Damian Barray

"Racing Down the Track"

Listen & Watch: Concert Video
When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?

A 7th grade performance of the musical Dear Edwina, Jr. I played Ziggy Montego, a little Jamaican boy trying to raise money for his steel drum band. I'm confident it's some of my best work to date.

When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?

I started writing music as a teen. I will be unabashedly predictable and say that Jonathan Larson and JRB's work were eye-openers because of the way they married contemporary music with storytelling.

How do you describe your style/work?

My current vision is to create songs that are story-driven but also heavily pop-influenced bops that you could hear out-of-context on the radio and still enjoy.


What is most rewarding to you about writing music?

Taking big, complex, nebulous feelings or thoughts and condensing them into a lyric. It's hard work, but pure magic when it all comes together!