'To connect with music, I need that element of relatability'

Diving deep with Liverpool's underground Hip-Hop and R&B artist Dayzy

By Amna Akram

On a sunny yet crisp cold evening, I sit down with Dayzy in the local Starbucks, he tells me about his day and the hectic schedule of events that are to follow in the next couple of weeks. As the conversation unfolds, I learn more about the 21-year-old’s journey in a competitive industry and his passion for music and connecting with others.

Raised primarily in Toxteth, Dayzy (full name David Sebuyange) has been surrounded by music from an early age. His first influences come from pivotal family figures - Blue saint and Dorcas Sebuyange who are heavily involved in the Liverpool creative scene.

Despite the early influence, it was only until the rapper turned 18 that a career in music started to feel like a serious possibility. To turn dreams into reality, the Scouse artist tells me he went on a music retreat in Germany performing spoken word poetry and rap music in front of crowds, which was a nerve-racking experience but helped enhance his music vision.

Soon after, with the help of a friend who goes by 1709, the Cab Direct EP was formed in 2019 with each track being a minute long acting as a teaser to see what people like. The project documented the ups and downs of the energetic singer who provides a unique raw and melodic sound, alternating between genres such as Lo-fi, boom bap, trap, arcade, grime, jazz and Neo soul.

“It becomes like breathing at some point you just wake up and you know what you want to write straight away”

The rapper looks up to artists like Kendrick Lamar and Loyle Carner who have a way of telling stories that makes the listener enwrap themselves in the song. Dayzy says: “I want my music to be relatable and fun, for me to connect with music I have to tell a story that either portrays me or someone else that I know of or just portrays something you know, I need that element for relatability maybe.”

Dayzy’s unique lyrical concepts have led to a stream of exciting projects, earlier this year Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council funded a collaboration in which the artist wrote and performed ‘It’s the LVP’, a song shining light on the city’s rich cultural history and its people. In the music video the artist leaves no room for hesitation and confidently embraces his ‘Scouseness’.

The recent single Lying Rappers, in collaboration with MC Nelson offers a new perspective compared to what the artist has recently written. He is adamant on expressing the need for authenticity in the music industry to move forward.

“It’s the LVP and Welcome to My City are to do with showing light to the city but then Lying Rappers is a bit different, it’s just me announcing you don’t have to lie and rap, just be you while you’re rapping because at the end of the day you don’t have to fake it till you make it, be real and people will come to show love and support,” he tells me.

Before the pandemic most people in the creative field were wanting to do their own thing independently, Dayzy senses that things are starting to change for the better as connecting and working with others has helped an underground artist like himself to emerge.

He says: “The opportunities and job offers I’ve got have been from talking to people, it’s word of mouth really you talk to one person and that person is interested in sending my details to someone else and they’re like here is a job for you and it’s amazing.”

As of now the artist is aiming high by working on a number of EP’s, he says: “Why not do more than one.” One of his projects releasing soon will be a three track Neo soul, jazz and hip hop element, which he has played a sneak-peak to locals at an intimate Frederiks gig on 14 April.

To round it all up Dayzy is currently working on an EP by himself called ‘Wear A Map.’ He says:“It’s going to be interesting as it’s coming a long way from the Cab Direct EP, there’s going to be a mixture of UK hip hop alongside Congolese music, exploring where I am at, the stories that I have portrayed throughout my life to now, and maybe talking about the future and what I see.”