For those looking to achieve success in life, several factors come into play to help you accomplish this goal, from favorable situations, family support, and financial backup. However, hard work is by far the most important aspect of success that any self-help book or inspiring podcast can focus on. The story of rising singer and producer, Darien Joseph, is truly an example here. His relentless passion for music and hard work has helped him beat all odds and bad luck to accomplish his dream of becoming a musician.
Throughout his youth, Darien was fascinated by different genres of music, especially classic rock and hip-hop. He wanted to pursue a career in music, but his dreams were stifled weighed down by a lack of support from his family who wanted him to follow a traditional 9 to 5 career. Darien Joseph was only 23 when he started working in the finance industry. The corporate life suffocated him for the next 5 years until the pandemic struck, leaving Darien jobless almost overnight.
With no backup plans, Darien soon found himself in huge debt. He had no source of income, nor a plan to resolve the situation. This eventually led to depression and alcoholism. The friends and family who wanted Darien to slog in a 9 to 5 job were gradually losing hope in him. Many even criticized him for being unemployed. After several months of living in hell, Darien decided to regain control of his life. Music became a healer and also a ray of hope for him.
Darien started practicing to hone his skills. He watched YouTube videos, listened to amazing stories of musicians who singlehandedly rose to fame with no label, and read books on how to use the power of social media. At times, Darien spent 14 to 18 hours working on his music, writing songs, and learning to compose them. After 6 months of hard work, he finally released his debut single “It Happened” on his YouTube channel.
“It Happened” became a smash hit, earning more than 1 million views in just three months. The song went viral on almost all social media platforms with influencers recreating it, making dance covers, remixed as party scores, and used for ringtones. The song’s success was Darien’s reply to all criticism about him and to those who thought he could never make a living for himself. Next, he dropped his new album “Autumn” on Spotify, earning over 1 million hits in just a couple of months.
Today, Darien has more than 150K average monthly listeners on his Spotify account and a total of 5 million followers on all his social media accounts. He is a popular name in the live music scene in festivals and clubs. Darien writes songs that connect to real-life experiences of people. He believes that the music industry is extremely saturated with talent, and to be distinct, you have to be unique. Darien leverages his social media reach to inspire budding artists to follow their dreams. His journey from losing his first job, ending up thousands of dollars in debt, and now being a sought-after name in the digital music scene is truly inspiring. Darien uses his music to snapshot incidents from his life, which has helped him bond with the audience on a personal level.