I have been waiting on this interview a while, but it has been worth it! One of the upcoming major stars of the ballroom sound, and central force of Qween Beat Productions, Divoli is one of my favourite producers out there right now. On the eve of the release of Ckuntonomikz Vol 4 mixtape, I sent Divolisome questions, to find out more about Qween Beat, the mixtapes, and what it means to be CKUNT.
Who is Divoli Svere?
-Divoli
S'vere is a artist in many different forms. He a character, that i
created to showcase all of my many talents and arts, all while still
being true to who I am as a person.
How do you describe what you do?
-Art. I love being
creative anyway I can be. So everything I do from music to photos I
describe as art because that basically what it is, an art form.
How did you get involved with the whole ballroom scene?
- I never really considered myself "In the scene", but I have always
been into the ballroom scene since High School. I would vogue with my
friends. I have always been into the music, Dance, Baltimore Club,
House, and Ballroom always filled up my iPod, and CD racks. I really
became apart of the scene through my music, and becoming a member of
Qween Beat.
And what do you think of the ballroom scene now in 2014?
-
The scene now has definitely evolved, and become more then what it used
to be. If you look back at the documentaries such as "Paris Is Burning"
and "How Do I Look" you will see that the scene back then really was
underground. It was exclusive to the LGBT community. Now, the Ballroom
scene is becoming much more mainstream, and anyone can go and enjoy the
culture. Many of Ballrooms Icons and legends are in major music videos
and traveling the world spreading the Ballroom culture.
How did you arrive at your own unique, style? Both in terms of production and vocally.
-
I've always had a different style. Everyone says its "dark". I arrived
at my style because I stick to doing what I love. In my photos and
artwork, figures like Grace Jones are my inspiration. In my music, I am
constantly inspired by MikeQ, Kevin Aviance, Vjuan Allure, and many
other DJs and Producers. Vocally, Kevin Aviance was always a favorite of
mine. He has been around for so long and inspires the Ballroom scene
consistantly with his legendary track "Cunty". I took what I loved from
him and made it my own. In terms of production, I am inspired by almost
everything! I'm always thinking of kick patterens for a remix, or
something "cunt" for the people to vogue or dance to. I try to get
people to like what I like when I'm producing a track.
What is your favorite production you have been involved in?
-
Any collaborations I have done with my "Father" MikeQ is my favorite.
We work very well together and when its completed we always produce
something great! Any collaborations done with anyone has been a favorite
of mine because I love the idea of different styles and sounds clashing
together, its very inspiring and I always learn from it.
How did you get involved with Qween Beat?
- I honestly
wanted to be apart of Qween Beat. I emailed MikeQ and sent him my work I
had at the time when I first started producing and remixing. From then
til now, Ive been apart of Qween Beat, and I love my Family/Team! Its
just a team of extremely talented people.
Can you explain for the readers what "cunt" means in ballroom?
-
In Ballroom, "cunt" is not the thing you think it is. We use "Cunt" as
an adjective, describing how someone is voguing or how someone or
something looks. Like, "Yes! His duck walk is cunt!" or "Girl those
shoes are so cunt." I spell it "Ckunt" to take some of the harshness off
of the word, and it looks CKUNT!
What's coming up this year for Divoli S'vere?
- This year
I plan to get out there more so as an artist, performing, and hosting. I
am working in many different genres right now from Hip-Hop/R&B to
Dance, even a little bit of Dub-Step. Qween Beat will soon be a label
and I do plan to release another album. I also plan to continue my free
mix-tape series "Ckuntinomksz". This year is going to be the year of
Qween Beat!
