D!xon On Latest Track and Living Authentically

Non-conforming 2SLGBTQ powerhouse D!xon recently stepped back into the spotlight with his latest single, “Arms Around Me.” Sensual, fierce, and sexy, the new track is an unapologetic confession and expression of love for those around you, no matter who you love.

Inspired by the likes of Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, D!xon’s vocals are rich, fluid, and full of tasty vibratos, riffs, and runs. The R&B artist will empower you to ignite your inner flames of passion, love, and living authentically. He is carving a new path for mainstream music and self-expression.

Unfortunately, it has not always been an easy road for D!xon. Growing up, he would receive daily death threats and criticism for his gender expression and sexual orientation, and his once-musical home was silenced by the practice of a strict religion that did not approve of his love for his music. D!xon spent the latter years of his adolescence not feeling accepted or welcomed in heteronormative, urban spaces.

OFM had a chance to catch up with D!xon and talk more about “Arms Around Me,” connecting with the 2SLGBTQ and ballroom scene after leaving home, beginning Toronto’s Annual Drag Masterclass, and how the power of music kept him moving forward.

Hi, D!xon! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your latest track, “Arms Around Me.” Can you begin by telling us more about the song’s concept and inspiration?
The song is about a particular boy that I was completely infatuated and obsessed over. Like, I have not gotten these butterflies in such a long time, and I really feel like his song captures what I was feeling. How I wanted to be with them, hold them, caress them. Things like that. So, I wanted to capture that essence and put it on the track.

In terms of the beat, I just love how there is this tug-of-war, especially when you are seeing someone or starting to see someone. There is this tug-of-war, this give-and-take situation where there are a lot of unanswered questions, unanswered feelings, a lot of anticipation, and a lot of excitement. I wanted to reflect that in this song.

How has “Arms Around Me” been received by audiences?
Honestly, I have gotten a lot of positive reviews, which I am so thankful and humble for. My friends have told me that they really enjoy it, but it really sucks that I am not able to perform it. It is amazing that I can share the music with everyone on digital platforms and share it with the world, but I miss the rawness and energy of being able to go to a bar or club. Being able to go on stage and give everyone the moment that they need. I am taking it for what it is, and I was able to do a music video and visually deliver the song. With the reception that I have been getting, it is very heartwarming. I am very thankful.

Related Article: D!xon Does it Right with “Arms Around Me”

What do you hope audiences take away from it?
I hope that people take away great energy, love, lust, and feel that they should not hold back their feelings. I hope that everyone can express their feelings for whoever they are interested in. Hopefully, something can flourish from that because we literally have all the time in the world right now. We should make sure that we take advantage of it.

How did you discover your passion for music?
I have always been so drawn to the radio and stereo when I was growing up, listening to songs. I really feel like it is the vocals for me. The vocals, the songwriting, and listening and paying attention to the vocal production. All the underlying layers of the things happening behind the lead vocal. It just gives me life, and every time you listen to it, you can find different things that you did not hear the last time.

Also, the way that someone’s voice can make someone feel. Specifically, I would refer to Mariah Carey. She is such an excellent songwriter and vocal performer. There is so much you can find, appreciate, discover, and learn in her music. Also, Toni Braxton. She can do the bare minimum with her voice, but it just gives you all the feelings. She will have you in your entire feelings.

“Un-break My Heart,” for example. In my brain, when listening to it, it literally feels like she is in the shower, mascara running down her face, just over it. Or in a bathtub, glass in a hand, cigarette in the other hand—that is just the visual symbolization of it all, and that is what really drew me to music. Also, just how it makes people feel and how it can change people’s mood. How it can inspire people and be the soundtrack to people’s lives with their emotions and feelings.Your life was not easy growing up. You received death threats; you were silenced by religion, and you were stripped of your identity and freedom of self-expression. How did you get the courage to leave that hostile environment you were living in?
That is a hard question. Music is what helped keep me going. All these things that you just mentioned, they did not all happen at once. They happened through different times. The reason I am still here is because of music and songwriting. Wanting to get my story and voice heard and make other people feel like they are not alone. Giving other people the encouragement that they need so that they can be their best selves.

That is honestly what gave me the encouragement to keep on moving, through music and my love of music. I create music for myself because it is so therapeutic, but I also create music for others because I understand that music is therapeutic for them. I would love to be a vessel for that.

I remember clearly a song called “Runaway Love” by Ludacris feature Mary J. Blige when I was trapped in my house, could not go anywhere; music was stripped from me, and I was not allowed to sing, song write, watch TV, and had to throw out all the pictures in my house. It resonated with me, and I just felt like Mary understood me. Music is literally the center of all my inspiration, and it really gives me the strength that I need.

What advice can you give to those who are struggling with similar situations?
I would just tell them to believe in themselves, to have faith, and to believe in divine timing because everything happens for a reason. Everything happens in its due time, whether or not we are aware or unaware of it. Things just line up, and when opportunities present itself to you, you just have to take it as a sign, go with it, and trust their instinct.

For me, I really listened to my inner self and listened to my instinctual thought process. Honestly, I cannot speak for everyone, but I encourage people to listen to their inner selves and just trust in the process. If you need help, there is no reason why you cannot ask for help. Just do it. Ask for help from someone you can trust, and just take it a day at a time.

Related Article: The Cultural Reset: Uplifting POC and LGBTQ Artists

When you left home, you were able to connect with the 2SLGBTQ community and ballroom scene. Can you talk more about that?
Before I left home, I met friends on the internet, which was great because I got to connect with them. I got to see that there are other people in the world that are going through similar situations that I am in and being able to talk to them was amazing. When I was able to leave is when I was able to actually meet them. Meet new people face-to-face and say, oh my gosh, we both like Mariah Carey; what’s going on in the world? Like, how do we have so many similar interests, stories, and experiences?

So, it was great being able to go out into the community and know that I am not alone. I am not the only one who was bullied. I am not the only one that had to go through trials and tribulations. Everyone has their own story, so I really appreciated learning about everyone’s story, sharing that connection, and being able to share experiences with each other.

We can really help each other grow, lean on each other, support each other, and have it be community based because we have our chosen family, and we have our family that we are born with. Thankfully, I have a beautiful family that I was born with, but I understand that we also have chosen families that we can lean on because they really understand us in a different way that other people may not be able to understand.

You are also the creator of the City of Toronto’s Annual Drag Masterclass?
Yes! The Drag Masterclass is such a special project that I worked on. There was a question that was brought to me, how do we get LGBTQ youth in our spaces? My answer was, we need to make our spaces inclusive and welcoming, and we need to give a reason for the youth to want to be in our spaces. I just answered that from my own experiences Like, after school, I was always the kid that was in the drama club, the musical theater production, and choir.

I was never out of my house just to be out of my house because I did not feel safe to do so. I was out of my house because there was a purpose and there was a reason, and I was going from my house to that purpose, for that reason, and back. It is really about understanding what the 2SLGBTQ people want, and it is understanding their needs, interests, and what is hot and trendy.

A lot of young people are looking to be drag queens and performers, but they sometimes do not necessarily have the education to do so, or they might not know where to look or how to find it. So, I organized the whole moment because I am a performer. At the end of the day, drag queens are performers as well. That is the main discipline you need to know. How to entertain a crowd. I figured out the intersectionality of that, and I hit up my good friends Sofonda Cox and asked her to be the lead mentor of the class because she is an absolute legend in Toronto.

Then, I got other people like Priyanka, who is the winner of Drag Race Canada season one, to be a mentor as well, and my longtime friend and collaborator, Hollywood Jade, who works with the best artists in North America. He is super talented.

So, we all just made it happen, and it was so magical. I feel like the biggest takeaway of the class was not actually the performing and teaching. It was the fact that we were all able to get together and have, like, a familial moment. A lot of sisterhood bonds were created, and there were a lot of moments where the girls were teaching each other and helping each other.

Say, hey, try it this way. Have you tried it that way? Giving each other tips and making long lasting friendships, relationships, and connections. I really loved that part, and it warmed my heart. Just having a space where people are able to connect, learn, and be inspired.  You are currently creating and releasing songs that really tell a story of your LGBTQ experience. What can we expect next?
I am just trying to be unapologetic and not sugarcoat anything. My songs are still going to be relatable, and people are still going to be able to understand and relate them to their life in some way, but if I want to talk about a boy; I am going to talk about a boy. I don’t necessarily have to put any pronouns or anything, but if I want to and if a song calls for it, I am not going to dance around the subject matter.

I am just really interested in telling authentic tales and stories. I won’t give away too much about exactly what I am talking about, but I am not going to be out here singing songs that are not real and that our community is not able to understand, relate to, or connect with. Especially during this time.

We have so much access to people, more than we have ever had before. Beforehand, in the music industry, you had to go to a record label and be on TV. The messages that were pushed were very generic, but you had to go because they were the people who had the audience. There was no middleman.

Now, we have all sorts of media. I can go directly to my audience. I can find my audience and deliver a message. If other people enjoy it, that is even better. I do not want to alienate other people, but at the same time, people like stories and experiences, and we have to start showing more stories and showing that there is more to the world than what we have been receiving for the past hundreds of years.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
I am just taking it day-by-day, person-by-person, opportunity-by-opportunity. Obviously, I have goals, but honestly, if last year taught us anything, it is that things are not predictable. All I can do is focus on my work, focus on my music, and take it a song at a time. That is what I am focusing on right now, especially since Ms. Rona ruined everything [laughs]. I had all kinds of plans last year! So, innovation, darling. Being able to change and adapt with what’s hot and what’s available in terms of opportunities.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I am creating my first album, which I am very excited about. So, like I said, things are a lot slower, and I am really taking the time to work on a shit ton of songs and focus on that because there are limited distractions during this time.

We are supposed to stay at home. We have stay-at-home orders in Toronto, so I cannot do anything besides go on social media, engage with my audience, and create. So, I am going to create, and I am very excited to come out of this whole situation with a hot album!

To stay up-to-date with D!xon, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or visit his official website. His music is available on Spotify, iTunes, and all other digital streaming platforms. 

Photos Courtesy of D!xon