Page 64 - ION Indie Magazine JanFeb 2021 Issue

DTCM: When I was super young, my inspirations came from CMT (Country
Music Television). Artists like Keith Urban, The Rankin Family, Shania Twain,
etc. When I was maybe 6 or 7, my Dad showed me the AC/DC live album in the
car on the way to a soccer team photoshoot, and he played track 7, ‘Money
Talks’ …and I know for a fact my life changed during that moment. After that, I
was obsessed with AC/DC and Angus Young's stage presence. I was already
a super hyper kid as it was, but running around doing Angus Young moves
really sent me. My oldest sister Alicia put me and my other sister Mikaila onto
bands like Blink 182, Sum 41, Green Day, Simple Plan, etc. That kind of music
always fascinated me, too. And in eighth grade, I got even more into it, even
starting my own punk band which I'm still in today called Youngest and Only.
We were heavily influenced by punk rock bands like Bad Religion,
Descendents, NOFX, Blink, Dead Kennedys, Tigers Jaw, PUP, The Story So
Far, The Thermals, etc. Aside from my punk and hardcore roots with music, I
was very inspired by Dancehall and Soca music. Artists like Nailah Blackman,
Shensea, Popcaan, Maleek Berry, etc. hip-hop has always been very important
to me, too. In high school, I listened to a lot of Drake, Meek Mill, Lil Snupe,
Flatbush Zombies, Future, and lots others. Recently, I've been really into the
UK hip-hop and drill music, with artists such as OFB, MizorMac, Blanco, J Hus,
Section Boys, AJ Tracey, House of Pharaohs, and others.

MH: You’ve mentioned that you have another music project going on. Tell
us about Youngest and Only. Share with us a little a little more about that
project.

DTCM: Youngest and Only started off in eighth grade with my two best friends,
Jack and Nathan. We really just wanted to make a 3-piece pop/punk band and
let out some pre-high school angst. We continued the band, changed drummers
almost 4 times, added a guitarist, and released a few EPs. That band is my
everything and has been one of the only consistent things in my life and I am
so grateful to consider the dudes in that band my brothers. We have another
EP and music video coming out soon too. Boon Squad for life!

MH: Have you worked with other artists and is there a band or another
artist that you might want to collaborate with?

DTCM: To be real with you, I can count the amount of people I feel comfortable
writing with on one hand. I'm a huge control freak and more times I'd rather just
do everything by myself and alone. It's just better for me that way. But I always
thought it would be cool to have a rapper like Roney or Keelow (rappers from
Toronto) spit a verse on one of my more dance hall tracks. I'm pretty open to
doing collabs, but I have to really rock with your vibe, and if you seem fake or
lame to me in anyway, I'm not tryna do nothing with you. Show love and respect
to everyone, but trust is earned. Don't trust anyone off first glance. Especially in
this industry.

MH: What do you hope your viewers/listeners will get out of seeing you
perform on TikTok and other social medias?

DTCM: Honestly, the response from my videos have totally exceeded my
expectations, and if my video can just reach a few people to make their day a
little bit better, that's good enough for me. For someone who wants to make a
career out of music, I hate the idea of shoving content in people’s faces just for
the sake of views and clout. If you rock with me, I rock with you. I just know the
right people are gonna hear my music no matter what and that's what matters
to me. Screw everyone else.