DMP Creates History on Spotify

On the 3rd of March, 2022, what would possibly pass
 for the story-of-my-life song was released by DMP. 
 Picture: DMP Facebook page.

In January 2022, Solomon Islands' famous boy band DMP made a name for itself by being the 4th most popular Solomon-based act on Spotify.

With 43,815 monthly listeners at the outset of 2022, DMP was 4 spots behind big names like Jaro Local, Dezine, and Onetox. 

But 2 months on, the reggae band is rewriting the entire story. 

From being the fourth popular Solomon Islands band on the platform, DMP figuratively raced passed 3 bands in a matter of months, winning 54 thousand plus brand new monthly listeners along the way to claim the most-popular-Solomon Islands-band-on-Spotify title for the month of April.

From being the fourth popular Solomon band on the platform, DMP figuratively raced passed 3 bands in a matter of months, winning 54 thousand plus brand new monthly listeners to claim the most popular Solomon Island band on Spotify title for the month of April.

Yes, it's official. 

With 98, 110 monthly listeners, DMP is the current Solomon Islands' hottest band on the giant streaming platform for this month (April 2022).

So, what is the story behind this big leap?

Well, short and simple, the huge jump is attributed to the recent jaw-dropping collaborations DMP had with reputable international artists like Anthony B and Iyaz plus a whole lot of factors.

On the 3rd of March, 2022, what would possibly pass for the story-of-my-life song was released by DMP. 

Entitled "Hustle Harder", the single is a collaboration with Jamaica's Anthony B, who stylishly toured Honiara in 2020. 

"Hustle Harder" is as huge as its meaning.

To many, the song represents what they are in real life. There is a lot of energy that goes into living life and "Hustle Harder" talks about that.

Perhaps, the song is going to be extra special if you listen to it from a Solomon Islands perspective where hustling, for the most part, is everything from sidewalk food stalls to the infamous betel nut market huts along the streets.

"I applaud DMP for deciding to bring to light how we struggle to make ends meet with this song," exclaimed one die-hard Solomon Islands fan.

Arguably, that hustling energy is what draws a lot of people to the song.

To some extent, this energy is portrayed in the Scar Reeze-directed music video of the song which, at the time of this article's publication, has been viewed by close to half a million people already on YouTube.

There's no better way to describe "Hustle Harder" than its Scar Reeze-directed music video. Seen in the picture was Scar Reeze during the making of the "Hustle Harder" music video. Anthony B can be seen rocking a Solomon Islands tee and singing away. Photo: DMP Facebook page.

And as if that banger was not enough of a statement, on this year's Fools Day (1st April 2022), DMP un-fooled everyone by releasing "Long Way Home", with Iyaz, a single which surely gained more new hearts for the Honiara-based band.

TSR spoke with DMP's Australian-based Manager, Victor Lopez to hear his say on the Spotify news and he wasted no time in crediting the many factors that have combined to produce the huge statistics surge.

"It’s a combination of all the international music reviews, releasing new material [plus] linking up and entering into a partnership with the world's No.1 independent reggae label “Ineffable Records” based out of Oakland, California," confirmed Lopez.

Besides that, he also acknowledged the recent competitions won by the group during this pandemic as another contributing factor to the growth.

"Long Way Home" and "Hustle Harder" are part of DMP's upcoming album and with the style heard so far, Lopez revealed that this is going to be "DMP’s best album by far!"

The last album that the group released was in 2015 and it has been some good 7 years of total idleness for the "Wine Up" hitmakers.

But after Lopez stepped in to manage the group in 2019, efforts to promote the band were intensified and over the years, their old albums started to find new ears far and wide.

"When I first heard the boys, I knew they were international," said Victor Lopez, a South American-born Australian DJ turned music producer/promoter who is the brain behind the massive exposure that DMP is enjoying now.

When pressed on how the collaborations with international artists worked for the boys, Lopez said, "it’s a passion thing! If any artist really wants to make it, work hard and you'll get it."

"When I first heard the boys, I knew they were international," said Victor Lopez, DMP's Australian-based Manager. Picture: Supplied by Victor Lopez.

" I’m sure, the Solomon Islands has doctors, lawyers, etc who made it because they worked their a## off to get there. The same is true for music," said Lopez.

For now, Lopez said their sight is set on the 200K mark, "by dropping new singles and pushing our music into new markets, we hope to surpass 200, 000 monthly listeners by July."