DEERIGINAL

London is home to some of the world’s most phenomenal musicians and one of them is vocalist, rapper/ poet DeeRiginal.

Hailing from the overlapping areas of Pimlico, Victoria and Westminster he incorporates refreshing rap, mesmerising melodies and powerful poetry into his sound. A sound that is further enhanced by the high quality beats behind his voice. A sound he refers to as ‘Fresh Air.’

Starting his music journey at the age of 14 and releasing his first demo back in 2010, DeeRiginal takes inspiration from his personal perspectives on life and shares moments of his existence through his music. Projext Liquid talks with Deeriginal about starting out in the industry, his creative journey so far and his plans for the future.

Listen to 'Closer' below

When did you find out you could sing?

I grew up listening to a variety of music including Beyonce on the TV and Destiny’s Child. Then I started singing classes, having little showcases for my family and singing cover songs. Eventually I started singing in school and having little performances.

How do you write your songs?

I used to buy the beats from YouTube and whatever comes to mind, I write off of that. I usually take a lot of inspiration from things that I’ve been through, I try not to sing about heartbreak or love songs because I just feel like there’s a lot people who can relate to my experiences. I took a lot of inspiration from ‘Drivers Licence’ by Olivia Rodrigo recently and this really blew up because its sometime that everyone goes through and that’s something, I want to do for people too.

Who inspires you?

Vocal wise I would say Ariana Grande, growing up I used to train my voice to try and get as high as hers or attempt some different skills that she would do and then it just stuck with me. I used to listen to a lot of R&B artists like Kehlani, H.E.R, Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, all the 90s R&B and Hip Hop. The type of music I make now is like Funk-Pop, so it started with listening to a lot of Charlie Puth until I discovered K-Pop. The way they make music is so different from Western culture. Western culture is very simple, the melodies are very catchy but with them [K-Pop], they’re not afraid to be very complex and that’s what I want to do.

Who’s your favourite K-Pop artist at the moment?

My favourite group is BTS, they inspire me a lot. They’re very hard working and engaging with their fans during their live performances which is something you don’t really see with a lot of artists.

How have you coped with the last year or so?

It was good and bad; bad because I think a lot of people have lost a lot of loved ones including myself. It’s also been so hard for people with mental health issues, I have depression and anxiety, so it took a toll on me but at the same time it’s been really good for me because I started recording my music. I had time to think about what I was doing wrong, what I should do better and when I understood that, that’s when I started making music.

Did you write your recent songs in lockdown?

Yes, ‘Healing’ and ‘IDNYT’ are the first 2 songs I released during lockdown. A few months later it was ‘Attention’ and ‘Be friends. My latest single is ‘Closer’, it’s about finding your self worth, confidence and grasping onto that, pulling it closer.

Do you do make your own beats?

I usually have my producer who sends me all the beats, then I record it all myself.

If you had to collab, who would it be and why?

That’s so hard, I would probably say Ariana Grande who has heavily influenced me and Rihanna because we are both from the Caribbean.

What’s the hardest thing about being an artist?

It’s really hard in terms of my culture and tradition, my Caribbean parents weren’t too happy with me pursuing music and it was often a struggle for me, they would say it’s such a big industry I’m probably not going to make it. I’ve been through quite a lot but at the end of the day it’s something I’ve wanted since I was young and I’ve never given up on it. There’s always going to be someone who brings you down, there’s going to be a lot of jealousy and people trying to pray on your downfall but at the end it just fuels the fire to make sure I’m going to still work hard for this.

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Artist: Alana Sukul

Photographer: Vanessa Abia

Styled by: Les Studios, Les Carolina

Makeup Artist: Alexandra J. Vitalis

Studio: Projext Liquid Studios