Interviews Next Wave

David D’Angelo Is Back With New Single feat. Chloe Jean & David Scott “I.M.O.W”

David D’Angelo is a multifaceted musician whose sound is a rich blend of hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and electronic influences.

By TCR Staff

August 15, 2024

David D’Angelo Is Back With New Single feat. Chloe Jean & David Scott “I.M.O.W”

David D’Angelo is a multifaceted musician whose sound is a rich blend of hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and electronic influences. Inspired by artists like FKJ, Mick Jenkins, and Robert Glasper, David’s new album In My Own World seamlessly fuses lofi hip-hop beats with soulful melodies and intricate instrumental arrangements. David’s journey as a musician has been marked by a deep exploration of self and environment. As a music teacher, David shares his passion and knowledge with others, inspiring the next generation of musicians. His ability to connect with both his inner world and the communities around him is evident in his work, creating a universal appeal that resonates with listeners from all walks of life.

“I.M.O.W” is a standout track from David D’Angelo’s latest album, In My Own World, a project born out of the introspection and solitude of the pandemic era. Through this album we hear how David processes our changing world and a changing climate. The song “I.M.O.W” features talented vocalist Chloe Jean and classically trained violinist David Scott Binanay. This song delves into themes of isolation, self-discovery, and finding peace within oneself. In fact, David penned the lyrics on a flight to move to San Francisco, the city where he would later meet and collaborate with Chloe Jean for this record. The energy for “I.M.O.W” came following a romantic heartbreak, while simultaneously the world was shifting into more isolation at the start of the global pandemic. This song and album is about how David experiences the world around him solo, the way he sees things through his own lens, but also in community as he relates to his peers. We are all in our own world – that world inside our heads.

The music video for “I.M.O.W” visually amplifies the song’s themes of isolation and self-immersion. Set against the backdrop of water as a symbolic element, the video depicts David gradually becoming submerged as he is playing multiple different instruments, representing his descent into his own world. This immersive visual journey mirrors the song’s exploration of loneliness and self-reflection, highlighting the transformative power of being fully present in one’s environment and emotions. As the video progresses, viewers see David being consumed by the rising water, symbolizing the immersive nature of his thoughts and emotions. The video also conveys the interconnectedness of individual experiences and the natural world, emphasizing the theme of finding peace and solace in isolation. By inviting viewers to join him in his personal world, David encourages them to find their own peace and connection, ultimately enhancing the song’s message of self-discovery and inner harmony.

David, can you tell us a bit about your musical background and how it has influenced your current sound?

Absolutely! I am grateful to have the musical background I do. At a young age I was exposed to classical music from my mother and Peruvian music from my father. It became clear to my parents I had a love for music. I would often strum on a guitar, drum on random objects, and tap on piano keys. In fact, my mother also teaches piano and was my first teacher!

My background in music has involved me playing in nearly every modern genre. My first years of musical education involved classical music on the piano. Then I dove into learning guitar and bass in middle school, where I played pop punk to heavy metal and everything in between as a preteen in bands with my buddies. Then in High School I got into making beats and started listening to more Hip-Hop/RnB music, while also attending raves and other electronic music events. Then I started listening to more Jazz and ended up going to college in New Orleans, where I learned more about Jazz, Funk, Soul, Blues and gained experience performing music in those genres as well.

Fast forward to 2024 and I have been playing piano for over 20 years. Piano is truly my first love when it comes to music. That love and dedication is what propelled me further into songwriting, music production, music education, performance, and my overall career in the music industry.

Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations, and how have they shaped your artistic journey?

Throughout my artistic journey I have had and still have many musical inspirations! Green Day & Blink 182 from my pop punk era inspired simple and catchy songwriting. Red Hot Chili Peppers and their bassist Flea inspired me to learn bass. Linkin Park and Rage Against the Machine showed me the merging of Rock and Hip-Hop worlds. Kendrick Lamar showed me authentic hip-hop, and inspired my taste in hip-hop lyricism as well as production styles. Robert Glasper opened my ears to modern fusions of Jazz and Neo-soul, and his style of piano playing has influenced me greatly. More recently FKJ and Jacob Collier have inspired me to continue developing myself as a multi-instrumentalist and to continue fusing genres within my original music. This list of musical inspirations was in fact chronological. There are of course many more names that are still notable inspirations for me.

Your music blends various genres like hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and electronic. How do you manage to merge these influences so seamlessly?

I truly love these genres of music, so much that blending elements of them together comes very naturally. Because my background in music has involved me learning and playing so many genres, I typically blend various genres within all my songs. Those four main genre categories, Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz and Electronic, are the ones I listen to and create the most in. They have become my preference in taste as an adult, with Hip-Hop/R&B being my predominant genre to listen to and create within. “I.M.O.W” has a distinct chill vibe. What was the inspiration behind this track?

The inspiration and musical energy for “I.M.O.W” came to me during a time of lots of change and introspection in my life. At the end of 2019 into 2020, the time period I created/wrote/developed this song, I was in the process of moving from North Carolina to San Francisco, dealing with romantic heartbreak from a long term relationship, while simultaneously the world was shifting into more confusion and isolation at the start of the global pandemic. The particular chord progression and melody I created really spoke to me at the time I made it. So I developed it further into the Instrumental and ultimately full song of I.M.O.W, with the particular lyrical content and featured artists that we hear on it today.

The song features both Chloe Jean and David Scott. How did these collaborations come about?

I met Chloe Jean within my first couple months of living in the Bay area, at a music conference. She is so talented and such a bright person! We immediately connected, not just on music but having similar values and inspirations. She is a teacher and lover of nature as well, and really related to the theme of “In My Own World” as a project.

David Scott is the violinist on this record, but he is also a multi-faceted producer/artist and entrepreneur in his own right. Not only do we have similar values and inspirations, but he is a friend of mine from Durham, NC where I grew up. I have known him for many years and we have collaborated on many other records together !

The lyrics of “I.M.O.W” are quite introspective. What message did you want to convey through this song?

I wrote these lyrics on my flight to move to San Francisco. I was moving for a job in Environmental Education, to start a new chapter in my life. The first set of lyrics, or pre chorus goes: “I see you in between dreams/distant memories/before waters rising/we lost touch, bad timing.” Those lyrics have to do with a particularly hard ending of a romantic relationship. This person and I experienced lots of love, but also heartache, and we were long distance. Simultaneously the world was at the beginning stages of the pandemic, and people were becoming more isolated. Additionally I have been noticing climate related disasters becoming more frequent, and that is something hard to ignore.

All those things, coupled with my own contemplative nature caused me to feel like I was living in my own world, viewing reality but not feeling part of it in many ways. Thus the chorus of the song literally repeats the phrase “I’m In My Own World (In My Own World).”

I want anyone listening to this song who ever feels like they are in their own world, or overwhelmed by reality, to know there are many people who can relate to these feelings. We all have our own experiences and reasons to feel like we are in our own worlds, but we are not alone. That brings me peace, and I hope it will bring my listeners peace.

The music video for “I.M.O.W” is visually captivating. What was the inspiration behind its concept?

The video for I.M.O.W was filmed/edited/directed/produced by my close friend and very talented videographer Shay Stifelman. Shay is an overall creative madman, with excellent and visually captivating ideas.

Essentially, I wanted a video relating to me being immersed in nature and somehow depicting me “In My Own World.” In our first meeting discussing the video Shay was like “dude..I have an old keyboard I don’t use anymore and an idea..do you mind getting wet?” That’s how it started. Fun fact, he glued pool floaties, you know those noodle things, to the underside of the keyboard and it actually floated on the water! With that creative idea/invention the video became what it is today. It meant I could be playing the keys in varying depths of the lake we filmed in. Surrounded by water and playing music in this natural setting, that was, and truly is myself “In My Own World.”

What do you hope viewers take away from watching the “I.M.O.W” music video?

I hope my viewers feel inspired, as well as relaxed and at peace, after watching the “I.M.O.W” music video. That is my main goal! I also want my viewers to feel curiosity, and for that curiosity to influence their own creativity.

“I.M.O.W” was created during a period of personal and global change. How did these circumstances influence the final product?

I believe artists are people who are especially sensitive to the environments around them, and I absolutely fall into that category. Music has always been an outlet for me to process my emotions, and speak on the way I see the world around me. The major changes in my personal life, as well as what I was observing in the world around me, caused me to feel as though I was living in my own world. I embrace solitude, yet I am still a very sociable person. I also love performing and attending concerts. The expression of music live, connecting with an audience, is so important to me and most musicians. Undeniably the first year of the pandemic was a hard time for me emotionally, as it was for countless others. However I made a lot of music during that time, including the majority of the music which would go on to become my full album “In My Own World,” as well as the title track “I.M.O.W.” I am so grateful to have the ability to create music. Music is a therapeutic outlet for me that continues to influence my life, and the lives of others, in a positive manner.