Meet Djemini

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

Hi Djemini, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Music was always a significant part of my life, but I never made the leap to go all in. After doing my first open mic in April of 2023, I saw how well my original music was received by an audience of talented artists who were complete strangers to me. That gave me the green light to really dive into building the Djemini brand, releasing music, short and long form video content, and doing as many shows as I could.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being a musician is what I wanted to do since I was a little kid. My parents played me Elvis and Justin Timberlake records before I could talk and then followed that up with a variety of artists from Hall & Oates, to Usher, Janet Jackson, John Mayer and more. Their unique taste in music and love for so many genres was instilled in me and I would run around the house with a toy mic in my hands singing these songs word for word as soon as I could.

My journey from then was up and down with music, but it was in college where I really found my footing. I finally picked up the guitar during my Freshman year and then I never looked back. I became known as the guitar guy around campus and started writing my own songs. Right before the pandemic I released a handful of originals under a different artist name and then stepped back from music for a couple years.

During that time I dove into my love for photography and videography. That became what I did professionally for the next 4 years and when I committed to music, the video skills were a huge advantage. I became my own production house. From writing the songs to shooting and editing the visuals, I do nearly every part of the process myself and that is something that sets me apart. Along with shooting music videos and content with other Portland artists, I have a catalog of songs and music videos built purely on my unique artistic vision and executed by me and a tight group of my best friends who help me bring those ideas to life.

It has not been an easy road to get to where I am professionally now and while I am not full-time with music yet, I am intensely focused on bringing that to reality over the next year. Luckily with music, many of the challenges I am faced with are fuel for writing songs and are therapeutic which helps me get through the difficult moments.

Although I mentioned that I can do almost everything myself, one of the most important lessons I have learned from this journey is that you don’t have to do it all yourself. Finding people who love what you are doing and believe in you is easier than you might think if you just put yourself out there, immerse yourself in the community of people doing what you want to do, and you be kind. Music is a pretty cut-throat industry, so I don’t want kindness to get mistaken for being a pushover, but I believe that kindness wins in the long run. You can be firm and non-compromising on your vision/values and still be kind.

When the world thinks of Djemini, I want them to think of someone who gives them permission to feel their feelings in the deepest way possible. Whether that is heartbreak or falling in love, or something spicy in between, I am proud of the honesty I pour into my writing, production, and performance and I just want my music to allow people to feel that for themselves and hopefully feel inspired to make art of their own, whatever medium that may be through.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is fun! I have been in Portland for almost 7 years now, which is crazy to think after growing up in Seattle. I suppose I am a bit of a local here now to so here’s my itinerary if you were to visit me over a weekend.

– You arrive and we hit the waterfront if it’s not pouring down rain. The waterfront never fails to make me smile and has the best people watching in the city in my opinion, while being so close to anything else you want to get to.

– From there we grab brunch at Grits n Gravy in the heart of the city. This is one of my favorite brunch spots around and their chicken and waffles is ELITE. I get it regularly and it has impressed all my friends I have taken here.

– After that we continue strolling through the city to get to the Pearl District where I live. There are wonderful restaurants, shops, and parks surrounding this area and I love being able to share a little slice of my life with people visiting.

– For dinner we have to go to either Please Louise (the best pizza in the city in my opinion) or Red Onion Thai depending on what we’re in the mood for. Both of these places are staples in my eating out repertoire and you will not be disappointed.

– After that, there is no shortage of shows to go see on Friday/Saturday nights so I would just check my Instagram to see which one of my friends is performing or other cool events happening.

– The next day, we are brunching again. This time I will take you up to North Portland over the St. John’s Bridge, one of the most beautiful and iconic bridges in the city, and will take you to John Street Cafe. This has been another mandatory brunch spot for me since I moved to Portland for school years ago.

– After we finish a delicious meal there, I would love to show off my alma mater, The University of Portland. This is just a few minutes down the road from our brunch spot and we would enjoy the beauty of the bluff and I could share where some of the formative moments as a musician happened.

– After that, it’s just a chill night at the crib where we enjoy the city views, some good music and a homemade meal (I love to cook!)

That sounds like a pretty fun weekend to me!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is dedicated to Salvatore Manalo. This man has been my music mentor and quickly became one of my closest friends after we met and started working together. Not only is Sal an INCREDIBLE artist, he is also a phenomenal producer and helped me produce my entire debut EP “JUST A PAWN?”. He helped me tell the story of these songs by bringing them to life with the production and helping my voice and my guitar playing to shine. We are almost done with our first collaborative project together that will be releasing this summer and I am beyond excited to have another body of work with Sal coming to you soon. Sal is a family man with a full time job, wife and 3 year old daughter, and somehow makes time for so many amazing music things with me and many other local artists. It is truly a blessing we met and I am pumped to see what we continue to create and how we will continue to grow in our brotherhood.

Website: https://djemini.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djeminimusic/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@djemini?si=pfkB6i41wB_A9cmo

Image Credits
Marcos Romero-Turner (@mrtphotopdx)
Sej Flores (@sejflo)
Tasi