Zine 32: Eric Dontè
Eric is has the beautiful kind of soul that emanates love in such a way that when he claims to rule the world; talking about living large - you aren’t put in a mentality of being in a competition. With genuine love (and endless streams of) bad bitch type music, it’s often a “I’m number one, and the rest of you better bow down” kind of tone. While that type of rap is perfect for breaking insecurity, feeling yourself, and more, Eric’s latest single ‘He Who Rules’ still lets you have your main character syndrome but not at the expense of others. The musician is heavy on spreading good vibes. Heavy distortion, fast beats and an in your face attitude, some people might presume they know what they’re about to hear but if they stayed put for one second, they’d see Eric was in their face, yes, but with a large, welcoming smile. But my personal fave is ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ and I could tell you why I like it so much, or you could just stream it and see how hard it is not to move along even if you’re embedded three pillows deep on the couch.
Follow Eric on Instagram
Stream ‘He Who Rules’
Baby Ballou: Talk to me about “he who rules,” it embodies a lot of different moments in such a short span. How did it come to exist?
Eric: I made that song in the beginning of quarantine when I was feeling really down about everything that was going on in the world and being stuck at home for such a while in my own little world so I needed a song the made me feel powerful something that would make me own my power. So it just a little dance bop about being in your own world and doing your own thing . ruling your own world . that everybody can do!
Bb: Your style is confident and unapologetic both with the production and lyrics. But it’s a fun switch from the normal pop ballad to this club/rap bop. What musicians and genre movements inspire and influence you?
Eric: Thank you! I’m influenced by so many different musicians, it’s always hard to name everything and everyone . in the past year i’ve been watching a lot of movies being stuck in lockdown and soundtrack music has been inspiring me a lot . very intense euphoric music. i really love confident unapologetic artist music and art in general . it bleeds bad bitch feel good energy.
Bb: A lot of people incorrectly associate bad bitch energy with an almost detached arrogance lacking any mupbeatness.’ what do you feel the relationship between being a bad bitch and feeling happy and goofy is?
Eric: I hate that sometimes depending on the angle you’re listening in uplifting yourself in music can almost sound too cocky to some people i have to ask myself sometimes should I care but I once made not so feel good music and it was kinda sad and that’s not the energy I wanna put out . it’s a balance though no ones gonna feel either or all the time but I would rather tell people “you are that bitch” as a constant reminder. a world where everyone feel good and confident in their skin sound good to me lbs
Bb: Definitely!! I think coming out of the 2000’s kinda manic pixie dream girl, pop punk, skins UK era where we kind of romanticized this sadness and sense of being lost. And I feel like we’re ripping a part of that off to let earnest positive vibes be cool and trendy. (we still have the “cringe” shame to come to terms with) What makes you happy? What makes you feel confident?
Eric: exactly!! hmmm what makes me happy. for starters FOOD!! second comes others things like music movies and partying and adventure. im a wonderer! it really makes me happy seeing everyone looking good and feeling good together. I also get really happy when people show appreciation for music because that’s something I been putting my heart mind and soul into since I was a lil kid. when I feel like I look good is when I’m the most confident. when I’m dressed how I feel. as long as I’m doing what I want how I want I’m confident as hell
Bb: I love all of that. My social anxiety peaks at the word partying but I’m there in spirit lolol what does appreciation for music look like to you? What’s the purest form or how have people shown appreciation in the past that’s warmed you?
Eric: I can party alone in my room to honestly or with close friends it doesn’t always have to be this huge blow out lol . To me appreciation for music looks like someone sharing the music and spreading the vibes nothing more nothing less . it’s so pure and i feel so appreciated when people hit me up or talk to me about a song and they ask what inspired or they want me to break the song down to them that’s when i know someone has listened listened beyond the beat and melodies
Bb: With We Next, I’m Nervous. It’s a very simple and smooth beat and melody but the words and string like chords really evoke this feeling of wanting to feel safe in your own skin. What’s the message and what experiences is it grounded in?
Eric: That song was recorded in one take all freestyling !! I had no idea what the song would be called or anything I did see a alien meme that I loved that read “we’re next, im nervous” and I think that’s why that line was the first thing in my mind . some songs I just let go and be free all the way through and they kinda of get there meaning after the fact . this one seems to be about individuals or groups that come in peace and don’t fit the usual mode . it may not be their time now but soon it will come . a inspiration to keep going no matter what . speaking it into existence . I believe ‘we next’ to much that it makes me a little nervous like ughh “the time has finally come”
Bb: Why do you think, as a society, we’re so hellbent on alienating others and the idea of being an alien? On the one hand we have people derogatorily calling others aliens and imagery of anything that’s not “conventional” human being demonized. on the other hand, it’s a common theme for people deemed alt or weird to identify with the concept of aliens and worlds in outer space ?
Eric: People alienate other because they can’t seem to get comfortable with stuff they don’t understand . i like to call myself an alien because i myself do believe I’m not like most and it’s just a fun way to own being different . I think alt weird people use little fairy tale type things to allow people to look at being different and weird as something that’s not so bad for example vampire , mermaids unicorns fairies thing like that
Bb: Its interesting because i feel like so many things we find in cosplay, or subversive inspiration originated decades or even centuries ago as a means of scaring or guiding people into conventional norms. Like fairy tales that, before Disney, were gruesome tales of tragedy used to scare. Was there any story or anything like that someone used to do with you as a kid that stuck with you? Mine was some horror story of a family who had a fight and the dad left to get apology ice cream and died and it was a lesson to always say I love you before someone leaves but like, it stuck with me to a haunting extent lol
Eric: lol similar stories here i don’t remember details but I do remember those never say bye only see you later stories.. I guess you only say bye when you never plan on seeing them again lol
Bb: Which is very aggressive tbh hahaha like what an interesting thing to spend time drilling into kids. What do you wish you’d learned more about in school?
Eric: In school I wish I learned more about black history I hated history though it was a lot of reading and memorizing but it would of been more interesting if we learned more about black history
Bb: Yeah, I’ll hear about conflicts or histories on the news and I’ll be like, wait what? Like to fully important things that I’ll then look into. But all the schooling and I learn more from references in music and tv and Instagram slides gd how did you learn about black history since schools always fail to tell the truth
Eric: I learn a lot of history through family and tv and social media . I do a lot of research and watch documentaries . I lovveee watching old interviews on YouTube
Bb: Oooo what’re/who’re (interviewee not interviewer) some of your favorite interviews?
Eric: hmmm grace jones, prince, erykah badu, Tyler the creator, a lot of musicians really. Love Andre 3000 also
Bb: What about them do you think makes them stand out? I ask people with music, yknow, what strikes you first, instrumentals? Lyrics? Vocals? With interviews, observing conversations, what strikes you first? Tone? Attitude? What’s being discussed?
Eric: their unapologetic approach to their fashion and lyrics!! In interviews it’s them discussing how to navigate as an artist i like taking pointers on things like that especially when it’s an artist i see a lot of myself in
Bb: Yeah they’re all especially known for combining fashion with their music. Why do you think they pair so well?
Eric: honestly i think when you are being authentically yourself everything that makes you grand and different from everyone comes naturally and the artist and roll out for things just flows smooth
Bb: We hear the message all the time, even by the entities who enforce the norms, so whether real or insincere, we still hear “be yourself,” everywhere all the time and yet as society and even as individuals, we fight tooth and nail en masse to avoid fully sharing ourselves to the open public
Eric: SO TRUE
Bb: Why do you think we’re so subconsciously obsessed with perfection?
Eric: The media and tv . everything is like a forced agenda to always make people do more but more try to get more try to look better try to eat different . Always pretty privilege is really real!!!
Bb: Yeah we reward conventional beauty so much that when we do embrace non conventional, it almost always feels patronizing. Like when Susan Boyle became famous because she could sing despite not being a hot blonde bombshell ?? We’re constantly pushed to do more so we can never question what it is we’re being made to do. In the age of the hustle, do you take a step back and let yourself be lazy at times?
Eric: I do!!! but i also feel as though sometimes im not doing enough . it’s a constant battle . the pandemic and being forced to not do anything has shown me it doesn’t even matter . the rush was only in my head well at least that how I feel right now in this moment in life
Bb: Yeah the pandemic only heightened that balance. Some days, I’m like, it’s a pandemic. I can’t hold myself to any structure, just go with the flow. And others i feel like if I don’t come out of this pandemic better than I went into it, what’s the point. But I think we all needed to learn to have free time and I hope having so much of it doesn’t mean we all start going back to 24/7 (obviously excluding those who aren’t privileged enough to have free time because of family, financial or otherwise). Switching it up a little, why do you identify with teddy bears?
Eric: you nailed that that’s exactly how I feel !!! the whole teddy bear thing came from years ago when my best friend phillip committed suicide . the day before we had random went to build a bear on some high shit and the bear i build was kinda of our last big memory I physically had . I carried for awhile and people started noticing and one day a friends parent who was really homophobic and religious threw the original bear away one day I forgot at their house saying that I was possessed and she didn’t want that it there . I made a big deal about it on social media and at my next show people threw a few teddy bears on stage . From that point I made it my logo and apart of my image . now I have tons of bears and wanna continue to have that part of my legacy bc this music stuff started with my besties . it’s like good luck . now people call me a card bear bc im so chill i guess
Bb: Wow I’m so fucking mad at that woman not just for her views but for taking that away from you. That’s so cruel. But it’s beautiful how the memory only grew to be a legacy of love as a result. Did you and Philip work together creatively?
Eric: Same!!! it turned out as a beautiful thing that people enjoy . and yes!! we were in sort of a music group . that was before i was heavy on social at promoting myself so a lot of those memories are gone
Bb: How did your music group and those memories shape your music journey now?
Eric: over the years we loved so many different types of music and things that now i feel like every type of artist in one .. I’m almost thank that I didn’t debut as a mainstream artist like wanted back then bc now I feel so much more polished as an artist
Bb: Lastly, if you had to describe where you want your music to go, what you want it to sound like in the future, if you had to describe that as a place, what would it look like?
Eric: It would be very colorful and afrofuturistic . A place where the buildings are colorful and shaped weird . The grass is purple like the OutKast b.o.b music video lol