After some time away, two time Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Davion Farris returns to the industry guns blazing. The brother of artists SiR and D-Smoke, Davion has created a name for himself making connections with legends such as Mary J Blige, Jill Scott and Ginuwine. More recently, Davion’s single “Sometimes” went viral after landing a spot in SHOWTIME’s The Chi. Earlier this month, we were able to sit down as he gave us some insight on his creative process, his brothers, and his new single, “Bad Guy”.
You worked with DreamWorks as a child before taking a break from the industry, can you tell us what it was like jumping back in?
Jumping back into the industry was an organic experience. My parents knew that we wanted to be artists and songwriters, so they gave us the space in their garage to convert it into a studio. Literally, my brothers and I built it by hand. We put up walls, and installed floors, the only thing we didn’t touch was the electricals. We weren’t going to play with that! But yeah, we built our own studio and from there we started collaborating with the local creators. At the time 1500 or Nothing was just getting started, so those are some people we’ve known. We all started working around the same time. We started off submitting songs and getting signed to Warner Chappell, once we got back into the swing of things. And, that was the beginning of our professional careers as adults.
Now, you also wrote for Mary J. Blige. What song did you write for her?
I actually wrote four songs for Mary j. Blige. I wrote Strength of a Woman, which was the title track from the album also, Survivor. It was four records and that was an amazing experience. First off, writing with Mary was a dope experience because as an artist she knows herself very, very well. That’s a lesson I took from that experience—understand who you are and why your music means anything to you. As long as you understand that, you can create from a place of authenticity. And, because people have shared experiences, someone will feel that.
Did you write those songs specifically for her?
Yes, I did. I actually met her at Tyrese’s house and as soon as she started working, she reached out to let him know, and he brought together some of his favorite creators that he had already been working with. After those sessions, she was like, You! (motions “come here”). And we ended up working at Marvin’s Room for a couple of weeks. It was really, really dope.
What was that feeling when she finally decided on the song?
It was a dope experience, man. I wrote with her, that’s the thing. Mary’s a real creative as well, not just a singer. So, I kind of knew what was going to make it before she made the final decision on the playlist. But it’s still rewarding that we made that connection and we were able to follow it through to the album and not just be like “Oh, I wrote these songs and worked with her but didn’t place.”
You spoke a little bit about working with your brothers, but can you speak on some of the challenges and benefits of having them also in the music industry?
It’s really been more beneficial than anything else, working with my brothers, and growing up in the industry. Obviously, we’re competitive, being that we’re brothers. My parents made sure that love was the foundation in everything, so we’re competitive in a good way. We’re rooting for each other, it’s healthy competition. We’re rooting for each other to do well and then it’s like “alright, I gotta beat that!” It’s been dope having someone that has experience in a place where you’re going and being able to know that, “Okay, I can trust the advice coming from my brothers”. That’s been a benefit for sure.
Much of your music touches on topics emotionally driven, where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from my life. There are these creatives that have this wild imagination and I have a decent imagination, but I like to write from my own personal experiences because I know that I’m not the only person who has been through what I’m going through. Art is supposed to allow people to see themselves and help them learn and understand themselves, in my opinion. So, that’s what I like to do with my art.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
I’ve experienced writer’s block early on in my career before I was able to really understand the process, my own personal process. Now, I would be hard-pressed to come across that type of experience because I don’t try to force things. I think writer’s block is you trying to write without inspiration or without being connected to the source, the ideas don’t come from me. I understand that this is a gift and most creators that create at a high level would all feel the same way. It’s hard to say I’ll have writer’s block because the ideas are there, we just have a connection and were just fortunate enough to be the ones that the ideas and songs come through.
What do you believe has been the biggest factor in your success thus far?
The biggest factor in my success so far is, and I’m going to have to quote Jay-Z… It’s going to be the fact that I never quit. Time and experiences, they go up and down. You have your peaks and valleys but I’ve been able to look for the lesson whether it’s in a success or a setback, and just continue to press on.
What do you need to get into your creative space?
Peace and quiet. Let’s say I’m in a studio and I’m trying to get into a zone, I might just go outside and get some nature in or listen to some other really dope artists. There are artists out there making some
amazing music. As long as I’m honest with where I am in life and how I feel, then I can pretty much get into the zone. A lot of my writing is more venting than me trying to come up with something off the top of my head. It’s more of me saying, “This is how I feel. I want to express these feelings. Okay, let’s go!” And that’s the beginning of the session.
You also act. Is that something we’ll get to see soon?
That is something that is in the works. Right now, the focus is the music and we want to make sure that the foundation is set. I do have things that I’m developing, a television show so we’ll definitely see me on screen, but right now the focus is the music.
Is there anything that you would like people to know that they don’t already?
I want people to know that you can come to my art to learn about yourself because I don’t make up random stories. I don’t come up with experiences that I think are just completely unique. No, the point is for me to tell my story because I know someone out there feels this. Someone out there is going through or has been through what I’ve been through, and it’s going to resonate. Just know you can come to me to let your emotions free.
You’re debuting a new song Bad Guy; can you talk to us about that?
I write most of the time because I’m venting. It’s not a random thing, and this song is no exception. So “Bad Guy”… I’ll tell a brief story, I was talking to someone and we had the agreement that we were going to be exclusive because we are both people who have access. I was over her house using her laptop to do some work because I left mine at home. And I kept seeing these text messages and the same name pops up. I ignored it at first, left it alone because I’m not prying. It’s not my business. After a while, it’s the same name, they’re really, really trying to get in contact with you. So, you know, I look over and they’re making plans for the weekend. I’m supposed to leave Saturday. They’re making plans for Sunday. Okay, so this is how this feels. The tagline in the song is sometimes these girls be the Bad Guy. So, the message behind it is, “No, I’m not perfect, but I’m not always the villain.”
Lis
