DACEY

DACEY (pronounced DAH-SEE) is an alternative RnB duo composed of lead singer Dacey Andrada, and guitarist Justin Tecson (JT). Over time the duo has been joined by a live band currently featuring Zach (bass), Miles (drums), and Quincy (keys), to bring that groovy feel to their live performances. Their debut EP SATIN PLAYGROUND released in 2021 and fans have been eager for another release. So far this year they have put out two singles entitled “MY BABY” and “GETAWAY”, the most recent release which features artist Kimmortal. The group has been highlighted by news and arts outlets such as CBC, Create A Stir, and Range Magazine. With nearly 100 thousand monthly Spotify listeners, DACEY has certainly gained the attention of music fans around North America. As an avid fan of the band myself, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with the duo that started it all, Dacey and JT. Alongside some singles from last year, the new releases have fans hoping for a new EP or album coming soon, as the group continues to put out tracks that captivate their audiences with their rhythmic hooks and lyrics with their signature flow. During our chat, they revealed that they will be releasing a new EP this summer, so make sure to tune in on July 28th to listen to the new DACEY release wherever you stream your music!

How did the group form? I know it started with you two, but I’m curious how you met and how it’s expanded since the startup as a duo?

JT: We met in 2018 at audio school in Vancouver and I saw Dacey perform at the open house orientation event. I came up to her and got in the studio with her and her other friend Josh at the moment. We went to the studio, made a couple of songs, and then we just hit it off. It started from there.

Me: Who's currently in the group? I've seen in various places you guys are called either a duo or a group. I know you've got other members as well, is that more just a live band?

Dacey: Yeah, we play with different musicians, and JT and I are the core members.

To my understanding you guys do a lot of self producing, do you have any techniques that you bring into each song, or do you kind of start fresh each time?

JT: It depends really, sometimes Dacey will have an idea, and we'll go with it. Sometimes I'll have an idea, we'll go with it. Or write together, we'll just make something and then see where it goes.

The last time I saw you guys live was at the Fox Cabaret right after the release of “STEPMOM” and surprisingly during that song it broke into a mosh circle, which was so much fun. I was wondering if you two have a song that is always your favorite to play live?

Dacey: We have a couple unreleased songs that I personally like playing, but if it were to be one that's released, I still like performing “I'll Be There”, secondly would be “STEPMOM” because it's just so different from the rest of our catalog.

Me: “I'll Be There” is really fun to see live too, that one riff that everybody plays at the same time is so cool. What about you, JT?

JT: Yeah, that's a good one. I'd say “STEPMOM”. I still like playing “Sidewalks”.

You recently collaborated with Kimmortal on your newest release, and the rap verses paired so well with the RnB style you guys have, I’m curious to hear if you have any other plans to collaborate with local artists, or any dream collabs you have in mind?

Dacey: Yeah, big time. I mean JT I think can speak more on who we are lined up to collaborate with.

JT: We have a bunch of songs with artists from here, but they're still kind of in the demo section. Hopefully those see the light of day. In terms of dream collabs, what do you got Dacey?

Dacey: Tyler, or Steve Lacy.

Me: Can you share who you’ve collaborated with so far, the stuff that isn't ready yet?

JT: We've been collaborating with Sleepy Tom. We have something coming up with him. We've written some stuff with Lush Fleece, JJ, Mikey, Ari James. Got some stuff cooking, but yeah, we'll see.

What do you think is special about Vancouver’s music scene in specific that other places may not have?

Dacey: Vancouver has such a wide variety of sounds that all of the local artists in Vancouver have, it's not one. The main sound I would say is indie rock here, but this town is pretty open to different genres and influences, which is nice.

JT: I like how it's small, both in a good and bad way. Everyone gets introduced to each other’s circles in one way or another. I kind of like that because you just get exposed to more genres and people that you wouldn't have if you were in a different city.

I won’t lie that I too was fooled by the April fools’ joke that you pulled alongside the release of “MY BABY”, what inspired this prank? That was genius marketing.

Dacey: Haha thank you. Honestly, it just came to me. I didn't even tell JT, I can't remember what coerced me to do that. It was such an intrusive thought. I was going back and forth whether I should, because I was afraid of the backlash. Like “you're not a real mom, why would you say that?”, but then I got like mixed comments like “Congrats on the baby, maybe we can mom and music together” and those comments I was like oh shit, ok maybe now it's getting too far. I wanted to just really keep that joke going as far as it could. It wasn't supposed to end. I released that and then was like, ok this joke is getting too far now, people actually think I'm pregnant. There's still people out there now that come up to me and they're like, are you?

I’d love to hear about the new releases, the most recent singles, can you talk a bit about what inspired those songs?

Dacey: Yeah, when did we write “MY BABY”? It was last year, around this time, I think. We just wrote about love. It was really inspired by this Italian song, “Beyond The Sea” (by Django Reinhardt). At the moment when we were writing the song, I was also listening to that track and that kind of influenced the melody. Not so much where it's just plagiarism, but it definitely did move in that direction. It's about love and getting into a new relationship, blah, blah, blah, all that. “GETAWAY” was made at the ARC program.

JT: It's like this artist development program run by Music BC that they just started.

Dacey: Me and JT were put into the same group as Kim at the time, and then we also collaborated with this violinist who goes by Crush. We just so happened to have this view of this lake that we were at, we were in Princeton at the time. I remember telling JT like “look at the water, what do you feel?”. Then he plays like the riff for “GETAWAY” and I'm like, yeah, that's it. Prior to that we'd tried different chord progressions and it wasn't our vibe until we landed on that.

Me: So that one just came naturally. Is that something you had in the back of your mind at all or it just kind of came out of nowhere?

JT: It kind of seemed like it came out of nowhere. We kind of just started that on I guess the second day we were there, we had just a week there and we pretty much wrote it all within the first two sessions. The rest was just fine tuning it and put in some extra little things.

Dacey: We named it “GETAWAY” or made the whole prompt about a getaway just because we were away while making it and that felt nice.

Me: Did you start and finish the song while you were there?

Dacey: Yeah, we finished the track, but actually, I lost my voice during the trip. JT and I came from LA for two weeks and I completely shot my voice, but we decided to keep those same vocals for the final thing, because I really didn't mind it.

Are there any more releases planned for the future? Perhaps an album or EP this year?

JT: EP, yeah! Next month, July 28th. That's on the day of our show. We're playing at the Function Festival in Victoria, that's August 19th, I believe. Otherwise, it's just that, the Pearl on the 28th of July.

What is it that you hope people gain from listening to the music you guys create?

JT: I mean me, I just want them to enjoy and just reflect. Hopefully it makes their day better, I don't know.

Me: Yeah, is that kinda the same answer for you, Dacey?

Dacey: I would say so. I would want our listeners to just have fun with it, enjoy it, and if they could connect with the meanings and the lyrics, that's a bonus.

What is your process like while writing, and how do you deal with creative blocks?

Dacey: Oh my God I'm still going through it. I just came to terms with how I am with writer’s block whenever it does occur. I shouldn't force myself, or I shouldn't bring myself down because of it. I find that after that period of writer's block, I feel like I'm able to come up with shit that would impress me three months before. I wouldn't expect it, but it would feel good, so I would just let it be, let it happen. And then once some idea comes, I feel like that's kind of when you make the best shit

Me: Yeah, like when you're not trying to force the art, then it'll kind of flow more naturally.

Dacey: Exactly, because then it feels artificial, and I don't know but for me personally, I feel like a phony or a hack in doing so.

JT: Oh man, I'm the total opposite. I just crank out as many bad beats and ideas, but just the fact of me repeating and doing it more, it kind of gets the gears turning and something hits. Like “STEPMOM” honestly, I made like four or five beats before that and they were just totally bad, but then that one just kind of happened. So, for me, making all the bad beats, it just gets me inspired to make something and just have no expectations.

What are some goals that you have for the band, either for this year or for the future?

Dacey: Hopefully we want to go on tour soon, and with this EP we want to try to promote it as much as we can. I know we're so behind on merch, I feel like we're the only band that's been playing for five years that do not have merch out here in Vancouver. So, my personal goal is to come up with some of that. Merch, promotion, and then hopefully if luck is on our end, then we can probably go on tour once everything's all settled and all that.

JT: Yeah, personally I just want a Grammy and then I can just quit, then I'm good.

Me: You would quit?

JT: Haha, no, no, I’d still keep going. But long-term goal would be that. For this year, just reach as many people as possible, get this EP out, and have fun.

Me: Those are some good goals. The Grammy is in your future, I see it.