Indie sensation Dici has exploded on the music scene over the last 18 months with his break-out hits like U N I, which dropped on January 14th. The Miami native has cultivated a tremendous fan base to which he attributes his powerful lyrics and image while finishing high school and dropping hits. Dici states, “We live in an era where people will pause, look at something, and then move on. The more content you put out, the more likely it is that people will stop and watch, which in turn encourages them to stick around. Traditionally, musicians stick to one genre of music; and if you listen to their library, not all songs can fit into that same genre. To the artist, it’s all about making music he enjoys listening to and does this by listening to a wide variety of genres. It’s easier for the artist to connect with more people if they write and create music in cross genres.”
His stage name was derived from a nickname he acquired during a family trip to Italy he had taken the summer of his 15th birthday. The Italian word for 15 is “Quinndici,” which quickly became his nickname that summer and stayed with him when he had returned home to the US. However, months had passed, and he had decided the beloved moniker was too long, and he shortened it to “Dici.”
His new single, “Will You Stay,” is one of Dici’s favorite singles in his catalog. “The song is about the end of a relationship in which one party doesn’t want it to be over. This song resulted from an unstable sleep routine I experienced when I was in Japan for two months. I was sleeping during the day and awake all night. So I ended up recording and producing this record while I was in Japan.”
While many indie artists felt lost during the quarantine of 2020, Dici installed Logic on his computer, inspiring him to pursue music and utilize his talents. “At the beginning of Covid, I had minimal creative output. I spent most of my time lost in school with online classes and playing computer games. I learned a lot about myself during that time early on in the pandemic. I felt trapped in a world of online education and games, so I turned to creating music as an outlet,” Dici explained. “There is a video of Kenny Beats talking about the 10,000-hour rule that came up one day when I was browsing YouTube. In the video, Kenny says if you practice anything for 16 hours a day for two weeks, a month, six months, you’ll get better at it. So after watching a seven-minute clip, I got up and went to work on my computer. It took me a month to learn Logic from scratch, but I ended up recording my debut EP that very first month.”
His first song, titled “305-INTERLUDE,” is his most trending record out at the moment. He created the beat on Logic Pro X and sat on a balcony at 2 am listening to it over and over. “I was rather pleased with the outcome of that beat, and I decided to record some vocals using a HyperX gaming headset that was lying nearby. I didn’t have any direct inspiration for this record; I just sat back, relaxed, and recorded the lyrics I felt were best appropriate for that first beat.”
Of his two current singles, “U N I” is Dici’s all-time personal favorite. The guitar lends a Spanish flavor to the track, which lends to his South Florida upbringing, while he raps the lyrics and incorporates drums and drops that give off more of an EDM/dubstep impression. “Will You Stay” has a more simplified production with powerful vocals. Dici expresses that his favorite video is “Will You Stay,” which will be released on YouTube on February 25.
Dici strategically times the release of his music videos to coincide with the release of his singles. And his strategy is clearly working, resulting in exceptional traction that most indie artists can only dream of on streaming platforms. Moreover, by broadcasting his videos to accompany the audio stream, the links receive hundreds of thousands of views.
When asked what his favorite part of the journey of becoming an artist has been and what he is looking most forward to in 2022, Dici exclaimed, “Observing my progress and outcomes of my efforts. For me, the most exciting part of 2022 is the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience and to meet the people who have encouraged me to pursue my career in music.”