Today we’d like to introduce you to Arys Déjan.
Hi Arys, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Raised by all women of Caribbean descent, father unknown (no picture, name or whereabouts), I was more of an observer growing up.
Mother was a model, and her half-brother (my uncle) was, and still is a well-known break-dancer in the city, so understanding that the arts was in my blood from a young age really inspired me to carry the artistic torch in my family throughout my life from then, to now.
We moved around a lot growing up (my two sisters, mother and I), and eventually moved from the city of Toronto and spent my younger years in Niagara Falls. We were placed in French school, then eventually moved back to Toronto.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth wouldn’t be the word that I would use, and struggle wouldn’t be, either. Challenging is the word that comes to mind. Whether synonymous with “Struggle” or not, there were some challenges along the way, as well as some successes.
I believe that life challenges are inevitable, and everything isn’t all about the challenge, but instead, how you deal with those challenges. It took me a while to be one with this mentality, but during my teens, my sisters and I were placed in foster care. It was a culture shock for me because my sisters and I were pretty sheltered growing up, but once placed in the system, I was exposed to things that I only saw on television.
From heartbreak to disloyalty amongst friends, from experiencing sexual abuse from a male, my teens would shape me into the individual that I am today. I have always felt that if I knew my father, my life would’ve been a bit different. I turned to expressing my pain, sadness and goals on paper, in poetry form, and began dancing in shows at school.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Poetry became a part of my life and a way to express and to get my feelings out. That then turned into rap and would eventually lead me to pursuing music as a career. My music has allowed me to perform at festivals and to be featured on sites and in blogs, and music has always been my first love.
Eventually, I would create a podcast called The Who & How Club, which is a podcast, blog, event series, and movement.
I’m an all-around creative and can walk and chew gum. I’m not just a “podcaster”, but a creator in all aspects of art. Outside of music and podcasting, I have also followed in my mother’s footsteps in modeling.
Due to my upbringing in foster care, it pushed me to also pursue a career in the social services field, managing homeless shelters in the city, servicing the homeless population, youth from various communities and backgrounds, youth in open custody facilities, people suffering from mental health and substance abuse.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That I am a spiritual individual, and that if it wasn’t for my beliefs, faith, or spirituality, then I probably wouldn’t be here today.
Contact Info:
- Email: only1arys@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.arysdejan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/only1arys/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/only1arys/?eid=ARBxHPllscjgYJgx5oDBvE1NGX0XRe01czw6bT_NoS_gfo9EEpAdnkFrm8MrBNEEJ5lnN0-rzRcpuw__&timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=509639118&fref=tag
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Only1arys
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvhu5hqB82dDiLA3eNOcUbQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/only1arys
- Other: https://linktr.ee/whohowclub
