Damen Priestley Dume also known as Duprie described himself as a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who has always had a flair for music
He would describe his music as unique, versatile,and original. It depicts an Afrobeat vibe and dynamics fusedwith RnB sounds. The melodious way he makes music obviously reveals his passion “I alternate mostly between Afropop, RnB and Afro Swing. My musical style is unique and very versatile because not only do I make music in both the Afrobeat and RnB genres, but I can also effectively fuse these genres together to create a unique sound that is neither afro beats nor RnB”.
Due to his experience,Duprie has always been way ahead of his peers in terms of quality of released music from his brand. He is known for his combination of talent, depth, versatility, strength, and energy. Starting off was not as easy as he was not fortunate enough to get a lot of guidance, in his words “It was rather based on the circumstances. I am not one of those people who are fortunate enough to come from a lineage of avid musicians or have mentors to guide them at a very young age. I just loved music and listened to a ton of it and over the years understood some key concepts of songwriting. With continues experimentation and adjustments, I was able to find the approach that works for me not just as a songwriter but as an artist”.
Influenced by the likes of Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Richard Bona while growing up, the artist considers his songs a mixture of afro-beat and RnB. In recent times, there are several other artists in Africa and across the world that have influenced his music. These include, Locko, Charlotte Dipanda, Stanley Enow, Blanche Bailey, Flavour, Wiz Kid, Banky W, Maleek Berry, Rude Boy, Yemi Alade, King Promise, Mr. Eazi, Dadju, Chris Brown, Usher and Trey Songz.
However, in terms of who he would most like to collaborate Duprie could not make a choice. According to him, “These are all very talented artists and I like to be versatile with my music. The most accurate response is all of them. These artists are unique in their own ways and collaborating with every one of them will have a unique experience and outcome”.
His overarching philosophy is to love yourself and be authentic, “it is simple. “Do you” and by I mean with respect to everything not just music. Everybody has an opinion on what you should do but no one is accountable for the consequences but you. Do what you love the way you love to do it and if you fail in the process, it will be a learning experience and not a regrettable one”.
This has so far as revealed that Duprie has much more to offer. Speaking on what we should expect from him, he says, “I am currently working on my next project which includes the release of two singles between September and October followed by an EP in November. That is the plan, at least for the rest of the year. I have some projects for 2022 but no concrete plans have been made yet because we would like to focus on our short-term goals first”.