Meet Darius House | IamDerby” (Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darius House and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darius, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from Portsmouth, Virginia. I grew up in a slightly rough neighborhood named Cavalier Manor but I was raised by both my birth parents who, for the most part, kept me on a straight and narrow path. I grew up in a religious family with my grandfather, god-brother, and eventually my father as well that hold the titles of pastor/ and preacher. Growing up in the church, my first love was the drum-set and from there that was the start of “IamDerby” and my passion, love, and drive for all things musically. Many would say that majority of my productions; the instrumentals I make, very much well reflect on my years of being a drummer and even my songs as a whole with being in the church. One thing that you can not deny about someone who is really about something they claim is that they will always go back to their roots at some point and time from where/ what they started at/ from.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a artist, engineer, and producer. Even though Google does, I can’t label myself with any specific genre(s) because I do it all. These first two sentences are the summary of what sets me apart from others, especially around me. I write, produce, engineer, mix, and master all of my music. I can count on one hand how many times I been to another studio other than mines to record. Any song/ beat that touches my spirit will inspire me to create my own. Therefore, I have songs that I have made that are categorized as Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B, Country, Pop, Heavy Metal – Inspired, EDM, Gospel, Experimental, etc;. Now you’re not going to find all of them trying look them up because not all are currently released, just to give you a heads up. I am most proud of my recent project and what I consider my debut album “A Pain So Beautiful”. It is one of my most personal projects that follows the story-line from my 2020 EP “Ride With Me” from leaving one ex-girlfriend on the EP for a new girl (Meela Belle, who is pictured on the album beside me on a roller-coaster) to the album being majorly about the new girl (Meela Belle) and how our relationship became toxic and started to fall apart. This has been my most selling project to date with 15,000 + streams overall across digital streaming platforms. Since the release I have toured around the DMV area promoting on foot and building a broader fan base with a team behind me and no it has not been easy but it has definitely been worth it. IV have learned so many lessons along the way but to keep it short, one most valuable that I keep in mind is that everyday isn’t going to be the same. Streams come and go. People come and go. The hype/ “clout” comes and goes. Everything has a season. Everyday is not going to be “your day” if that makes sense. Take your successes for what they are and enjoy them in the moment while it’s there and continue to work to have more moments when it’s your off-season. IamDerby is an authentic brand, anything I say in my music, interviews, and do publicly is carefully said/ done because I don’t want to lead my following unto the wrong direction or on a path of destruction. I want to lead my followers to the path of enlightenment with everything that involves “IamDerby” as a brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
“There isn’t too many things to do in the 757 area part of Virginia”, us residents would typically say, but if I had to show an outsider around I would show them places such as Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, APEX, The Funny Bone, Top Golf, and Virginia Beach (tourist area). Yeah there’s not too many things out here besides those few really except for clubs and fancy bars. Visiting the 757 it’s really about the people you are around that can make your time here enjoyable; or vice versa.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate a special thanks to God first and foremost for all things made possible. My grandfather deserves a very special thanks, whether he knows it or not, for giving me my very first microphone that he doesn’t even know that I used to record my first song ever and mix-tape with. That very cheap and horrible sounding computer mic became to be one of the greatest investments in my life to date. I’d like to give a shout-out my aunt Shannon for giving me my childhood nickname “Derby”. I want to give my parents their flowers for raising me the way they did and all of their supporting moments. My five year old daughter deserves hers as well for being the reason I stay motivated to better myself even on my lowest of days. I would love to thank Meela Belle, through all that we have been through; we’ve been through hell, beyond, and then back. But a sweet sincere thank-you to her for always having my back no matter what it is or has been. I give thanks to my fans and supporters locally and around the world as I see my music is played in many places I have never been before. With out any of them I wouldn’t be groomed to who I am today and to get where I want to be tomorrow. There are so many more people I would hate to have left anyone out but if you’re reading this, shout-out to you as well for rocking with me. I wish you nothing but the best in this life.

Website: solo.to/iamderby

Instagram: instagram.com/iamderby_

Twitter: twitter.com/iamderby_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialiamderby

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUgzFS2GJs8d6gu6V3Hjb2g

Image Credits
Daniel Williams III, DW3 Photography