Exclusive Interview With Darren Cox

Spanish-born singer, songwriter, and producer Darren Cox works in these fields. His melodies started to take shape in his early years, influenced by the mesmerizing darkness of Canadian RnB music. Now firmly established in Barcelona, he incorporates elements of his heritage into the energetic pulse of the city while creating a distinctive musical narrative that deftly combines eroticism, melancholy, and genuine emotion. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

DARREN COX: I’m originally from Romania, and I’ve been living in Spain since 2017. As for how it all got started, well, I think I knew since I was a kid that I wanted to make music. I remember specifically the exact night when I was hanging out with some friends, and I just started rapping a song I liked, and they were like, “Dude, you really got it,” and that stuck with me… Since that day, I started writing, looking up instrumentals, then later learned how to make beats, and record myself, and so on… I made my first song on a borrowed laptop from an older friend of mine because I couldn’t afford one.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

DARREN COX: I started with no formal training or studies, but later when things got a bit more complicated, and I got into mixing and mastering, I earned my master’s degree in Mixing Engineering. That, mixed with some tutorials here and there, got me where I am at the moment.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘DARREN COX?

DARREN COX: Wow, good question, there are so many… When I was really young, I was listening to a lot of alternative metal bands like Deftones, My Chemical Romance, Bullet for My Valentine, and 30 Seconds to Mars, to name a few. When I got a bit older, like 15 or so, I discovered Trilogy by The Weeknd, and that changed everything. I got hooked instantly, I would listen to that album so much, looking up the lyrics, learning the melodies, everything. And I fell in love with dark/alternative RnB ever since. And my name, well, when I was young, my rapper name was C.O.X. The next question that pops up is what it stands for, right? Well, it stands for Cocaine Or Xanax. I thought drugs were cool when I was a kid (they’re not), and thought an edgy name would make you stand out. When I got older, I decided to go by an alias, so I went with Darren since it sounds similar to Darius, which is my real name. Just put the old me and the new me together, and “toma” Darren Cox.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

DARREN COX: I think my strong points are my lyrics and composition. Sure, you can sound good and cool and whatever, but I feel like nowadays, there’s no depth when it comes to lyrics anymore. I would describe my sound as Alternative. No matter how hard I try, I can never put myself fully in a genre, since my vocals especially have so many influences and nuances like rock, pop, RnB, dancehall, reggaeton, etc. I can get close to a genre but never be 100% in.

5. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud, or significant point in your life or music career so far?

DARREN COX:

When I finished my very first song. Man, I was happy. I was jumping around and everything. I will always remember that day, and when I’m sad or find myself doubting, I just think about that time and how happy it made me. That’s how I know I could never stop making music. I can’t imagine my life without it.

6. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as Alternative RnB/Pop?

DARREN COX: At first, I was, of course, recreating songs I liked, doing covers, then trying to put my spin on them as well as I could. Then gradually, with time, I would develop my style by looking up tutorials on how to do vocal riffs and runs, how to stay in key, how to sing in falsetto, etc. I was a terrible singer, but with lots and lots of practice, I found my voice.

7. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

DARREN COX: Music for me is so personal, so intimate that I can only see it as an expression of one’s self, personal feelings, experiences, traumas, etc. I personally don’t like music that is used or created in a way that promotes an ideology or political beliefs.

8. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

DARREN COX: It makes me happy when I release a song and someone tells me they liked it. It’s what keeps me going, but of course, there’s a bit more going on behind the scenes. At the moment, it’s just effort, work, tunnel vision on one thing and one thing only, getting my music heard by people that like the same music I like. It’s a tough journey, filled with selfdoubt, sleepless nights, financial struggles, and just a lot of damn work! But if you keep going and don’t back down, it’s impossible not to get where you want to get.

9. Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

DARREN COX: It usually starts with a feeling and some memories, flashing images in my head, then they become clearer until finally I can describe them with words. As soon as I get the first phrase, question, or statement, I get to humming the melody. Then I either look for a beat that matches the mood I’m in, or I just start writing with a metronome. If that doesn’t happen, I just relax and listen to some music. As soon as a song makes me feel something, it can be a drum pattern, or an instrument, or even some lyrics, I get that inspiration and run with it. You never know when your next writer’s block might hit you, so you gotta take the opportunity.

10. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

DARREN COX: Loneliness. In life as well as in my music career.