Diandra Interviews Domino Saints: Music Ahead of Its Time
In perspective, we all want to be innovative. After all, having a powerful influence is not only about being good or talented but being new. Domino Saints have always provided a fresh sound that came off ahead of its time, which has been both exhilarating and frustrating. On one hand, they know they are unique, but, on the other hand, how prospering is uniqueness and a sense of futurism in your sound when the music business that is all about current sales. In our interview, I talk to Domino Saints about what it is to be partners in song maneuvering through a music industry that, at times, could care less about the singer.
Diandra: How do you feel the natural beauty of the the Caribbean inspires your songs?
Giselle Ojeda: I would say what inspires it is our youth. Growing up in Puerto Rico, music was everywhere. There were a lot of festivals, especially of Reggae, and surfing competitions, and we wanted to bring that to our music: the good vibes and the joy of being with friends.
David Leal: I agree. For us, it was really good to see the roots and different, urban sides of Reggae, Dancehall, and Reggaeton, It made it really obvious that we all come from the same place. We are all one, great culture, and it is really cool to participate in that and make music that brings people together.
Diandra: You know, it is something that I talked about in my interview with Rauw Alejandro, but I am amazed at how much art comes from Puerto. We are very artistic, creative people.
Giselle: Yeah, it is a question we get a lot. Why are there so many artists coming from there? And the thing is music is apart of every household. Every gathering has music as a priority. It is everywhere.
David: I think we have a lot to say, especially as Latin artists. I think more than other cultures, we don’t mind bearing the weights of our people, our ancestors, and what injustices we have been through. I mean we can, literally, show up in front of the governor and, peacefully, protest him out of office.
Giselle: I was really proud of my nation in that moment.
Diandra: Having grown up with and studied music, how do you feel becoming professional artists has elevated your relationship with music?
David: Being a bilingual artist, there are things you can say in each language that you can not always say in the other. For instance, I love you. In Spanish, you have “te quiero,” which is like to like and enjoy, and then you have “te amo,” which is selfless. When you are, actually, selfless, you do better work: purer work.
Diandra: Do you feel, making music that is light and pushes for fun, has allowed you to build your own appreciation and search for good times?
Giselle: Totally! Completely! The reason we do what we do is also the reactions; the affects we have on people. We see people kissing and hooking up, and we see it from the stage, and it makes me really proud. We played a show, with Daddy Yankee, and this mom, with two kids, told us that her son, whom is autistic, starts dancing and singing and playing when he hears our music. I was in tears because she said our music had helped her connect with her child.
Diandra: Singing to good vibes and love, how do you describe the power of love?
Giselle: Perfect example is that me and David are a couple. We are fighting for this project together, and have seen that love breaks all barriers and gives you the strength to keep fighting. Our love story is about the power of hope.
Domino Saints – Body (Official Video)
Diandra: What are the qualities you most appreciate in each other and have found to be each other’s strengths?
David: Definitely! There are so many aspects to our career: there is the styling and business and managers and teams. I think Gigi and I compliment each other very well. We know how to divide our tasks and understand when I’m better at one thing and she is better at the other. We work together so that the whole project grows. We bring different styles and vocals to compliment each other for the greater good of our project.
Giselle: This guy does not give up! I think his resilience is something he has installed within me. I love what I do and being creative, and we push each other’s limits to go forward. We are working on this project, till this day, because we have each other. Good or bad, we have have each other like, Bonnie And Clyde.
David: We’re always pushing trends in the urban genre, and we have always been pioneers in that. No matter how long we have been around, people always see us fresh because we are always innovative. We don’t jump on trends because they sell. We make trends by always looking forward and collaborating with people that see the future of music. That is what we feel is important for the sake of our people and culture. That is how we stay relevant. We are always trying stay ahead of the waves to see what follows it, which is why money is the least of my worries. Some people only think of money, but we are really proud that we play music for the right reasons.
Diandra: Do you think the difficulty of being an international artist is being ahead of the curve? By the time a genre style comes here from Latin America, it can be 2 -3 years.
Giselle: Yeah, that can be very difficult. It is really hard to tie the entire world together. We are really into what is going on in Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. We see how all these trends, from these different places, can go and unite, but, sometimes, you have to wait till the wave is coming and a trend can take, like 2 years, before it hits another country. So we feel like we are ready and should be on this, but we have to wait for the wave. But we have to stay true to ourselves, and it is good to always see what is next.
David: I used to get so frustrated with that. I was like, “Damn! We are like Van Gogh! Always under-appreciated in our time!” (he laughs)Yet, I want those that come after us to have artistic freedom and be inspired to experiment. We had to fight for our artistic space and freedoms. We were signed to a major label, and people ask why we didn’t you put out more music, but that label was like 5 years behind what we were doing. Now, they are promoting our old work because it is what’s trending. We saw that we needed absolute freedom as artists because that is what satisfies us. So we made our own label, distributed by Universal, and with no pressure from people. When artists do what they want, they make their best work.
Diandra: Being friends and working with so many fellow stars like, Landa Freak and J Balvin. The industry can be cut-throat, but do you feel that the artist/ Latin community is protective enough each other?
David: Some of us are! There are artists that have their priorities straight and see that we are all in this together and we are all trying to represent and protect our culture. I think there are a lot of artists that have not figured that out yet. I figured it out, at a young age; that all the riches and gold I am not going to take with me when I die. So I’d rather make things that help my family and my people. If I can make the world better, I can die peacefully knowing I completed my purpose. Yet, there are artists that get caught up with the greed.
Giselle: I think in this era of social media, there are a lot of artists that just want fame and get caught in being famous. There are artists that are only about the superficiality of this, and there are artists that from Day One are about the music. It is going to be 10 years now of trying to “make it,” and you can tell, with us, that it is not about the fame and money because it has taken us longer. We have really battled for what we love, which is the music, and you can tell that through other artists like Sech and Nicky Jam.
Diandra: Do you feel your relationship has protected you from how cut-throat the industry can be with artists?
Giselle: I think so. There is so much negativity around, and we keep each other going. We tell each other how talented each other are and how we need to stay strong. Nowadays, with the need for a million followers and sales and streams, it brings a lot of doubt. It is like, “Why does my talent have to be represented by numbers?” We remind each other that music is what its all about.
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