DJ Paimon: Get to Know the Man Behind the Music

DJ Paimon is an upcoming producer and musician who is already stunning audiences with his fresh approach and beats. This summer DJ Paimon has been circling his new single “I’m the One,” from his upcoming release K.O.T.C., which is due out later this year. His fresh approach puts him above the rest as he takes the genre to new heights. We had the opportunity to touch base with DJ Paimon this Summer, to get the insight of what goes on behind the scenes. Take a read below.
Tell us a little bit about you who are, where you’re from and where you’re living now.
Well I was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. I’m a first generation Iranian-American. My parents moved here in the 70’s from Iran. I was raised essentially in two different cultures. Persian culture, and Middle-American “Iowa Nice” culture. (I’m thankful for both) I attended the University of Iowa, got my degree in Economics, and then decided to pursue a music career. I moved to Los Angeles for a few years and then moved back to my hometown of Iowa City, where I currently reside.
Your music is outstanding and you have a rapidly growing fan base. Tell us a little bit about the growth process songwriters and what it’s like to ‘climb the ladder’ so to speak.
Thank you! The growth process has been very organic but definitely within the last year or two much more rapid. I think the more and more I started to find my sound, the more confidence and drive it gave me to go harder. Naturally, when you put something out and the people respond well to it, it makes you excited to follow up with more. I think the moment I noticed that people were actually starting to pay attention was when I was doing my remixes. That’s when I started to have people reach out to me from other countries, and I started to see DJ’s I grew up looking up to, supporting my work. That was when I started to realize I’m doing something right.
I find labeling an artists’ music to be very difficult. If you had to pin point where you fit and what genre you are associated to, where do you think that would be?
I agree, I think its hard for me to classify my genre as well, because I don’t like to put myself in a box. I like to produce a wide variety of styles, Hip Hop, R&B, EDM, Pop, funk. I’ve been influenced by the styles of guys like Diplo who can produce a major lazer reggae influenced edm song, and then turn around and make a rap beat for Chris Crown. Or a guy like Timbaland who can produce a classic rap beat for Jay-z but then make a pop hit for Nelly Furtado. I want to be the type of producer who can work with all the artists I’m a fan of, and make something that would bring out the best out of both our talents and styles.
Who inspires you to play and create music?
So many artists inspire me. Jay-Z is my favorite rapper ever. I’ve watched his Fade to Black documentary a million times, and every time I watch it, it inspires me. Kanye West and Travis Scott both inspire me artistically. DJ Khaled’s work ethic and attitude inspires me. I watch a lot of youtube videos of other producers working in the studio to get inspiration. Ryan Leslie is another very talented producer who inspires me when I watch the way he works in the studio. Outside of these big stars, I even get inspired by local artists that I work with. For example, guys like TJ, Kidd Kh3mist, Novet (all up and coming artists in Iowa) … every time I’m in the studio with them I get reinvigorated to create some art.
Elaborate on the recording process. Take us through all the small details if you could.
It’s different every time. Sometimes i’ll be sitting at home, or at a coffee shop with my laptop and some headphones, just messing around with some sounds or ideas. Or i’ll be in the studio with some other artists (rappers, singers, songwriters) and we’ll be bouncing ideas off each other as I mess around with some drums or keys. Its a very organic process. Just gotta catch a vibe. Soon as the vibe is right, then I keep going with it until we have enough to work with so that we can begin the writing process. When we have decided the theme and subject for that song, we come up with the lyrics. Sometimes I’ll have the featured artists just write up some verses, and then they’ll send it to me, and I’ll go over what needs to be fixed, changed, and we either change it, or we scrap it and start from scratch. Then we go in the studio, and record the vocals until it sounds the way we intended.
At what point in your life did you pursue music to the fullest as to make a career out of it? Some artists start at a very young age while others take years to discover their passion for the arts. Where do you fall on this spectrum?
I would say I pursued it fully in 2008. That was when I quit my part time job, working in sales at a local wireless phone company called iwireless, and became a full time DJ. At that point the money I was making from DJ’ing was enough to support myself so that I wouldn’t need another job. Since DJ’ing and Producing go hand-in-hand I was able to focus on producing music, while I DJ’d for income.
Take us through the lowest moments in your career and in your recent personal life.
I would say there were definitely a few low points. One in particular was when I was living in Los Angeles, and my income wasn’t matching the cost of living so I started taking gigs for the money rather than the passion, and then I started to question whether music was really a career I wanted to pursue. There’s been some heartbreak’s along the way that have thrown me off track a bit, and made me lose focus. I’m a very passionate and committed person so when I get involved in something I put my all into it, whether its a career, a project or a relationship. So when something important falls apart, I can have a momentary lapse in progress or motivation.
And on the flipside, what have you overcome? What successes are you most proud of in your career?
I would say overcoming the thought of retiring from music was a definite success. I’m not a quitter, so even the thought of changing careers out of fear of failure was upsetting. I’m happy that no matter what has happened in my personal life, I have been able to bounce back and find motivation to get back on the grind. I have my family, friends, and my fans to thank for that. I have a great support system around me, and I’m surrounded by people who always remind me of my purpose with their love. You never know the type of impact you can have on someone, until something as small as a complete stranger telling you they love what you do, or they have been inspired by you, thats enough to make me want to keep going. I would say I’m most proud of the fact that I even have ANY fans. That thought itself is humbling.
Aside from music, what else are you passionate about?
Just inspiring others to be great and be happy because at the end of the day thats all life is about. If you’re not happy, then whats the point?
When we can expect the next release from you?
Well I won’t be releasing any more singles from the K.O.T.C. album until the album is released, but I am going to release some singles, a pre-album release, playlist or mixtape (I don’t even know what people are calling it these days) called “Pai-Day” But yeah, I’ll be putting out some new songs within the next month.
Find DJ Paimon here:
snapchat: djpaimon
