D’yani Talks Live Life and Prosper, Jamaican Music and Doing Things His Own Way

D’yani is a Jamaican singer and songwriter from Spanish Town whose sound moves across reggae, dancehall, lovers rock and the wider musical traditions of the island.

Following an intimate London launch for his latest project, Live Life and Prosper, D’yani is stepping into a new chapter with a body of work that draws on everything from roots reggae and rocksteady to ska, jazz and dub.

A self described student of music, he talks about leaving a career in maritime behind to pursue his passion full time, navigating the demands of being an artist in the social media age, and the sounds, experiences and Jamaican influences that continue to shape the musician he is becoming.

Please Introduce yourself
My name is D’yani, a singer and songwriter from Spanish Town, Jamaica. I’m a Gemini, a mama’s boy, humble, modest, talented, introverted. When needs must I can be extroverted. I’m a full-blown student of music, full-blown creative, full blown lover of life.

Describe your life in one word or a sentence… 
Spontaneous. 

Why are we here?
My album, Live Life and Prosper.

Tell us about Live Life and Prosper in your own words…
It’s a melting pot of all aspects of Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, a bit of Dancehall, a bit of Jazz, authentic Ragga Reggae, and Lovers Rock into one project. 

Why did you become a musician? 
It was such a natural progression. I did music from high school. My father used to play a lot of Roots Rock, Reggae, Dub in the basement when I lived in America. Then in high school, I was singing in classes, getting in trouble for singing too much. Then it progressed to college after I graduated and I decided to do it full time.

You went to a Maritime college right? 
Yes, I did. I studied at Caribbean Maritime University. After doing a year of work, I was like, you know, I really like making music and I decided to wholeheartedly put my passion first and do music full time and this is where I’m at now. 

When did you first professionally release music?
Professionally, I would say my first release was around 2017, a single called Deep with the artist Kacique. My first official record was in high school. But that was us as kids who made a video with our cell phones and put it out. 

How do you navigate using YouTube and social media to promote your music?
With YouTube and social media it has been painstaking to learn. But I have grasped the concept of social media to some extent. It’s always changing; a revolving door of concepts and algorithms and algorithmic changes. I use it both for work and personally. I’m D’yani, D’yani is Andre but ultimately it’s for work. I don’t use social media otherwise. I’m all about my music. I don’t even watch or doomscroll anymore, I have too much things to do.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

If not this, then what? Probably my degree. I studied International shipping, logistics and supply chain management, industrial shipping so I’d have a career in shipping industry. Everything maritime based and everything dealing with transport and movement of goods through sea cargo. 

Are you still interested in that now? No. That was a request from my mum to finish college college before I started doing music and I completed her request. If I wasn’t a singer and I had to make money, that’s what I would be doing.

What’s made you sad, mad or glad this week? Sad, I guess travelling, it was a long journey to the UK. Mad, waking up really early this morning. I had an event last night and we ended up staying out a bit longer than usual. I would have liked to sleep a bit more. But whas has made me glad is that I got to wake up and that’s most important. 

What are you watching on TV right now? Game of Thrones. I’m  just getting into it,  I wasn’t interested in it, but I started to watch it recently and I like it actually.

What are you currently reading? Whispers to the Light: 340 Daily Conversations With The Creator by Rachel Madar.

The last film you watched? Guardians of the Galaxy, I watched it when I got in at 2am.

What’s the last thing you saw on stage? I watched something with my grandmother at a little theatre in Jamaica but I don’t remember the name of the play.

What’s the last live music performance you attended? Reggae Sumfest with Vybz Kartel and Mavado clash. That was very intense, very nostalgic for me because I was a high schooler when the whole excitement was going on and now seeing them on stage, on this level as big men, adults, it was a live playback of my memories of when I was a youth. It was very surreal.

People were saying that they needed a live band. What did you think about that? As a fan of live music, definitely for me, but I did enjoy the experience nonetheless.

What’s on your playlist? I’ve been listening to a lot of of Japanese jazz artists like Suzuki and Kishimo and a lot of King Tubby’s Dub music.

Which podcast(s) are you listening to? I’m not a fan of podcasts, I haven’t gotten into that as yet.

What’s on your bucket list? I don’t think I have a bucket list. I guess probably to go to Africa or something. I’m going to Ghana for work. But I would like to experience Detty December not as a musician, but as a tourist.

Where’s your happy place? Being home. I love being back in Spanish Town because my mother cooks for me every time I get a chance to go home. But I like being in my own space, absorbing my own energy. I like being at the river as well. Specifically at the riverside with music and some drinks, I’m good. I like Portland in Jamaica for the rivers and mountains.

Celebrate someone else. Who do you rate right now? I rate every person that does music. Every creative. I’m a fan of every person that chooses their passion. Because it’s a very difficult thing to do.

Celebrate yourself … Big up me and big up God.