Meet Darious Lyles | Aka D. Lylez Grammy Nominated vocalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darious Lyles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darious, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The amount of hard work and understanding that it’s still a business and most of the time to win big you have to pay big money

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a singer , producer , Songwriter from the southside of Chicago. I grew up in my father’s church which I still attend and I found a love for music inside the church and outside of it as well . Since the age of 9 I was groomed to be a musician / singer . Throughout this time I’ve experienced different opportunities as young singer performing in stage plays , countless recitals, and singing auditions. It took a lot of dedication and love to get to this point in my career . I used to often think that I wasn’t good enough and surprisingly I was told that I would never sell records as a singer , I no one would ever like my gift . I’ve proved that to be wrong so many times without trying but it was a challenge that I had to overcome . I’ve learned that I don’t need to prove anything to anybody but myself . I am my greatest distraction. I have done so much in career up until this one particular audition that gave me a world debut as a singer (NBC The Voice Season 18 ) . Singing on a show like that and to have 2 chairs turn around for me gave me a stretch of hope for the next years I had to face as a creative . After the show I had to figure out my next steps because the show was airing in the start of a pandemic . I couldn’t do shows , I couldn’t be in the studio etc . I got my own production/ recording equipment so that I could continue creating music and social media content . While doing so I received a Grammy Nomination (2022) with Chicago house duo Ten city as a background vocalist . I am currently working on a new album that I feel really comfortable with but yet challenging because I’ve never consistently created this style of music .

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
See this is a loaded question LOL ! Chicago has so much to offer ! First we have to hit up my favorite spot Harold’s Chicken the first day . The middle of the week I would take them to the downtown area to visit the Bean , lake shore and ofcourse there are sooo many food places downtown . We are known for deep dish pizza but my favorite pizza place is Beggar’s pizza ! Honestly I don’t really go out much unless I have to perform but it would be at chill spots like Reggie’s , Tribe Supper Club etc .

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First I would like to shout out God for his blessings and my team Dana Dominguez (manager ) and Fredrick “Toxic” Taylor for staying the course with me these past couple of years . They have put countless hours of dedication to help me in my career up until this point.

Image Credits
Marcos Sandoval @cre8tiv_harmony