This week’s Featured Artist is 21-year-old Demxntia. From local fame in Tampa, Florida, his music-making skills are receiving more than state attention.
Demxntia Artist Profile
The Vietnamese-American artist is a multi-instrumentalist: he chose the piano at age four and learned guitar in middle school. There was always music in his family, and his older brothers loved karaoke. Because of this, he is a fan of many genres and this reflects in his music. His early musical inspirations were Bryson Tiller, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Green Day, and John Mayer. However, the “self-producer” knows what his sound is, and it’s bizarre and different from artists today. He tells amuse, “I want my songs to be like the opening or ending of a show, something people remember or feel a certain way when it’s played”. In particular, he thinks of films Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Akira.
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Along with his ADHD, he (overall) felt like he was “wasting his time” in high school, leading him to drop out at 16. Afterward, he wanted to be an MMA fighter but was too poor to afford training. Instead, he focused on making music.
The inspiration behind Demxntia is meaningful– and from a video game: “…it’s really a Final Fantasy 7 reference; the main character ‘Cloud Strif’ had dementia and convinced himself he was an elite soldier. When he did, even though his memories were false, he managed to do a lot of great things…” (amuse).
Demxntia’s Music Success
His music is experimental and includes multiple musical genres though “alternative rap” is the best way to describe it. His debut EP “somehow” showcases nostalgic 2000’s R&B and slow jams. On his Instagram stories, he says”i don’t want to know” is inspired by “Jason Mraz/John Mayer 2000s.” And he describes the track “start over” as “old school Neyo/Trey Songz type sh*t.” Now, the EP has over a million streams across platforms.
On last year’s EP, “CRASH,” he combines indie-rock, electro, and R&B for an interesting listening experience. Demxntia took to Instagram stories (again) to talk more about the album’s tracks and meanings. On hit single “Chaos,” he says, ” [I] was finally able to translate my day 2 day intrusive thoughts as someone with ADHD into both words and sounds[.] [I] couldn’t be happier to name the album after it.”
His recent single, “Picture love,” featuring laeland, is quite the opposite listen compared to Demxntia’s past work. The new single is a soft indie love song. He sings, “You come to mind when I picture love / And how your voice is my favorite sound / I heal whenever I’m feeling down.” Its vulnerable and sweet sentiment makes it the perfect song for a late Valentine’s day celebration. Today, the track has over 30,000 streams.
What do you think of this week’s Featured Artist, Demxntia? Let us know in the comments!
