modrNation: Where are you originally from?

Diz: I was born in San Francisco but I grew up in Boston.

modrNation: How did growing up there influence you to start making music?

Diz: Boston doesn’t really have the biggest music scene but there’s a lot of different stuff and if you go beyond the surface level stuff, there’s a lot of really cool experimental music around. I’ve just been around a lot of different sounds and grew up listening to a lot of different types of music so that’s definitely given me more of a unique sound and more room to play with my music.

modrNation: Who have been some of the biggest influences on your sound?

Diz: Obviously Earl Sweatshirt, Mavi and Mike. Those are definitely the big three on my sound in general. The people that make me want to music, obviously them too, like I was just watching the Miracle Baby video last night and just thought ‘damn I gotta make some music right now’. I remember a couple years ago I was in Montreal for the jazz festival and I saw this guy named Christian Scott and I wasn’t planning on going to see him but I was with my mom and we decided to try something new. That shit totally changed my life, it got me back into jazz and after that I was really tryna get good at saxophone and that brought a whole new element to my music. There’s tons of things that inspire me and make me love what I’m doing.

modrNation: When did you first start playing the saxophone?

Diz: I started playing in second grade, I don’t really remember what age you are in second grade but whatever age that is. So I was pretty young, but I never really took it seriously so I always feel kind of shitty when I say I’ve been playing the saxophone since second grade. I started taking it seriously a few years ago.

modrNation: Do you ever play on your own tracks?

Diz: I have a few tracks with saxophone on it, Rain Water, LET EM DOWN, and WHEN THE SUN RISE. I don’t know if there’s any others but those are definitely the big three.

modrNation: You dropped your debut project a little over a year ago, how do you think your sound has developed since then?

Diz: I think my sound has developed a lot. Looking back on that project I think my writing and song structure has become a lot better. The subject matter is a lot more focused, I can write a whole song on one topic, which I wasn’t able to do a year ago. My production has gotten better, all that stuff is kind of inevitable with practice, but I see myself becoming more and more serious about music and wanting to come out with something that’s really polished and finished. The more and more I seek that out, the music gets better.

modrNation: You gained some traction this year with your single Rest and the feature on Love Can Be, how has it felt to get such a strong reception on your work this year?

Diz: It’s been pretty crazy, with Love Can Be, we were not expecting an editorial. I don’t even think it was ever pitched to Spotify or anything, it was just random that we got on Fresh Finds and it was fucking wild. It was a huge surprise and I mean on one hand it feels amazing to be accepted and start to see all the hard work pay off, but on the other hand it’s kind of scary. I’ve been working for this for so long and it seems like it’s a possibility right now, and I can’t tell you what the next five years of my life is gonna look like, which is a little bit scary. With the possibility for there to be very drastic changes, it makes me feel a little uneasy but it’s super exciting, that shits gonna be fun regardless but it’s definitely gonna be an adjustment.

modrNation: Do you have any future drops in the works to keep the momentum going?

Diz: I do, I have an album coming soon some time in early 2022. A lot of it talks about that same feeling of the uncertainty of what’s gonna happen to me. That’s been a big theme in my life recently. I’m very excited for that, I think it’s a really good project and I’ve been working real hard on it.

modrNation: With new musicians popping up every day now, what would you say is the importance of finding your own identity and individuality as an artist and a person?

Diz: I mean it makes everything, first off because you’re basically a brand as a musician, but more importantly you want to be genuine with your fan base. It’s important to be yourself and be vulnerable to forge a connection between the people that are listening and the artist which I feel like is the most important thing to build a loyal fan base. I’ve had some great conversations with people that listen to my music, they’re fans and they’re really great people. Just being yourself, which is kind of corny I guess…actually fuck that it’s not corny at all, just be yourself. That to me is the most important thing to do as an artist, just be yourself because people aren’t gonna believe you if you aren’t being yourself and they won’t connect to your music if you’re not being yourself. If people aren’t connecting to it, which is the whole point of music, it’s supposed to foster some emotion and connection to the artist and your own life which is what’s so cool about music. I’d just say be whoever you are and tell your story, whatever that is.

modrNation: I know you said you have no idea where you’ll be at in five years but I like to ask this to everyone so just dream big, where do you see yourself five years from now?

Diz: Uhhh, where do I see myself five years from now… I don’t know, living in a little apartment in New York making music. Having good people around me, doing shows, meeting cool people. I don’t wanna say music goals, but I guess I could, I see a solid fan base, I think that’s possible. I just want to be able to make money from music, I don’t really know if I want to be rich and famous but I just like making music and I want to have that be all that I do. That’d be pretty cool, so that’s where I see myself five years down the line.

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