Brampton artist Derin Falana recently released a brand new Jahmal Gittens-produced single titled “These Days”, which comes accompanied by a three-track “audio journal” compilation – These Days: Audio Journal.
Both the new track and the entire three-track compilation serve as a life recap and timeline of the last little while for Derin. He’s had some major milestones, and he’s also encountered quite a few challenges. On the one hand, he finally reached a point where he’s able to do music full time and make enough money off it (as he shared with us in his previously released “Cruising” – which appears on the audio journal). But on the other hand, Derin had to face a three-month-long battle with laryngitis that left him unable to perform or record.
And while that was all going on, Derin encountered a major rise in fame. Even though he – admittedly – still sees himself as an up-and-comer, I think he’s surpassed that marker. And with that new level of recognition and fame and success comes a mental shift, and a need to prioritize.
Take in “These Days” below, peep the These Days: Audio Journal below, and read our Q&A with Derin to find out what’s been going on in his world “These Days.”
Q&A: Derin Falana
HipHopCanada: Talk to me about the significance of this track to you on a personal level… this is probably one of the most frustrated songs I’ve heard from you.
Derin Falana: “These Days” was just an update on what’s going on with me these days. I mention the laryngitis, how I’m no longer working, some of things I’ve been going through and where my mind is at because of them. There’s good and bad in this record.
HipHopCanada: I feel like this track marks a shift in priorities for you, too. You’re starting to realize that a lot of things really don’t matter… but also that a lot of things really do matter. What are the top priorities right now?
Derin Falana: I’m starting to weed out the things that don’t really matter. Shaving off the dead weight and cutting out anything that’s going to hold me back from getting where I need to be. I can’t spend time and energy on certain things anymore. In a way this song is me stopping to refocus but it’s also me saying that things are little bit different than they were last year… in a positive way. The family and the music are the only things that matter right now.
HipHopCanada: You’re not an up-and-comer anymore, but you’re not super famous yet, either. Which is a weird place to be. In many ways it’s kind of like purgatory. You still have people trying to take advantage of you and wanting your affiliation for the wrong reasons… but then you also have people who aren’t giving you the recognition you deserve. What’s that like?
Derin Falana: I’m not going to lie… it does get frustrating. But in the same breath I know what I signed up for and there’s going to be moments where I feel like it’s taking too long. That’s just a part of this grind. However, it does always help to look back to where I was, versus where I am now. To be honest, I still kind of consider myself an up-and-comer because there’s still so much left to achieve. But I’ll talk about all of that in the music.
HipHopCanada: I noticed you also slipped in that line about getting laryngitis. When did that happen and how did that affect you? Especially since you’ve been in a place where you’ve been trying to stay so consistent with pumping out new music.
Derin Falana: I had laryngitis towards the end of 2016 for close to three months (November, December [and] into January). I wasn’t able to record or perform and a lot of my days were spent completely silent; writing what I wanted to say on paper to anybody I was communicating with. I’m better and recording now. But there are some things I can’t do for the sake of my voice. “I can’t take a bottle to the face/ Laryngitis f**king up the wave”. Don’t want that to happen again, especially at a time where things are really moving.
HipHopCanada: Tell me about what prompted you to release your audio journal… and talk to me about what milestone each of the three songs represents.
Derin Falana: I just took a look at the kind of songs I was making and wanted to tell my story in a unique way. Because I usually make music in the moment, a handful of songs are in chronological order (similar to writing journal or diary entries). I thought it would be cool to give my fans constant updates in between the release of my projects. I think people assume that this is a mixtape or something. But it’s not. The mixtape is still very much on the way. This is more like a compilation. “Live From Hollowgrove” was made around the same time I released Live From Rocky Mountain. “Cruising” was made after the release, and “These Days” was actually the first song I recorded when I got healthy.
Interview conducted by Sarah Jay for HipHopCanada
