Davion Farris may have been born into musical royalty, but the Inglewood native is etching out the blueprint for his own kingdom. His brothers D Smoke and SiR have already established their imprints in the music world, and now Farris is doing the same. From writing hit songs for artists such as Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott to having his songs “Sometimes” and “Make Love” featured on The Chi, Farris has proved he is here to stay.
Though he’s still early on in his career, the two-time Grammy-nominated artist has already made a name for himself. Farris’ artistry is a unique blend of vulnerability and radical transparency that is reminiscent of the golden age of R&B while touching on modern issues faced by today’s generation.
As Farris continues to usher in his empire, it goes without saying that his artistry is refreshingly unmatched. The Inglewood native sat down with Blavity News to discuss his latest single, “Bad Guy,” why he centers his music around men and vulnerability, and how he’s managed to differentiate his sound from that of his brothers.
On “Bad Guy”
Toxic masculinity usually finds its way into music and, unfortunately, into the lives of men worldwide. Common characteristics include shying away from vulnerability and avoiding accountability like the plague. Thankfully, Farris addresses this in his latest single, “Bad Guy.” The song, released last week, delves into understanding how heartbreak isn’t synonymous with gender and men can be vulnerable despite stereotypes.
“‘Bad Guy’ is just like all of my other music. It’s really a song that came about by me venting about a real-life situation,” Farris said. “Yes, I’m a strong, masculine, Black man from Inglewood, but I have no problem being vulnerable and singing about the downs as well as the ups and keeping it honest in my music.”
For Farris’ legions of fans who are excited about this new track, he says that it’ll be similar to his other pieces of art.
“Listeners can expect what they get from the rest of my art, which is honesty. It’s one of those things where I wanted to open up and show a perspective that most people shy away from.” Farris said. “I’m not perfect, and I don’t play the victim like I haven’t also been the bad guy. That’s why the whole tagline is sometimes women can be the bad guy in relationships.”
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How his family influenced his artistry
With his brothers D Smoke and SiR being musicians as well, Farris joins an exclusive club of artists whose siblings trekked after their own musical pursuits. For Farris, what he appreciates most about this, is having the guidance of his siblings as he pursues his musical journey.
“I think the cool thing about both my brothers having their own success is that I have people that I can trust to give real honest advice about where I’m going, so I’m not going in there blindly,” Farris said. “That’s been the greatest benefit to having brothers who are already artists and already in the business.”
Farris and his brothers may all be established acts, but the fact of the matter is, their sounds are completely different. Farris likes to describe himself as an “R&B purist” whose virtuosity is based on the foundation of love.
“The difference between us is really the same differences between our natural personalities. When you meet D Smoke, you feel his energy, he’s a rapper with a raw, real energy vibe. SiR is the perfect blend of what I like to call ‘hip-hop soul,’” Farris said.
“I like to call myself an ‘R&B purist’ where the foundation is love. The foundation is honesty and vulnerability, and that’s really the difference between our art. At whatever point of your life you’re in, you can get something that you can identify with from each of us.”
The intersection of men and vulnerability in his music
One of Farris’ most common themes in his music is exploring how men are (and can be) vulnerable. The “Make Love” singer praises his colleagues like Jazmine Sullivan and Lucky Daye, who helped make it a space where this is even possible.
“I feel like, in recent years, R&B has kind of taken a backseat and what a lot of us felt was missing from that was the honesty and vulnerability. Music had a superficial phase if you could call it that,” Farris said. “I appreciate the guys who kind of opened the door and paved the way, including my brother and Lucky Daye, and the women, for sure, like Jazmine Sullivan. They really opened this space for that type of honesty and vulnerability and you can see that people want and need that.”
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On setting boundaries and giving himself the space to grow
As an artist and creative, setting boundaries can be a daunting task, but for Farris, he feels that it’s necessary. A lesson so necessary, that he picked it up from some of the greats.
“Sticking to your boundaries is something that you have to learn, and I think I picked that up from artists that I’ve worked with like Tyrese and Mary J Blige. Artists who’ve had longevity, not just fleeting success,” Farris said.
“What I noticed that a through point for all of them, was that they knew themselves. They didn’t step outside of what worked and what was true to them as people and then as artists. I’ve not just written for them, but I’ve had in-depth conversations with them and paid close attention. That’s something that I really picked up from artists that I’ve seen who had that kind of success that I want to have, which is long-term success.”
As Farris continues to climb the ladder of success, he believes in the importance of giving one’s self the grace to grow.
“I haven’t always been the most graceful with myself. I’m now a lot more patient and understanding in that you have wins and you have lessons,” Farris said. “As long as you look at it like that and be patient with yourself in the wins as you are in the lessons, you’ll be okay.”
Check out his latest music video for “Bad Guy” here.
