Only 18 people can claim to be competitive EGOT winners, but D’Mile is already halfway there. The veteran producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist is the only songwriter in Grammy history to win Song of the Year two years in a row, claiming the award for H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” and Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” in 2021 and 2022 respectively. D’Mile also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2021 for co-writing and co-producing H.E.R.’s “Fight for You,” from Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album and has also worked with the likes of Brandy, Janet Jackson, The Carters, Ty Dolla $ign, Victoria Monét, Lucky Daye, and India Shawn. An impressive resumé and a matching gift for music is part of why we featured the Brooklyn-born, Los Angeles-based multi-talent.
SCENES explores emerging communities of artists and fans who are influencing music and culture on a global level. D’Mile moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s, and has been an integral part of the SoCal Soul movement: a collection of artists based in Southern California who are giving contemporary R&B a boost by upholding the genre’s tradition and carrying the torch lit by the artists many of them grew up listening to.
D’Mile’s relationship with R&B music started early, as it was passed down to him from his parents, who are also musicians. “My mom had a bunch of records,” he tells SoundCloud. “One of the first things I was listening to was Michael Jackson. One of my favorite songs from him is ‘Human Nature,’ actually.” D’Mile adds that he was taken aback by the song’s composition, amazed that something could sound so beautiful.
Inspired by the legends, D’Mile developed his own sound based on a solid R&B foundation built by producers like Quincy Jones, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (who he worked under as an apprentice), Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams. By studying the producers and artists he admires, D’Mile learned that the best way to create strong working relationships is to develop actual relationships with the artists he works with. Getting to know them on a personal level helps him tailor his production to their specific needs. “The process could be different for whoever I’m working with,” he says.
“Lucky Daye, Silk Sonic, Victoria Monét, they might come in already with the whole idea. Another one will just be trying stuff, and you might create something special. Keep it loose and just let God happen in the room.”
D’Mile describes R&B as the reason why he breathes. He uses his passion to breathe new life into current R&B music and has done so for other SoCal Soul artists. D’Mile produced India Shawn’s “Cali Love,” which currently has over 100,000 streams on SoundCloud and which she performs at the end of SCENES: SoCal Soul.
Watch the full SCENES: SoCal Soul episode below, and listen to our SoCal Soul playlist for more music.
WATCH SCENES: SOCAL SOUL
Credits: Directed by C.T. Roberts. Portraits by Ira Chernova. BTS by 70mm.
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