A California girl who grew up in Los Angeles, Debreion DaFirst wrote poetry and songs as a child, but didn’t take music seriously until she was in her late teen's. She explains, “I started writing poetry which eventually turned into songwriting at an early age, 8 years old to be exact and it took my interest in music to another level. I went to a private school and during my time there I joined the choir, took music and dance classes. Anything related to creativity in the arts was all I cared about in school. I started a group with my friends where we experimented with different musical genres like r&b, pop, rap and alternative. There were so many ideas I heard in my head and having the opportunity to express and explore that within a group was beneficial to my growth as an artist. Then I started broaden my horizons even more.” Almost immediately, DaFirst and her group began playing local talent shows and showcases, going through what she calls, “the typical extracurricular-high school lifestyle.” “I wasn’t interested in anything I was doing other than music, and I loved the endless possibilities of my life.”
Soon after finishing high school and entering college, Debreion was on a solo quest. Saving her money from her 8 to 5 job in the day to record her album in studios at night was her passion. "I put myself through college, worked all kinds of hours while trying to write and record anytime I had the chance". Debreion always carried copies of her recordings on a CD for all her friends to hear and playing the songs she was writing, Debreion saw their genuinely excited reaction. “A friend of mind heard the songs, and even though I was broke, constantly paying bills, offered to help me with the cost of studio time for which I was so grateful.” Now recording in earnest, Debreion was gathering skill as a songwriter, taking her influences, like Prince, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday and Marvin Gaye, and using them to shape her own style. “I grew up listening to a lot of 60s,70s, 80s and 90s pop as well as oldies,” Debreion explains, “My Dad used to play Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye and Prince all the time. I naturally gravitate to that kind of sound; there’s a warmth and timelessness to it that I’ve always loved.”
As her name grew in and around the Los Angeles area, the pieces began to fall into place for Debreion. Entering in various showcases and winning a few, earned her some much needed cash and the notoriety to begin playing bigger shows for an ever-increasing local audience. Recording continuously, Debreion hooked up with local producer Victor Brooks aka Who007 (Egyptian Lover, Sean Mack) and the two recorded an album at Headrush studios in Los Angeles. The songs sparked major interest from several labels and in the end, she chose to sign with Earexclusive Records a newly formed, independent label. “Working with Earexclusive has given me the freedom to be myself and to make the music exactly the way I want to make it,” she declares.
That freedom allowed Debreion to self-produce "Therapy", as well as the space to experiment while making it. She reflects, “There was a lot of trial and error that went into the album. The songwriting is far more detailed, and that was reflected in how I recorded. We recorded thirty songs, and I picked ten. I spent months on certain songs, refining them until I thought they were just right.” With Victor Brooks on the helm of production, the sound they got is a commanding and infectious one, modern and eclectic in feel, while also hearkening back to the oldies, 70’s, 80, and 90s pop that is embedded in her musical DNA. But as Debreion says, “It’s a little more tempestuous than I thought it was going to be in the beginning.”
From the opening notes of “Your Love,” the album’s first single, one hears that combination of melodic irresistibility and lyrical incisiveness that are becoming DaFirst’s hallmarks. “The song is about going beyond a friendship to discover true love,” Debreion notes, “But the vibe of it - ‘Sade's "Is It A Crime" meets One More Night '’ by Phil Collins wraps up for me the way it felt standing around a radio when I was growing up.”
Indeed, that feeling of being a kid and reaching different phases of life again is one that’s prevalent on Therapy. Debreion explains, “Your Love and Therapy" are the album’s two main themes and I based everything on the tone of those two songs. Part of it is sentimental. It’s me seeing things for how they are and being comfortable in every aspect of that as an individual, It’s that sense of wonder that sweeps through the album, and with the resounding percussions, piano, melodic guitars riffs and the steady, yet explosive rhythm section, it’s 40 minutes of modern and eclectic pop , made wondrously alive and new again. Debreion doesn’t just sing the songs - she inhabits them and lives them out, making her tales of love and unrestricted fantasies dimensional in the most powerful of ways.
Debreion is currently recording and on the road, honing her live show. And keeping her fans involved through social media.“It’s gaining quite a bit of momentum,” Debreion says. “being able to perform and reaching the hearts of many is something I've always found to be rewarding, that's really the exciting part of it all - Being on the road all the time is something I’ve always wanted.” And on Therapy, Debreion DaFirst is singing her songs precisely the way she’s always wanted, creating a fully realized album that is the culmination of where she’s been and where she’s going, and one that is sure to win the notoriety that is demanded by the depth and quality of her songs.