dream within those 12 tracks and me living inside of escaping reality,” he explains.
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Currently, D.I.O. is on tour with the Queen of Oakland, Kamaiyah, hitting 20 cities across North America. “I’m going on this full length tour — 20 cities — and it’s going to be amazing. “It’s challenging… every day we’re focusing on rehearsal and making sure everything is right, not using up too many songs because it’s a full-length tour. But I’m really excited,” he shares.
For more on D.I.O. and his budding music career, make sure to watch our full interview below.
You can keep up with D.I.O by giving him a follow on Instagram at @diomusicg1.
