Dante has found success in the UK music charts in the past 6 months with his debut album selling over 50,000 copies. He got his start in music through his passion for subjects like music and drama in school, joining the choir and drama clubs. He was pushed to perform in small pubs and gigs by his coach at Stage 2 Youth Theatre, which helped boost his confidence after facing bullying for his love of singing. While fame has brought more attention, he focuses on staying true to himself and his happiness. He sees himself as shy but is cheerful around others by remembering how far he's come. He wants to avoid being seen as a stereotypical "bad boy" pop star and fired his former manager who wanted

1. ARTICLE INTERVIEW
In the past 6 months,Dante has made the UK Top 10 Charts, sold more than 50,000 copies of his debutalbum,
sold out the LG Arena along with staring in the best Pop magazine ever – Sound Burst.
How did you get started in music?
As I was growing up I was more focused on practical subjects like music and drama instead of the
more academic subjects. I followed my passion by joining the choir, drama clubs and a Youth
Theatre called Stage 2. Stage 2 opened many doors for me and the coaches there really helped
me gain self-confidence. It was actually my coach (Ellen Smith) who pushed me to start to
perform in small pubs and gigs.
How did Stage 2/ fame changed you?
Well, I was picked on all throughout school because I went to a majority white school. This made
me ‘stand out’ along with how much I loved to sing and perform. I got quite a few nasty
comments which really knocked my confidence and almost made me stop doing what I love. After
I joined Stage 2, I completely changed. With the help of the coaches and my friends there I was so
much happier and learnt not to care what other small minded people thought. I don’t see myself
as ‘famous’ but as I have got noticed more and more I focus on staying true to myself. Happiness
is key for me.
Besides music your personality also captures the attention of many, how would you
describe it?
Personally I can still see myself as the shy 14 year old who is full of butterflies when im around
people I don’t know or if I’m about to perform, however I then remind myself of how far I’ve come
and how lucky I am and that overall helps me to be as cheerful and happy as possible. Many
people expect me -male pop artist- to be similar to someone like Justin Bieber, careless and crazy,
but that’s totally the opposite of me.
Is your image important to you as a pop star?
Of course! I would absolutely hate to be wrongly presented as a bad role model to my fans but
saying that, I’m definitely not caught up in the world of money – I still shop at the same places
and wear whatever feels comfortable, I won’t change for the media.
What was your motivation for your manager John?
I thought this might get asked haha…Well he was a great manager but his thoughts and visons for
me as an artist were something I was not comfortable with. As I said I plan on staying true to
myself and just doing what makes me feel happy. He wanted me to go down the stereotypical ‘bad
boy’ route by staging arguments and paparazzi stunts in order to gain more female fans and to
create a buzz. I was definitely against this – its just not who I am.
You have a large number of female fans as you must know, are you looking for someone
special right now?
I actually have a girlfriend…sorry girls! I tend not to make my relationship so public but its not a
secret.
What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
29th
January 2015! No doubt. The day my song ‘heart breaker’ made the UK Top 10. I was at my
parents’ house, surrounded by family and friends all waiting for the chart to be announced. The
amount of positive energy in the air was amazing! To see how proud the people around me were
and

2. what advice would you give someone starting out in the music business?
Where do you get inspiration for your songs?
What was your most embarrassing moment? (how did you feel when …. )
What was your motivation for going to blah blah firing your manager?
You’ve played 6 times here…why do you keep coming back?
How did you feel when your song ‘ … ‘ reached the top 10?
Goals? What happens next? (last question)