Davis Mallory – Greatest Work of Art

By starrymag | May 16, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I’m a blend of EDM (Dance) with Pop a little bit of Country and Urban/Hip-hop infused.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Britney Spears, Max Martin, Madonna, Marc Ronson, Calvin Harris, Disclosure, Prince, Michael Jackson, Hall and Oates, The Bee Gees, Coldplay, Charlie Puth – truly so many artists.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Greatest Work of Art.” 

 

A) I was home visiting my artist mother one year before Christmas and she was busy working on a line of holiday ornaments she created several years ago – that every year becomes more and more popular. She’s always been an artist – an art teacher – teaching many people art at a local school in Daytona Beach, FL or in Atlanta, GA where she divides her time. I was helping her with her art projects, mainly just watching her as she worked, and she shared a story with me that when I was born she put her award-winning Graphic Design career on pause to raise me – thus becoming in her words “her greatest work of art.” I was super touched by the story and wrote a note down to write a song with this title when I returned to Nashville. I called up music producer Shawn Gough and songwriter Sarah Underwood and asked the two if they would work with me on the idea. This was just before COVID 2020, so we worked on the song and the video during the pandemic of 2020. I released the song for my mom privately in 2020 and wanted to share it with the rest of the world this year. I filmed a music video that is a combination of childhood homemade videos of my mom at work in her art camps and footage of her raising her three children – combined with present day footage of myself being covered in paint to symbolize her creative creation.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) The song reflects on mothers who spend countless hours and dollars on raising their children and encourages us to appreciate them on Mother’s Day as these sacrifices they make are often overlooked and unappreciated – with lyrics like “there’s a lot you could have done but you gave your time to me” and “you could do anything you want, devoted decades spending mornings at home” “I became you dream, you gave it all to me, I was your greatest work of art.”

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The video began with combing through hours of homemade videos my father had filmed throughout my childhood – which was a joy to go through (finding footage of my mom at work on art projects with her fun 80s/90s styled haircuts and outfits) and footage of myself and my younger brother Judson and sister Garland taking part in my mom’s creative projects. Next, I worked with Adam Settle (director of my RIP music video) – https://youtu.be/rRJx1O51Xq4filming myself at Nashville’ Cumberland River being painted on by an actress who acted as my mother to symbolize my mom’s work on me as an artist in my own right.

Added RIP music video for reference – https://youtu.be/rRJx1O51Xq4

 

Q) Since this is a song for your mother, how did you celebrate Mother’s Day?

 

A) Well, unfortunately I was DJing a wedding on Mother’s Day this year in Southern Utah and couldn’t be with my mom in person – so like many I facetimed her to celebrate the day. However, I plan to go home for Memorial Day weekend at the end of May to hand-deliver the Mother’s Day card I created for her this year. I encouraged my followers to make homemade cards for their mom’s this year!

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) Writing songs for me usually starts with a melody and then lyrics are added next – sometimes I have an idea I want to write about – like with “Greatest Work of Art” and other times I go in with nothing – listen to an instrumental, come up with melodies and an idea for a song often inspired by recent happenings in my life.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I’m not too hands on when it comes to the production side of the song; however, I do have a strong opinion on whether or not I like the choices my producers make. I have carefully picked out producers who do great work and I have worked with them repeatedly. I never wanted to be a music producer. Instead, I wanted to be a singer – so I leave production choices to my producers and I focus on my vocal performance, adding harmonies, melodies and, of course, writing the lyrics to my songs.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes! I just released my sophomore album Little Victory at the start of 2021 – fanlink.to/LittleVictoryAlbum. This twelve song album includes songs written from 2017-present and features artists Blake Lieder, Luma, Miss Audrey, Daisha McBride, Madeline Finn and DJs Fenox and DepDramez. The title track “Little Victory” was remixes by RetroVision and signed to Hexagon (Don Diablo’s label). The song is about my ex Elhay, another singer songwriter I met and dated while on a trip to Israel.

Just recently I released a single called “One Night in Tel Aviv” about the same relationship with Israeli DJ duo DiCapua.

https://hypeddit.com/link/u293yi and a TikTok campaign is out called #1NTLV showcasing people’s one nights in Tel Aviv!

Other standout songs on the album are “Heavy” ft an all LGBT cast – singer Blake Lieder and rapper Daisha McBride – about heavy relationships.

“Faith” features “American Idol” alum Madeline Finn and is a song written at the start of the pandemic to inspire others to not lose faith in trying times.

“Can You Tell Me”’ is a about being ghosted – which I experienced in 2019 by someone who was a fan of mine from MTV’s “The Real World” and was dealing with addiction issues. He was in early days of his sobriety and after a great date he disappeared. I discovered he had relapsed on alcohol. But pain produced beauty and the song is one of my favorites on the album.

“Forget You” received remix treatment by Swedish DJ John Dahlbäck (renamed “Forget U”) and signed to Hardwell’s label Gemstone

“Fire Signs” features Miss Audrey – Nashville Industry Award Winner for Best Pop Artist – and the song has received remix treatment by Italian DJs Puzzle Room.

“Broken Dreams” with DJ Depdramez chronicles the hard work I’ve taken (and many have too) in pursuing their creative dreams.

The album includes a new mix of my song “Shirtless,” which was heard in “MTV’s The Challenge – War of the Worlds.”

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I would love to work with Calvin Harris, Disclosure, David Guetta as a featured vocal – or Max Martin or Mark Ronson as a producer. I also LOVE Charlie Puth, so it would be great to work with him.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I am currently living in Miami, dating a Venezuelan and have been binge listening to Latin music. I really love Maluma, Bad Bunny, Karol G and made a playlist of my favorite Latin Music that you can enjoy – https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1n0M0sPtQdjXHMx5qX3cQN?si=P-zS0CPWS-aXsd3P7RMguQ

 

Q) We loved you on “The Real World.” What did you personally take away from your time on the show?

 

A) It was a great experience to go through. I was twenty-one years old when I auditioned and celebrated my 22nd birthday on the show – so I was a kid basically when I did the show. I have grown up a lot since the show. I appreciate the show for bringing an audience to who I am and telling my story as a Southern boy raised singing in my church choir and coming out as gay in a religious hometown and family. I still hold firm in my religious beliefs but have managed to blend my sexuality with my faith. I think it’s a shame so many people denounce their faith due to their sexuality – Jesus never spoke ill of homosexuality and that’s what matters the most to me!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) I’m on Instagram, TikTok, Soundcloud, Youtube, Spotify, Facebook, Clubhouse and Twitter all at @davismallory. Feel free to reach out to me on social media – especially follow my YouTube channel for new music videos and behind the scenes content.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I appreciate those who follow me and those who enjoy my music! I have had a long career in the sense of being on MTV in 2006 and now making music so there are those who have been around for the long haul with me, and I appreciate the kind engagement from them! I read the messages from those who were impacted by my story on “The Real World” or who enjoy my music and it’s a blessing each time I hear from them!

 

 

 

 

Watch The Video For “Greatest Work of Art”