Meet Darius Ford

Q: What’s your name, and where are you from?

A: My name is Darius Ford, and I’m from Norfolk, Virginia.

Q: Why do you love what you do?

A: I love what I do because I get to express my feelings and my story in such a creative way. What I may not be able to express through simply talking is easily expressed through song. It’s therapy for me and has gotten me out of some very dark places in my life. It brings me joy and happiness to sing. Also, I get to impact and relate to other people so that they can feel good about themselves and keep going in life.

Q: What makes you different?

A: For one, I’m a 6’10" big guy who is openly gay and happens to sing R&B. Where I’m from, that is a rarity. More importantly, transparency and vulnerability are what really make me different. I write songs about topics and situations that are taboo in music and far from what is considered popular. Every song is based on my own personal experiences. I like to portray those experiences in a way where the melody is audibly appealing, but also the message can be clearly understood.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A: In 5 years, I see myself being a lot further along in my music career. I see myself getting out of Virginia, traveling the world, and performing my music full time in front of thousands of people. I see myself as being very wealthy. I also see myself getting at least one Grammy Award within that time, as well as other awards. In addition to that, I also see myself venturing into other areas of entertainment, such as acting.

Q: What do you want to accomplish in life?

A: I want to accomplish everything that people told me I couldn’t accomplish. I want to go down in history as one of the greatest singers, not just of my generation, but also of all time. I want to be considered an icon in the music industry. I want my music to be timeless, not just for sounding good, but also for having a message that can relate to people well after I’ve passed on. Overall, I want to live my life in peace, knowing that when I die, I will have proved every doubter wrong and accomplished everything that I was meant to.

Q: What do you bring to your industry?

A: I bring a breath of fresh air to the industry. My music is different from what’s popular, which has made my journey in my career rather difficult in some areas. However, the overall consensus of those who decided to take a chance on my music is that it is nostalgic and vintage, but also new and unlike what’s being done in music these days, all at the same time. I wholeheartedly believe that, though my style of music is different, that is what makes it special and very much needed in the industry.

Q: What do you want to be remembered for?

A: I want to be remembered as myself. This industry changes people. I’ve seen it happen with national artists as well as local artists in my own area. Regardless of how famous I become or how much money I get, I don’t ever want my character to change because it reflects in the music. I don’t want to look back at my career 10 or 20 years from now and not be able to relate to or be genuinely proud of the music I created.