NXTSTYLE’s 2020 New Music Guide: Dava

Music is all I’ve ever really known and it sounds really corny, I know.. but it saved my life a lot of times. When everything was falling apart for me growing up it was the only consistency I felt. I could lock myself in my room and nerd out about guitars or garageband and remove myself from things that were hurting me. That’s what I hope it becomes, something that matters to people. Sad songs can heal, hype songs bring people together. My music exists to keep me sane and alive and hopefully it helps other people know that they aren’t alone either.

I can say the best music I’ve worked on is on the way and a lot of it. the rest is god willing. there’s a very sticky song in my dropbox right now.

I listen to everything. I’m really excited about the new Mac Miller album but I’m still listening to ‘Swimming’ a lot. He was one of the greats, I think about him a lot. I grew up on Elvis and the Righteous brothers.

I definitely want to work with Kenny Beats in my lifetime. He’s produced a lot of my favorite artists and honestly just seems like a fun dude. I’ve seen most of ‘the cave’ episodes.

I guess initially my obsession with learning the guitar started when I was 8. My mom died that year. I think I was angry and I needed to fixate on something. I never got to see her much and she had a lot to work through mentally. It was all really unfair. The silver lining is that is that every year she got me a music themed gift, maybe unintentionally. It started with a karaoke set up and little kiddie guitars. It was cool because no one in our family is a musician, but she was a writer. Poetry mostly. So that’s really it, she planted a dream in my head and I haven’t given up.

“To stand on my feet momma

Play these songs, it’s therapy momma, they paying me momma

I should be paying them

I should be paying y’all honest to God

I’m just a guy I’m not a god.”

—— Frank Ocean “Futura Free”