Interview by Holiday Kirk (@HolidayKirk)
Upon entering the Dough Street Entertainment studio, I was surprised to see one of the monitors playing the video for “The DLow Shuffle.” I gestured to the monitor and looked over at DLow, who was getting up from a chair near the door, “How many times would you say you’ve heard this song in the last 2 weeks?” I asked. His eyes widened as he let loose a tired sigh. “Man,” he said, “I don’t even know.”
Darrion Simmons, better known as DLow, is perched at an interesting mid-point in his career. His dance sensation smash “The DLow Shuffle” is gaining momentum everyday edging Chicago’s bop scene further onto the national stage along with it. Now that the song has been scooped up by Atlantic Records, it’s right on the verge of breaking through on a major scale. But DLow is eager to prove he’s more than “The DLow Shuffle” and he’s about to face the greatest challenge a new artist can face, making good on promise the second time around.
During our interview DLow was reserved but engaged, no doubt the by product of being rushed into the spotlight. Despite his palpable fatigue, he still registered as a barely contained ball of energy. Even while sitting his legs eagerly mimicked his signature bop, as if he might hop up and bust out his swishy loose limbed dance moves at any second. Throughout, DLow seems ready to prove himself as a true artist and is excited to prove himself to the world.
FSD: Since breaking you’ve been getting a ton of public attention, do you ever find the attention to be overwhelming?
DLow: Yeah sometimes because I’m not used to it. I mean, it’s something new to me. It’s a blessing though. I can manage it, especially with the team behind me to teach me. If I don’t know how to do something and they see me mess up, they teach me so it gets easier and easier as time progresses.
FSD: In bop, what came first, the dance or the music?
DLow: The dance. Boppin had been around, I just brought it out.
FSD: Have you started doing performances outside of Illinois? How has the reaction been out there?
DLow: Yeah. New York. St. Louis. It’s great because they show love. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve got a good response back from the crowd.
FSD: Alot of people don’t know that you rap too. Did you start rapping and dancing at the same time?
DLow: Actually, I was rapping first then I started dancing.
FSD: You often speak publicly of a deep desire to do positive things for your community, where does this desire come from?
DLow: It comes from my situation. What I’ve been through as far as growing up, in the community that I grew up in and seeing the stuff that I’ve seen. I want to change it, I don’t want that to happen to nobody else.
FSD: How did your appearance on the Steve Harvey Show come about?
DLow: One of [Steve Harvey’s] producers reached out to me because they seen the type of message I was sending towards the kids and stuff, and they felt like it was something great. So they reached out to me and in the next couple days I was on the show. Did the “DLow Shuffle” too turnt up.
FSD: Have any other major networks reached out to you?
DLow: I’ve been on every website thats out right now. I’m supposed to be appearing on Arsenio Hall, I’ll be on 106 & Park April 8th. Those are the two major ones that I know are coming up.
FSD: Are there any plans in the works for a bop tour? Something national maybe?
DLow: Yeah. My team, we putting that together now. We definitely try to take this everywhere accross the world.
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