Q&A: DACEY

DACEY is a five-member band based in Vancouver, BC, composed of lead singer Dacey Andrada, guitarist Justin Tecson, drummer Marco Marin, bassist Joshua Akow, and guitarist Nathan Chan. The band bounces across alt-R&B, Lo-fi, and Jazz while blending elements from Neo soul and Hip-Hop, as they make their genre-defying mark by establishing the ability to produce progressive and melodic stories.

As the group gears up to release their debut album, we’ve had the opportunity to discuss with the genre-bending quintet about how they obtained their signature DACEY sound.

Do you guys mind introducing yourselves?

D: Hi I’m Dacey the lead singer of the band, DACEY.

JT: I’m JT, guitarist, and producer for the band.

How did the band form?

D: We all went to this school called Nimbus. It's a recording school here in Vancouver and we were all in the same intake. We just met each other and formed the band.

That’s cool! So guys have your own performing arts school nearby?

JT: It’s more for recording/engineering! It’s a technical/secondary college.

What’s the creative process like amongst band members? What’s the dynamic like when making a song?

D: It changes from time to time, on how we write. Usually, together as a band, we would come up with a chord progression or any instrumental. Most times, I take that home and write to it. Then the next day, I bring it back to the band and perform it as is.

Has it been difficult with the pandemic?

D: Absolutely. I feel like it’s set us back with everything we wanted to do this year and things getting canceled. Since we’re not really allowed to meet up with each other as frequently as we did before, it feels weird.

What are some of the challenges that have been presented?

JT: We can’t really go to our studio because of COVID, they won’t allow like two people in the room at a time.

Do you mind going more into depth about your latest single “Broccoli’s Keeper”?

D: I wrote that song based off of Amy Winehouse’s song “Addicted” and we have similar concepts but it's just about how sometimes you gotta be stingy with your weed. I also love how a few years back, before I even met these guys, I was stoned, so trying to get into the mood, and JT came up with the instrumental, I mean we all did.

Are you guys working on an album or a debut EP?

D: Yeah, we’re also finished with it and fans can expect it soon!

When it came to cultivating the band’s sound, was it difficult to find the “DACEY” sound?

D: It took a long time for us to acknowledge what our sound is, which indie alternative R&B because everyone one of us has different tastes and different styles. So it was cool trying to combine everything we know together. For me, I’m more jazz-based-R&B. JT what are your roots again?

JT: I’m more of a blues guy and hip-hop and jazz too. It’s all over the place.

D: So it’s kind of cool combining everyone’s tastes. For example, Nate, our other guitarist, he’s really into math rock. Marco, our drummer, he’s really into rock in general. Josh, our bassist, is similar to Justin’s style.

Do you guys find it difficult to put aside your personal bias from the music you listen to outside of the band when making new music?

D: Sometimes it clashes for sure, I’m pretty sure that happens with a lot of bands. But we learned from school is to put your ego aside and do whatever is best for the song because the song is the baby. The best idea wins.

Who are you guys currently listening to?

D: I’m currently listening to a bunch of people right now. I’ve been listening to a lot of

JT: Lately I’ve been into a lot of Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike, and Jean Dawson.