Today we’d like to introduce you to D. Marcel.
Hi D., can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started making music at about 13 years old. My parents couldn’t afford the recurring equipment and travel purchases of sports so they saved up and got my brothers and I Fl Studio and a little Rode mic. Originally I wanted to make beats but figuring my way around the software irritated me too much. I would open and close Fl everyday for about two years. Then one day while my older brother was at work, I overheard my younger brother making a beat through the wall while I was cleaning the bathroom. Inspired by EarthGang and their “Bears Like This Too” mixtape at the time, lyrics just started coming to me as I stopped what I was doing and typed them in my phone. I remember in the moment having no clue what I was doing but it just felt right. When the verse was done I went and spit it to my younger brother, shaky voiced and bright eyed. He, more familiar with the software than I, help me set up the mic to record and the rest was history.
I went throughout High School making songs for my friends and I to ride around to and show off to girls. I was always an Honor Roll student but I never took school seriously. Looking back I think I always wanted to be an artist but I didn’t take that seriously at the time either. It wasn’t until my Senior year of High School when my Mom started stressing me to go to college. I had a girlfriend at the time that I had met in a Music Tech class, and we had decided to go to the in town community college together. Due to COVID everything was online and I would always find myself writing rhymes and recording in my room during class. My older brother’s best friend, Vince, was in school for Audio Engineering at the time and had an internship at Full Moon Studio in Watkinsville, Athens. He had caught wind of a couple of my demos and wanted to make a song with me for his Engine Ears pitch. He sent me a pack of beats that he made and I ended up writing what became Source. My younger brother who had found a new interest in cameras at the time, my older brother now a producer who had worked with many artists before, and I packed into my Dad’s Honda Accord and drove up to Athens.
We recorded the song and shot the video in the same night. I put it out a couple weeks later and I was beginning to take music seriously but wasn’t fully committed yet. It was starting to eat up most of my time though and it wasn’t long before I dropped out of school. My parents began charging me rent so I got a job working Amazon Delivery 4 days out the week, and 2 days working Gap Shipment in the Mall. Every Saturday I would spend with my girl. She tried to stick by me but dating an aspiring rapper dropout working two blue collar jobs didn’t fit her college good girl persona. She dumped me and I was crushed. At the time, all I had were my jobs, a little bit of money saved up, and producers sending me beats. Having no one to talk to, music became my therapy and truly my outlet. When I wasn’t at work I was recording demos in my room to send to my little brother off at college for Media Entrepreneurship. He was the one who started pushing me to go to the studio more.
I started sending the demos to Vince and he loved them. He kept inviting me up to the studio and the owner began giving me discounted recording time. Vince became my Recording and Mixing Engineer and he put me in touch with Spencer Martin who does my Mastering. I quit Amazon to have more time to record and began serving tables at Red Robin in the Mall. I still work Gap shipments in the mornings and all my money goes towards rent, the Honda Accord I eventually bought from my dad, beats, and studio sessions. Hanging out with my brother on campus I met a lot of dope creatives that help me with visuals because they enjoy the music. So many great things have and are happening for me that I can only thank God for. I spend my days now working, writing, recording, or in the gym so that I don’t let down the people that believe in me. I still miss my girl but I get to let it out through the music.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road but more than worth it. My biggest obstacle has always been myself and getting out of my own way. I’ve been learning to trust my abilities both in the studio and life in general. I’m finding that when I trust the Gifts God has given me, the people around me trust me more. Chasing my own dreams has encouraged those around me to chase theirs, and it’s a blessing but it can feel like a lot of pressure at times. I stay grounded through meditation, prayer, and reminding myself that the hardest part is always showing up.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I started as a rapper but now I would define myself as a prolific songwriter and performer. My dedication to the craft is what sets me apart from the competition. More than music, it’s become a whole lifestyle for me. It’s impacted how I eat, my gym routine, and why I do what I do day in and day out. Recording music is the only place I feel like I can express unfiltered. I was quiet as a kid so music is the place I can show I have thoughts. The beat always understood where I was coming frum.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Tenacity. I love the feeling of proving people wrong. Along the way so many people told me not to do it or that it wasn’t possible but I love finding a way. Even more, I love finding a way with the people I love. Nothing feels better to me than watching people pursue their dreams off the back of my own. So I guess the two most important qualities for me have been tenacity and a sense of selflessness.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d___marcel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573751053431
- Twitter: https://x.com/frum3000
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@D.Marcel
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/d-marcel
- Other: https://linktr.ee/dmarc3l
Image Credits
All images by Devin of Dachi Media.
