Eman Tiba
Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
I am a singer/songwriter, producer, and musician. I go by the artist name “Damascan Daydreams”. I will be releasing my first single under the artist’s name on October 22, 2021.
I am a self-taught artist and released my first EP under my first name. The songs focused on themes related to heartbreak, relationships, self-identity, inner peace, and following one’s artistic dreams.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
With a background in psychology and the influence of film/art, I enjoy writing music that has elements related to psychology and cinematic and dreamy stories.
I would describe Damascan Daydreams as experimentation of the voice of soul, the music of electric, and the vision of dreamy light and dark spheres. “Damascan” comes from the city I was born in (Damascus, Syria) and Daydreams is a reflection of how I have lived my life daydreaming my passion and creative interests and my artistic style.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
For a while, I did not believe that I could pursue my dreams to be an artist. It felt so distant to reach and a dream only to take to sleep. I pursued higher education in School Psychology with a doctoral degree because I wanted to help people but there was an emptiness I could only explain to my close friends.
I ended up moving to South Carolina in a secluded small town and I began to play music after work. It was like a little secrete I kept to myself and I began to bring back lyrics I had written years back and began to teach myself the piano. At work, I was a psychologist, Dr. Tiba, but when I returned home to my piano, I was Eman. The Eman I began to remember again.
I wrote my EP “Where Have You Been” as an echo of my self-discovery and absence of myself over the years. After moving to Austin, Texas, my artistic expression evolved and I began to experiment with electronic and dreamy elements to my lyrics and music.
I’m so glad I made the leap to move out of my hometown. It was a big stepping stone to finding my independence and being true to my identity and passion. It was my close friends who kept challenging my negative thoughts and reminding me of what seeking happiness means if you just move forward with your dreams.
Now, that I have moved to Austin, I have been able to meet like-minded artists and musicians with similar goals and aspirations.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I have had to face was realizing that following your dreams is not going to be easy. There are many moments I have had thoughts that I wanted to give up because one thing would lead to the next and I could not battle it. Sometimes my confidence level would drift and I would think you are just self-taught and you have so much to learn it’s impossible.
I was born in Damascus, Syria and my family moved to the United State when I was 2 years old. We lived in Dublin, OH a suburb of Columbus, and all my childhood and college years were there.
When I graduated from graduate school, I challenged myself and moved to a small town in South Carolina for two years where I began to find myself and my identity.
After two years, I drove to Austin, Texas in the middle of the pandemic to pursue my music career.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
Mark Ronson, David Lynch, and Massive Attack.