Just Keep Dreaming...

DDG is name abbreviation of famous rock-singer Davide De Gregorio. All his songs are real; he sings because music is all for him! 

Davide told us about his childhood, music, countries, his life, summer and so on! Read all it right now on VLVmag!

– Davide, tell us about your childhood: dreams, hobbies and idols. When did you realize that you want to become a singer? Why did you decide to connect your life with music?

– I have a very strong family and I was constantly surrounded by love in my childhood. My mum, my father and my brother are everything for me. RED, the colour of my heart, the initials of their names.

In my childhood I used to love playing football, the most popular sport in my native country and I was not that bad in it. But like everyone else, I was still trying to understand what I really wanted to do in my life. I needed something to give love, passion and commitment to. So, when I was around 16-17 years old, I understood that singing and writing my own songs was my real passion, my target and what was really making me happy. My canvas, my way to communicate with the universe.

Eurhythmics, Prince, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, The Police, R.E.M., Led Zeppelin, Ennio Morricone and many others were my idols, my references and inspiration.

It was crucial for me to receive encouragement and support from my family. My parents always said to me and my brother: “guys, just do what you love, because it’s the only way to have a successful life as persons, as human beings”.

The result is that my brother, Danilo De Gregorio, is now a successful plastic surgeon internationally renowned because this has always been his dream since he was young, and that I write and sing my songs, because this has been always my dream, my path and my destiny.

Davide always received support from the family, photo © Andrea Adriani (Italy), all rights reserved

– Tell us about your songs. What are they about? What led you to write your songs? Usually, musicians devote their songs to someone, are you an exception or not?

– My songs are about life. Almost all of them are love songs, but not always about the love between two persons. My music describes experiences, stories, places, relationships, philosophy, psychology, my personal research…

I do not dedicate songs to someone. I write them with the hope that listeners will find something interesting in them. Something that makes them feel emotions, that makes them smile, sing, dance, enjoy, think…

– Are you self-critical? Your best musical work now is ...

– Of course, I am self-critical. It’s fundamental for an artist to be picky, demanding, always ready to find something cooler, something new and more interesting. Sometimes I can spend 4-5 years to finish a song! For example: I have finished my last song in Moscow few weeks ago and I’ve started writing it in Los Angeles in 2013…

But I am also very confident, if I really believe in what I write.

My best work? Maybe the first song I wrote when I was 17, because it was coming out from a real innocent inspiration, and maybe my last one, because it is the result of my life journey, my story and it’s coming also from a certain percentage of innocence, from big passion and awareness as well.

I am still writing songs with the same passion after more than 25 years.

Davide can’t imagine his life without music, photo © DDG, all rights reserved (London, Phil Manzanera Recording Studio)

– The main difference between you this year and several years ago is ...

– Life changes us. So many years have passed, I’ve lived in many places, Italy (many cities), Los Angeles, London, Colombia, now Moscow and I met so many people, made so many experiences. However, I think that if we don’t learn how to become wiser, stronger, respectful and we don’t learn how to live on this planet in a decent way, while time is passing, we are living a tricky situation, because we are just getting old! (smiles)

I think that inside I still keep some of my innocence, I try to protect it and I still believe that the only way to change the world is to believe in some crazy ideas, projects, something impossible for the others, maybe utopia. For me it’s impossible and pointless to live without a vision and without dreaming…

– What about the environment in Rome and other cities, where you usually spend a lot of time? What do you think should be done to make everything perfect (beautiful and clean)?

– I have worked on some music projects for the United Nations regarding the environment, and it was a privilege. I had the chance of experiencing this subject directly. It’s an extremely big and important topic. I’ve worked for the World Water Day, the FAO, the CIAT, and I can say that all these people are working hard to try to make our planet a better place. We owe them a lot!

I think we must respect nature and we don’t have to take everything for granted. The environment and the nature are what we really have to preserve, protect and take care of.

Deus sive Natura, Spinoza!

What can be done? Well, frankly from what I understood, this problem is bigger than us, and I think we just have to keep pushing powerful people to work hard on making this planet a better place to live, for us and for future generation. But it’s also true that it’s too easy to say that this is responsibility of someone else! In our own little I think we can start from small things, stop complaining and work for it in our daily lives!

Davide’s last song is about his life path, photo © Ksenia Bolshakova, Moscow

– Do you like to travel? What place on Earth impressed you most?

– Like most people, I like to travel and visit new places. I love nature and one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my life was the Death Valley in United States. But frankly, I am also fascinated by big cities. I could mention Moscow, New York, Rome, Paris, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles… I love to see how they change during the years when I have the chance to come back…

– Do you like summer? If so, why? How and where will you spend your summer holidays? What kind of vacation is you closer?

– I like summer for sure! I like sunny days, the energy, the smile of people happy for the new season, for changes and new adventures. Since I grew up 10 minutes away from the Amalfi Coast, I link summertime to the sea, the smell of lemons, tomatoes, Mediterranean atmosphere. I have no idea about my next vacation, because I don’t take vacations usually. I am always active and I don’t need to rest… I get bored, if I rest (smiles). Let’s put it this way: if I have a flute of prosecco, good mozzarella and tomatoes, a fresh salad with lemon and good people around to smile and talk about life and interesting things to discover, I can consider myself on vacation…

basically it’s a state of mind…

Like many, Davide loves to travel, photo © DDG London all rights reserved

– What is the main goal in your life? Tell us about your creative and life plans for the future.

– My main goal in life is to keep dreaming, stay positive, creative and full of energy, hoping to be a better human being.

At the moment I am finishing my album here in Moscow after almost 5 years of preparation. I’ve started writing the album in Rome in 2013, then I moved to Los Angeles for a while, came back to Italy, then moved to Colombia for a while, then back again to Italy, then moved to London for 1 year and half, then back to Italy for 1 year, and now Moscow… There is a lot to say, believe me! A very long, exciting and interesting journey… 

Ekaterina "EK_T_", Russia, Moscow 

INFORMATION

You can follow Davide De Gregorio on Instagram and Facebook.

Here can be your advertising!