What is your name and what city do you rep?
- My Name is Darius House but I’m well known by my stage name “IamDerby”. I represent Portsmouth, Virginia where I live, was born, and raised.
Tell us about your latest releases, what inspired you to create them?
- My latest release is an EP called “The Samples Volume 4: Love Injunction’s” which contains three tracks expressing different feelings you go through in a relationship during the best of times, most toxic times, and the frustrations of wanting to be together with someone that you know deserves better than what they’ve been with in the past while knowing your qualified to fulfill that position in their life.
- What inspired me to make these three songs? Going through the best relationship that I’ve ever experienced while ironically being the most toxic relationship at the same time inspired the songs “Romeo & Juliet” & “Take Me Away”. The song titled “Torture” is inspired by the biggest crush that I’ve had since being in middle school and I’m tired of seeing her not getting the treatment that she deserves. Currently, to this day, I’m still working to get this woman’s full attention. Pray many blessings over me for this one!
What is unique about you and your music?
- One unique thing about my music is that about 98% of the time I don’t write any of my lyrics so everything I say is a fresh thought. When I do take the time to write a song, cause I do write for many other artist’s, I’m untouched. I had the best English score on all my finals throughout my high-school and quick lived college career; I’m untouched when it comes to writing anything.
- Another unique fact about my music that I would say is; I engineer, mix, and master everything that the audience hears from me. I’m in total control of my sound and you would never know that I record out of the living room in my apartment, bedroom closet, garage, sometimes the bathroom, and other various places. Wherever I can get it in I will but the outcome always comes out in top tier quality. You can ask anyone in the Hampton Roads that has worked with me, know me, or know of me “who’s the best engineer in the area?” and respectfully they’ll respond “Derby”.
What shaped your music?
- My music inhibits a collection of life experiences. It illustrates a glimpse of my failures in relationships, my successes as a man, my faith in God,and my journey as an independent artist
When did you realize you were going to make music professionally?
- I’ve been making music since about seventh grade (2011). I didn’t start taking it professionally until maybe the summer of 2020 when I started earning money from my music. Just last year, 2021, I really digging into the business side of things and doing traveling and touring and learning about going commercial with everything I do in order to stand out from the rest of artists in my area.
What type of music do you listen to?
- I listen to almost all genres of music. Some more than others. But I’m a huge fan, in this order, of R&B, Gospel, Hip-Hop/ Rap, Pop, and more recently Country. Everything after that is music I come across and I’m not a huge fan of but find songs that I like/ love and gain inspiration from such as EDM, Rock, Metal, New Age, Experimental, Ambient, and the list continues. I pretty much listen to everything, I’m very open-minded when it comes to my taste in music.
What inspires you to write music?
- The experiences of life inspires me to create. Wether those experiences are on my own or shared between others, there’s always a message to be able to learn from each experience (good and bad) and I find true inspiration to put those experiences that I have that into my music because someone, somewhere, may be experiencing those same things as I have and I find it joyus that I may be that help; that they may not have, to overcome whatever it may be that they are going through. It doesn’t have to always be bad experiences as well. I love to motivate and inspire people to keep going when everything is going in their favor and make music that may help them celebrate successes. I love to encourage people that all things are possible if you (1) put your trust in God; I’m a Christian and I’m stand firm on my beliefs. (2) Put your mind and grind to get to what and where you want. Lastly, (3) never give up. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that in order to win you have to learn how to accept failure(s). That’s a deeper conversation for another time but that goes for everyone in anything you do. Once you learn to master that, no one will be able to touch you.
What do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?
- In my personal time, I’m passionate about spending time with my family. Family time is everything to me. Im passionate about time in general because it’s the most priceless thing life has to offer. Once it’s gone you can never get it back. All that you are left with is the memories of what was. Therefore, while I have the time now, I’m going to make sure that I make my memories special before those moments even becomes a thing of the past. I cherish my immediate family dearly. I’m a father to a five year old girl who is beyond beautiful and smart for her age. As I’m getting older my parents and grandparents are getting older and I try my best to spend as much time and conversation with them as I can and to learn and gain wisdom as much as I can from them as well to better help prepare me for my time when I become their age. Overall, my time with my loved ones is what I’m most passionate about outside of the music.
Happiness to you is…
- having inner peace and being surrounded by genuine people. Life is about encouraging each other and helping people reach the best versions of themselves.
What do you wish you were told when you first started making music that you think would help artists just starting out?
- Never allow taking a loss affect your discipline, never let success make you settle. It’s important to work hard , whether encouraged or discouraged. There’s always something to learn to better yourself. Be your own competition by analyzing your performances to see what could have been done better.
Tell us about your upcoming projects…
- Revealing upcoming projects can sometimes spoil your fans, I want my fans to receive new music unexpectedly while they’re enjoying what is already released.
Where do we find you music / music projects?
- Streaming on all platforms you can conveniently find all of my media in the following link: solo.to/iamderby
Any last words for the readers?
- I’m an independent artist who engineers my own music. If you listen to my music from beginning to end, especially an EP or Album, you will find that I craft my projects with a lot of detail. From with subliminal references and wordplay to showcase my attention to detail.
