Meet Darrell Simms: Musician & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darrell Simms and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darrell, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When i was a kid, I started to try different creative things like drawing and poetry. Music was something a friend of mine was doing and i decided to try it out. In the beginning, it was a way for me to vent and later on felt like a diary. An update of what was going on in my life. I loved the fact that it never needed to be done perfectly because imperfection is art. That is what makes it unique and real. I had never felt that way before.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Im mostly proud of the fact that i stayed consistent with dropping new material. I also love trying out different genres depending on how i feel at that moment. You always find different people that inspire you within music and you think to yourself ” Hey, it would be nice to try that out” The curiosity is what drives me. In the beginning, the hardest part was getting critiqued. You have to somewhat get numb to the criticism and then push yourself to just be true to you. Ive learned that people will have different opinions but as long as you love it, that is all that matters. You wont be able to please everyone. When you start hanging around more musicians especially rappers, you start to feel the competitive nature. Sometimes it can misguide you. I always felt that music is about expression not always about numbers. I also want people to know the time and effort i put into it, and that they can acknowledge that at least. When you are so heavily invested into making a product, you tend to make a lot of financial sacrifices. Not a lot of people know that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I dont have one in particular. You seem to get inspired everytime you are in the area because there are so many creators. People are very forward and are not afraid to ask where you come from or give you a compliment. Its makes you feel like you are apart of something. I would probably take a friend to Santa Monica pier because its by the beach and there are a lot of restaurants to choose from. Runyon Canyon is also nice because of the view. I like to jog so its perfect if you want a good exercise. I would also go to the Griffith Observatory if we wanted to visit a museum or something.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
i would say that my childhood friend David deserves some credit. We recorded our first song together and since then i just continued with it. I always strived to be better once i really fell in love with it. My mom also had a big chest of CDs that i always used to roam in. That is where i discovered musicians such as Harry Belafonte, George Michael, Michael Jackson, LL cool J to name a few.

Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KRytc4AX8ONAwIs5OjAP7

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdsimms/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamdsimms

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamdsimms

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnLZkdVS2MgwUAr2E_Afx8Q/videos

Other: https://soundcloud.com/iamdsimms