AquilDawud (real name Aquil Dantzler) is a soul and R&B artist from Philadelphia. With smooth, soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics, the singer-songwriter’s music is honest and uplifting. After dropping two spontaneous singles in 2019 (‘For the Lovers’ and ‘Summer Day’), he’s set to release his debut project, ‘Born To Be Loved’, later this year.
AquilDawud grew up in a household bursting with a love of music. As the eldest son of the famous neo-soul duo, Kindred The Family Soul, AquilDawud credits his parents with influencing his passion for music. His drive to develop as an artist was ignited in high school, when he began collaborating with rapper Tanner Hicks. The duo performed at open mics, recorded original music and created music videos. Since then, AquilDawud has performed live across the US including at The Roots Picnic Festival 2020, Apache Cafe, The Promontory (Chicago), The Birchmere (Virginia), Orchid Park, The Posh Loft, Morehouse Homecoming, Baltimore Soundstage and The Clef Club.
Inspired by iconic soul artists like Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Musiq Soulchild, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and members of his own musical family, AquilDawud sees music as the ultimate form of self-expression. The R&B singer-songwriter says: “Music is a tool of expression for me. My emotions are my motivation for music. My family is motivation for my music. My friends, honestly, my whole village.”
AquilDawud has also been open about making music as a form of therapy. After years of struggling with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in the shadow of his parents’ successful music careers, the soul singer had an emotional breakthrough after his grandma passed - it was music that helped him cope with the grief: ”Everything changed after that. I started to realize that I shouldn’t keep pushing away the very thing that I loved to do more than anything. That’s when I bought my own equipment and got to work. Learning how to write, record, mix, master, and grow my voice. I’ve never looked back.” 
The upcoming soul artist is ready to make moves in 2020. Keep an eye out for ‘Born To Be Loved’ his debut project.

Contact info: deekay@kindredthefamilysoul.com

jaminhammad30 is following