Looking for a silver lining in an ocean of blue thoughts and feelings might not be as easy as many would like to think, and it definitely requires grit and determination. You may be faced with constant challenges, small victories followed by setbacks, hopelessness, a lot of confusion, self-trust issues, but in the end you will “Find the Sunrise“.
It goes without saying that last year was an one-of-a-kind one for all of us (and the current one seems like a tough contestant too), the constant struggle of understanding what we are dealing with, adjusting to it and coping with it, draining us of a lot of energy.
However, it’s often in these times of struggle (no, Mother Mary doesn’t come to me, to sing her words of wisdom) that we re-connect to our true self and emerge as better individuals – Dennis Sheperd managed to do this through his new album that saw the light of day early this year.
Radio DEEA: We are celebrating two months since the release of the “Find the Sunrise” album took place. Can you please share with us your thoughts about how it performed, how it was received by the audience?
Dennis Sheperd: “Thanks! I’m super happy with the release so far. Fans are really happy with the music an that’s the most important thing for me. The support from DJs and the numbers look really good too.”
Radio DEEA: You’ve mentioned on more than once occasion that this album holds a very special place in your heart and that it came from a pretty dark place. Can you tell us more about the process of creation? What made you choose music to battle your demons, how easy or hard was to produce such an album, was there a moment when you thought is not going to happen?
Dennis Sheperd: “Well, everyone goes through ups and downs in their life, right? This album was the best way for me to process these developments in my life. I put my heart and soul into the productions (and lyrics). I am very proud of the outcome and I think a lot of people can relate to the lyrics and topics.”
Radio DEEA: You have a great collection of names with whom you collaborated on this album. How did you manage to do the actual collab especially during these harsh times when the F2F option is … well, not an option anymore?
Dennis Sheperd: “I actually did some of the records in person, before Covid or when measurements were eased a little. Other collabs were done over the internet but that’s how I’ve been working for last 14 years. Not much has changed, I have always done collabs over the internet.”
Radio DEEA: One of Leonand Cohen’s songs states that “There is a crack, a crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in”. What was the “crack” in your case, for making this album happen? What drove you to turn it into a reality?
Dennis Sheperd: “To be honest, I always loved doing albums. For me, it gives me way more freedom to be creative and that in return results more often in better music than trying to produce hit single after hit single.”
2020 was, as we openly declared, a pretty peculiar year. Everything changed and the music industry was not one to stay put. It was affected, it cried, it got depressed, it had to re-invent itself for its fans. Artists have played a huge part in all this process. But many have been left without a say, or decided to switch their focus on something else.
We were curious as to understand how Dennis managed to keep the passion alive and not just that, but also to stay in touch with his fans and create music.
Radio DEEA: How was 2020 for you as an artist? The music industry has been affected, no question about it, so how did you manage to cope with this challenging year?
Dennis Sheperd: “I found other areas than live gigs that I concentrated on. I continued producing music, teaching people about music production, I started a new music production blog and so much more. It was a very productive time!”
Radio DEEA: Has the music industry done enough for the artists in 2020? Have the streaming platforms managed to respond to your needs as a “work-from-home” DJ?
Dennis Sheperd: “To be honest, I have done way less streaming than some of my colleagues. I just preferred to do other things such as producing music in the studio.”
Radio DEEA: Now, as the new year has only just begun (sort of), what are your hopes and expectations and what has Dennis Sheperd in the bag for his fans?
Dennis Sheperd: “This year we will release some remixes of my album tracks as well as new Dennis Sheperd singles (mostly collabs). Lastly, there will also be some new DR. DRTY material (my Techno alias).”