Dante Bowe is a Grammy Award-winning and multiplatinum-selling songwriter, performer, and recording artist from Rockingham, North Carolina, who isnow based in Dallas. Bowe announced his new self-titled album, out July 21 with the label he co-founded, TRUE Music. The project finds Bowe in a new light as he experiments with sounds, blending hip-hop, gospel, R&B, and other genres. On his third studio album, he showcases his eclectic style, collaborating with Vic Mensa, Jekalyn Carr, Flavour, Anthony B, and Ada Ehi.
Tell us about your latest song, “Wine Me Up.”
I was coming back from an event that my hometown put on for me, and they gave me a Dante Bowe Day award. I was with all my friends in the car, and we were super hyped. We were playing these beats, and then this beat came up. We started writing it, believe it or not, in the car on the way to the airport and finished it when I got home in the studio in Dallas. It was a song that we didn’t know was going to be a part of the album. We were just having fun and being kids. It ended up being my next single and I love it. It’s full of joy and full of life, and it’s because we created it from love. It was not supposed to really be this whole thought-out thing, and it ended up becoming one of my favorite songs from my album.
What has it been like being able to tap into different music genres in your career?
I’ve always strived to innovate. I didn’t want to just come into this industry and do whatever the status quo was or whatever was normal. I wanted to create something that was new and fresh, and not just that it had never been done before, but it’s done in my way. I always wanted to bring about something new, something fresh, and inspire people. I feel like it’s hard to inspire people when you’re doing the same thing that everyone else is doing, or when you’re doing it like everyone else. I think a lot of people are doing the Afrobeat thing or just the dance thing in general. I think we added our own spin and twist to it and it’s cool.
What was your mindset when creating this project?
I was at my best friend’s house, and there was a lot of stuff going on in my career and switching out teams. I was building something new but at the time, I didn’t have a clear vision. I wanted to create my own record label and knew I wanted to do my next album independently. I knew I was ready to do a record after my first few sessions went so well. I had the grace now to do a full project and I ended up doing three. I felt at ease when I was in the studio for the first time, and I was inspired.
