Today we’d like to introduce you to Dennis Gartman Jr..
Hi Dennis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always had an interest in music. There’s a video that my family has of me performing with my school class in this shiny green suit when I was maybe 3 or 4 years old, so that has always been a part of me (even though most of my family has any real music experience). We moved to Fort Worth when I started elementary school, and joined choir in the 3rd grade. From there, there hasn’t been a day where music wasn’t a part of my life. Fast forward to 2020, right when COVID started. I had put out some really rough-sounding songs on SoundCloud during my high school and early college days, but decided to take it to the next level as we were all at home. Then came my first official release “pull me close again”, which truly started my journey as an artist. Since then, I’ve put out a ton of singles and a EP (“Proximity”, released in 2022), and after a 3 year hiatus, I started releasing music again back in the summer! Now, I am working to put out songs more consistently.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s not been easy for various reasons. It’s not cheap to put out music, so trying to be mindful of finances has been a big challenge. I also go through writer’s block a lot (a big reason why I had such a long hiatus), and I’m usually pretty hard on myself and my writing, so trying to be more consistent is what I’m aiming for these days. But when I do feel like I’m on a roll, it’s hard to not write/think of melodies all the time!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create music that’s a mix of genres. I would say my sound is mixture of R&B, rap, pop, lo-fi, and indie, with an emphasis on writing about relatable life experiences and deep thoughts in my head. I am heavily influenced by Jon Bellion, Justin Bieber, ASTN, LANY, Coldplay, and Andy Mineo. I write and produce most of my songs. To date, I have put a EP, a re-release of that EP filled with remixes, and 9 other songs. 2 new songs are about to be released within the next couple of weeks (“are you doing ok?” releases November 21st, and “keep the peace” November 28th) . Being a full-time artist is not my day-to-day job just yet, but I am hoping it is soon!
Of all of my releases so far, I am most proud of two of them. First, my EP that I put out in June 2022 called “PROXIMITY”. I said when I put that project out that it is “a story of nearness and distance”, inspired by a friendship/relationship that started off great but ultimately fizzled out. I was able to work with artist/producer GRAHAM for some of the production, as well as with MIXEDBYAC (who has worked with Lecrae, Jon Keith, Andy Mineo, nobigdyl.) for the mixing of the record. That project has aged really well, as I still keep getting feedback on it even to this day!
The other release I am most proud of is my latest one, a single titled “Happiness” that I put out back in June of this year. It’s a song that asks the question “I’m just trying to find my happiness, but when will it find me?”. It’s a deeply personal record talking about the current state of my life and the pursuit of happiness that I am on as a 26 year old who is ready for new experiences.
What’s different about me is what I write about. My lyrics are deeply personal, talking about the struggles of singleness, falling in and out of love, finding happiness, wanting to be known, and mental health.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I haven’t take any huge risks in my life just yet (although I feel like I’m about to make multiple next year), but I do think taking risks is essential to the human experience. I have learned a bit from many of the small risks I’ve taken in life (putting out music included); it has taught me much about who I am as a person, how I deal with change and disappointment, and has led me to act instead of just sitting on my hands and letting life go by.
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/dennisgartmanjr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennisgartmanjr/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/dennisgartmanjr
- Twitter: https://x.com/dennisgartmanjr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCyWszKmyi_I-Uih3Jegxb1Q
- soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dennis-gartman-jr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dennisgartmanjr
Image Credits
Evan McGrew
