I’m DonoSpectacular, an independent artist from Dallas, Texas, fusing R&B with hip-hop, funk and soul. Making my first real recordings nearly 10 years ago, music has been a formative part of my life. Growing up hearing a spectrum of Jill Scott to Earth Wind & Fire in the backseat of my parents' cars to later finding my own love for OutKast, which led me to Prince and D’Angelo, my music has been informed by a magic of soul more than anything. If stealing from your parents' CD closet were a crime, I’d be typing this in orange.
I got my license a little later than most in my senior year of high school. When I finally did, I felt my first taste of freedom. Through trips to anywhere, I'd reach the bottom of the six-disc changer of my mom’s Volvo C70. Sitting passenger, you were bound to hear something from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by OutKast, Sign O’ the Times by Prince, Baduizm by Erykah Badu, or the self-titled album by Corinne Bailey Rae. These CDs, paired with my already growing affinity for artists such as Chance the Rapper, Alex Wiley and Mick Jenkins, built the foundation of my musical taste. It took years of experimentation, persistence and unearned confidence to perfect my craft, and just like that old car, I got a few dings along the way.
Building a career in any industry is a lot like weaving a rope as you climb it. In art, you climb said rope while creating the very concept of a rope. No one tells you exactly how to get up top. Throughout my career, I’ve tried countless tactics to push my music. A supercut of my life would mostly show me in front of some “music growth hack” tutorial online or finding ways to connect with other artists. I’ve been signed, I’ve been in groups, I’ve played big shows and nothing has worked for me more than doing what I do naturally and wholeheartedly.
When I wasn’t getting booked for shows, I threw my own and taught myself the basics of event production, which led me to start my business, BlueBlaze Entertainment. In the midst of frustrating recording sessions, I’d find myself playing D’angelo’s Black Messiah or Smino’s Noir and being awed at the textures, grooves and structural complexities they effortlessly pulled off. What draws me to music most is that indescribable feeling that controls your lips and scrunches your face without your input. It’s often the most direct idea that gets you there.
DonoSpectacular finally let the magic happen and kept creating.
Ashley To (@ashlizzey)
Six years ago, nearly to the date of Sept. 29, I released my first and most recent full-length album, LUCID. Since then, I’ve had such a complicated relationship with the form. Going through the typical changes of getting older, layered with various side projects and 9-5s, I found myself losing grip on what I actually wanted. Diverting from my early, more experimental work in an effort to make something more accessible, I spent years studying pure pop. Working as an MC hosting local events most days weekly for the past five years, I have had no shortage of opportunities to hear what the “common folk” hear. I studied everything from Britney Spears to Sabrina Carpenter, a whole bunch of stuff I’d never really listened to and definitely didn’t grow up with. The only pop music I heard as a kid was on Drake & Josh or Hannah Montana.
Throughout this time, I got really “good,” and I almost quit. Any of my collaborators would tell you that the way I work is chaotic. Countless layers, sporadic harmonies, jarring inflections, all things I love. In my efforts to understand pop, I cut it all out and stripped my music down to the basics, only to realize that these weren’t my basics at all. I need the confusion.
I studied the top 40, learned from it, liked it, recreated it and ultimately hated it. I finally figured out how to make “regular” music and felt my real self clawing at my insides to be freed. So, I let myself free.
My music is built on a foundation of chaos, and through that, I find peace. Without it, nothing I do feels important or representative of me at all. While a goal is to pay my bills from music, I’ve never wanted to be a run-of-the-mill musician for hire. I have a job and am self-funded, so all my stakes are internal. For me, the impact of the art is the true prize. To this point, I’ve been most rewarded when staying true to myself. I studied the top 40, learned from it, liked it, recreated it and ultimately hated it. I finally figured out how to make “regular” music and felt my real self clawing at my insides to be freed. So, I let myself free.
My relationship with albums is still complicated, and I want it to be great (I want to be a star after all). So during the process of finishing my second album, I’ve been challenging myself to work quickly and passionately with soulful, funky sounds I love when I feel myself getting stuck. My newest EP, The Magic, was created in just two days and released shortly after on my birthday on Aug. 27. Inspired most directly by Prince, Rick James, D’Angelo and OutKast, The Magic is a full-throttle funk-fueled symphony. This project is a reminder of what can happen when you get out of your own head and let the magic happen. I’ve found that the struggles of art don’t typically stem from the inability to create, but from the inability to accurately portray what you already see. The vision is already there, you just need to know it well enough to let it free.
As my next year approaches, I find myself grappling with stardom and what that means more and more. I spent six years growing and not showing it to the audience; I’m not letting that happen again. I’m going to be spectacular. For me, being a star isn’t attached to a number or a dollar amount. Being a star comes from a feeling, a sheen, a whisper through the air. I meet stars daily whose greatness outmatches their status.. A star is an inspiration, an aspiration, a true beacon of ingenuity. A star can be learned from and built upon, but not copied. Any clones would be mere heat lamps to the sun. I don’t want to be a star. I am one.
Follow DonoSpectacular on Instagram (@donospectacular) and listen to his music on Snipfeed.
