A last minute addition of award winning artist Dama Vicke drew a crowd to 1306 Miami for a night of live music. The Mexican born artist opened up for Little Jesus who made a stop in the Magic City as part of their current tour, and locals favorite Jaialai also performed. By 10pm the venue was packed. One fan who had never been to the bar was pleased at the prices he was paying for the drinks he sipped while listening to latest tracks from the bilingual star.
Dama Vicke has been based in Miami Fl since late 90’s. She has been recognized as Best Songwriter by the Miami New Times, and won Best Independent Artist and Best Lyrics at the American Tracks Music Awards. Her five song debut EP titled Point of Inflection, is described as a beautifully cinematic yet eerie and melodic work of art.
“I have always been a strong believer that “respect” and “love” should be subjects in school.” – Dama Vicke
One of the most lovable characteristics about Dama is her humility and gratitude for what she has accomplished so far. She feels fortunate to have been able to accumulate a good amount of memorable experiences, like winning awards, being part of a musical theater with Julian Gil, and to be able to share these moments with her band and the people she loves.
She doesn’t shy away from using her talents and the power of her voice to touch on subjects like social anxiety and depression. “I love people, and I truly enjoy making others smile and feel good about themselves, but sometimes I tend to be overwhelmed and depressed.”
Its estimated that about 15 million American adults suffer from depression, but it’s a subject often not talked about. Dama spoke openly with me about the topic. She told me that after visiting a few, she found a good therapist, and stressed the importance of positivity to overcome. She keeps herself busy, stays around positive people, and makes sure that she surrounds herself with a clean environment, and clean organized home. “I enjoy spending time alone with a book or simply lying on the sand listing to the ocean. Working out is an instant medicine.”
We sat down with Dama, who gets her name from a combination of Damaris and one of her favorite artists Damo Suzuki, to talk about everything from politics to the Miami scene. Read more in the interview below, and enjoy photos captured by Marcelo Salup of her performance at 1306.
Your songs are in multiple languages, how do you describe your sound, do you/will you ever mix languages in one song?
I sing in Spanish and English, I love writing in both languages, both have their own magic, I just let it flow when it comes to writing a song because certain expressions will sound and fit better in certain melodies, it’s satisfying. I have mixed both languages in the past in other songs, even though I like it, I don’t think I would do it again, I prefer singing in one language, although, you never know, I’m always very open to ideas and feelings.
You’ve gotten to travel a bit, where is your favorite place you’ve been and what did you like about it? Where would you like to travel to next?
I loved Berlin and would love to play in London, it’s such a cool city, great music, cool people, I love that they’re into listening to different languages and nationalities, they just enjoy music!
How would you describe the Miami scene, and what do you see as the future of the scene?
I love how the Miami scene has become this “nursery” that keeps on giving birth to new music and artists. What has been happening in the music scene in Miami the past few years, particularly between 2018/2019 is a phenomenon! All these great bands and singer/songwriters from different genres, almost everyday I hear about a new artist from Miami and we’re all supporting each other. People do go see live shows now, which was a huge dilemma in the past. I think Miami has potential to become a strong home for artists who live here and out of the country.
What is your favorite song and why?
My favorite song is the newest one called “Soft Soap” because it’s a song I wrote after my debut Ep, all on my own, it’s very different from the rest, it has a lot of textures and moods, and when I showed it to my band they added some amazing jazzy elements, sounds, even arrangements. It’s a song that talks about the females sensuality, the freedom of sexual expression and desires without falling in a vulgar language, just being sexy and with the intention to open the mind of men and women to talk about sex workout being judgmental.
If you could tour with anyone who would it be and why?
Radiohead or Blonde Redhead. I find them to be very interesting. Not only do I love their music but their minds are fascinating, I enjoy listening to their interviews, they’re very inspiring and their musical taste for sounds and lyrics are just perfect, with them I get that “man, how I wish I wrote that”.
What advice would you give to up and coming artists?
To be persistent, to work on being patient, polish your craft, make it pretty, love it, enjoy it, and take care of it. Eventually, you will see results, and if something didn’t go as planned, keep getting better on what you do for yourself first. That way when the time comes you will appear and be that piece of the puzzle missing that’s being searched for.
Would you care to comment on the state of politics and the border?
It saddens me and scares me how hate has been put out in the world as if it was a new fashion trend, as if humans and animals were garbage, I have always been a strong believer that “respect” and “love” should be subjects in school, as well as banning guns, fighting for rights and for people to stop promoting racism, to stop sexism, animal abuse, and child abuse. If the government was led by real humans and not sadists then things would be different, if we could all work in learning and showing others we can make a difference. We need to be more aware of global warming, aligning to our true selves, and keep teaching and talking about what’s happening out there to those who do not understand or don’t what to understand what living in a clean world and peaceful minds would be like and how a wall won’t fix any problems.
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Wednesday, September 25 2019
ROLLING BLISS PRESENTS: MINIFEST @ THE GARDEN Let us take you on an experiential odyssey at a special edition of MINIFEST: The Summit’s Album Release Party! Musicians, vendors, painters and dancers come together to create an ambiance of bliss and connection.
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