With their hit single “Electric” recently featured on MTV’s hit series, “The Jersey Shore”, The DNC is literally blowing up overnight. Selling over 10,000 copies in 2 weeks, this song has landed in the top 50 pop singles, and top 100 overall singles on iTunes. We were able to catch up with The DNC in the midst of all this madness to discuss how this life-changing track came to be. Check out our exclusive interview below -
HS: First and foremost please tell our readers a little about yourselves.
CHOBO: My name is Chobo, and I am the voice of The DNC, and one of the main writers along with J Ryggs. I was born in Uganda, and when I was 13, my Mom moved me and my brothers and sisters to Norway.
J RYGGS: My name is Joachim Rygg, I go by J Ryggs, and I founded The DNC with Chobo. I’m a workaholic music producer and songwriter, and I was born and raised in Norway. 5 years ago, I moved to Los Angeles to try to get bigger exposure for The DNC.
HS: How long have you been involved in music and how did you get started?
CHOBO: I started writing lyrics when I was around 13 years old, after we moved to Oslo. But music has always been a big part of my life, from singing all the time at school, up to the present day.
J RYGGS: A passion for music has always been inside me. My parents saw that at an early age, and I started taking piano lessons when I was 6. I didn’t like to practice, I was much more interested creating my own songs rather than playing others. Later on, I started playing drums in a band, and we started recording our own demos on a 4-track cassette recorder. Since then, the hunger recording the right sound and the right feel has been my obsession, and turned me in to a workaholic music producer.
HS: The song “Electric”, how did all that come about?
CHOBO: I got a hot beat from J Ryggs and started writing!
J RYGGS: Ha! That’s how we usually do it since I’m in LA and he’s in Norway. He called me a few days later and sang his melody for me through the phone while my beat was playing in the background, and I was blown away. I knew we had something special here, so I booked a studio in Norway and flew over there, recorded Chobo, then rushed home to keep working on it.
CHOBO: We decided we wanted a female voice on the song, and J Ryggs suggested Miss Amani.
HS: Speaking of Miss Amani, how was it collaborating with her on this track?
J RYGGS: That was all fun. She is a very positive person by nature and is great to work with. She loved “Electric” the minute she heard it, and she was immediately able to tune in on the vibe that we were going for, and she added a great spark to it.
CHOBO: She electrified it! I loved what she did. The first time I met her in person was when we were rehearsing for the video shoot, and we immediately vibed. She’s good people; very dedicated and professional. It was fun working with her.
HS: Who are the people you look up to in the music industry?
J RYGGS: In this game, I personally like to be surrounded with people who can put creativity into logic. Creativity doesn’t have any rules and is omni-dimensional, which tells you that ANYTHING is really possible. You have to be able to imagine things in order for them to occur. However, I like people who approach with logic, then proceed with creative angles to make things happen. People who are in general optimistic, and who have this kind of mindset are the type of people I look up to, and these are the people I like to be surrounded with.
CHOBO: What he said. Just kidding, but that’s all true. Artist’s that I admire right now: Akon, Tinie Tempah, Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas. They’re all killin’ it.
HS: Sounds like you are both working a ton, but what do you like to do in your leisure time for fun?
CHOBO: I’m grateful that I don’t have the luxury of leisure time right now. But when I do, I like working out, hanging out with my family, going to a movie, maybe a party here or there, maybe a club or two…or three.
J. RYGGS: I don’t have a lot of free time these days, either, but . . . movies, going out to clubs/bars, trying new restaurants, concerts.
HS: Any upcoming projects or plans that your fans should look out for?
J RYGGS: The DNC! We’re working on 2 new songs at the moment, and I have that same big fat smile on my face whenever I work on these songs with Chobo. Also, Miss Amani’s solo project. Coming out soon!
CHOBO: Those new songs are hot. I can’t reveal the titles yet, but they’re hot!
HS: Any particular shout-outs you want to give?
J RYGGS: All the facebook and twitter fans that found us at THEDNCMUSIC. You inspire us a lot!
CHOBO: All the supporters, I love you. I also want to thank my mom and the rest of the family for their love and support.
HS: Speaking of Facebook and Twitter, please let everyone know where they can find more of you.
CHOBO: www.thedncmusic.com and @thedncmusic on twitter. And of course you can always hear us on iTunes and Facebook and Youtube.
HS: Thanks for your time guys. Everyone make sure to check out the official music video for “Electric” below, and keep an ear out for all upcoming music from The DNC.
BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE FOR THE MUSIC VIDEO OF “ELECTRIC”:
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