With debut EP ‘Taste’, it’s reassuring to hear he gets excited seeing his name in print.
“I saw a copy of FROOTY on the street and thought, ‘Oh cool, I’m going to be in there!'’’, he enthuses.
“I’m influenced by songs like the Diplo x Charlie XCX song ‘Spicy’, I share influences with the kind of artists that have a really strong appreciation for pop music and want to push pop to its outer limits, drive it forward into future sounding beats,” he explains.
Travelling through the six track EP is a floss-filled delight, with a hard rock candy edge. Lyrics and imagery are bright, bubbly and kitsch. It may have been a conscious effort to complete a full package in this way: “Definitely. It’s like creating a fantasy world, a bit of escapism in my music. It’s a nice environment that’s inclusive and feels like a comfortable, fun space. The name is from 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills', Camille Grammer, her maiden name was Donatacci. She was iconic, and no one else had taken it, plus it sounds like Tamagotchi.”
It also sounds like the queen of glamour, Donatella Versace…
“Yeah, it’s a marriage of all those things, to bring those influences together, pop culture, fashion, and gaming.”
‘Taste’ features Slayyyter, Kult Kyss’ Rromarin, and Genes. Donatachi describes how he got these guest artists on board. “The majority of them are Melbourne-based – I found them through Soundcloud and Unearthed. Slayyyter, who is starting to blow up a bit in the US, she and I had been connected through Soundcloud since last year and had similar ideas; we exchanged beats.
“It’s a bit of a give and take relationship with a lot of the artists I work with; I’ll do production work on their projects later down the track.”
The imagery orbiting Donatachi’s world is bright and sparkling. “It’s a big facet of my personality, creating a moment of fun, lightness, and uplifting energy. I wanted to reflect that in the visuals; when you look and listen to it, it feels like you’ve stepped into a different kind of space. I want to try and change the mood of someone in a positive way; it’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of the world. I’m inspired by other uplifting people in the queer community, and want to help create that for others.”
“I’m a Virgo, I’m always about self improvement; I want to expand my influences, capabilities and skill as a producer, I want to work with some big artists and talented songwriters, draw from them, try and push my creativity as far as it can go,” he suggests.
“Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of people that I could relate to, if I had someone like myself out there, I might have felt comfortable in my weirdness. I want to create more visibility for others like myself In the queer community.”
