Interview: New Jersey Based Artist Dio Talks About His New Album "Do or Die"
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We connected with New Jersey based artist and OPV Record representative Dio for an exclusive interview to discuss his very DOPE new album “Do or Die”. During our convo we found out more about Dio’s creative process for the album’s songs, who produced its instrumentals, whether we can expect some upcoming visuals, and much more.
After reading our Q&A with Dio, be sure to connect with him on social media, stream the “Do or Die” album, and check out our in-depth review.
Big ups to you on the release of your new album "Do or Die". What does the album title "Do or Die" represent?
Thank you for the love! “Do or Die” represents what I'm willing to do for what I love. Sacrificing it all to be the best at what you love.
Describe your creative process for the "Do or Die" album; how long did it take to complete and were there songs that didn't make the final tracklist?
My creative process for any album I work on I try to describe what I'm actually going through. A lot of emotions, struggles of course, and love. It took me exactly 9 months to finish completely.
Four songs didn't make It on this one.. Just didn't fit the story line so we scratched it.
How would you say that "Do or Die" is different than your first release?
“Do or Die” shows of course a lot of growth from my previous project but it almost sounds like my actual introduction to a bigger audience. The first album that I worked on for almost more than a year. I would hit my bros up, CHET, Mike C, and LNSKY for production almost every week.
Can we expect any visuals from this project? If so, which one is coming first?
The “Shaq & Kobe” video is out now on YouTube. We shot it in Tampa with Royal Hustle who are killin it in their area right now in south Florida. We got another visual coming out next month with them. Going to surprise everyone on this one I hope you all enjoy it.
Who were the producers who contributed beats and was there a certain sound that you were looking for that tied the album together sonically?
CHET, Mike C, and LNSKY were the producers on the project. CHET produced most of the album. I would call CHET early, mid day, middle of the night, didn't matter. I knew he was ready to work on music so I would send him an idea and he would have 3-4 beats sent by the next week.
Mike C was a dope producer I met in a frat house by a good friend of mine. He was making beats in the house one day and I was like "Bro I don't think you know how much potential you have at this shit." After that we made three bangers.
LNSKY is my dog from Florida. Great producer. Made my intro called "Say Good Morning" which is going crazy right now.
Their sounds match perfect and I fed off that energy. I'm glad we created so many sounds in that album. Thank you to them boys we killed it!