Dio Valentino makes music that refuses to sit still. Pulling from hyperpop, electronic, rap, R&B, and synthwave, the rising artist has spent the last few years quietly assembling a catalog built on world-building instead of formulas. In an era where so much new music is engineered for fifteen seconds of attention, his work asks for the opposite: full listens, close reading, and a willingness to sit inside a feeling.
That ambition comes into focus across The Noise, his latest project and the companion piece to CAN YOU HEAR?, the two releases functioning as sister statements from the same restless world. It is music that treats genre as raw material rather than identity, equally at home with rap bravado and melodic vulnerability, and it marks his most fully realized statement yet: immersive, deliberate, and uninterested in playing by the rules of algorithm-friendly music.
We caught up with Dio to talk about the project, the road that led to it, and where he goes from here.
When did “The Noise” start becoming a real project for you, what was happening in your life when it first took shape?
The Noise started to become a real project after the passing of my grandfather. I have been stressing out between school, chasing the dream of being someone worth listening to, and getting my life together that I didn’t realize how much time was passing. It was all a blur of just...Noise I guess you can say (hence the title). I was already working on a collection of songs for a school film project and with all this happening it materialized into a full fourteen track body of work. I decided to split up upon release because at first I was rushing to be heard and blow up but finding out my granddad passed made me stop. I divided it up after that and waited till I felt like I was in the right headspace to drop again.
You’ve mentioned being in college and dealing with unstable housing, how did that period shape the way you write and record?
It definitely made me capture the spark and moments right then and there. I wanted to be able to describe what I was going through in a way that makes you do a double take. There would be days where I would go to the studio to record and come back on campus to sleep on a bench while I write my next verse or hook. Some of the verses were mixed and matched together like puzzle pieces. I literally could not afford to waste time in the studio, so in session I would piece together what I wrote the night before to make the full song. It really pushed me to be fast but also concise. It also shaped my focus and precision for the project.
The title The Noise feels layered. What does “noise” mean in your world: mentally, socially, sonically?
The Noise is that ever persistent pressure that you feel when life gets too much. That suffocation, that unbridled chaos. It represents the times where your mind can’t focus on anything but is reacting to everything all at once. Socially it can be imagined as a city that never sleeps with parties that has bass bleeding out the venue causing the walls to cave. You would step outside to neon lights flashing as you try to catch your breath. Walking down the street you would see the homeless sleeping on church steps and you wonder to yourself what the hell happened to the world. All of this while the music is just blaring trying to pull you back into the chaos. Sonically, the best way I could describe it is something out of a cyberpunk novel. I combine elements of hyperpop, electronic, rap, Rnb, Synthwave and avant garden to make something that is can only be described as alive. Shout out generiic his production laid the foundation to my world.
What was the creative difference between CAN YOU HEAR? (Side A) and The Noise (Side B)?
Side A was definitely more rap driven. I love to rap. It was more wild and unorthodox. I wanted to carry a certain bravado throughout Side A that says “I am here and this is the future of the sound.” Side B on the other hand was more focused on narrative. I wanted to experiment with song structure. I also drew major inspiration from the alternative Rnb genre. A long time ago I was told I shouldn’t sing and for a while I listened. Then I found that I could tell my stories the best with melodies. So I focused on my range and delivery. I wanted to showcase emotion and rawness juxtaposed to the digital elements. The autotune became my instrument and I found through reception that I actually do have a voice. Side B actually was easier to finish than Side A, but they both go together as sister eps. That is why my singing delivery is consistent across both EPs.
Walk us through one song on the project from the first idea to the final mix. What changed the most along the way?
Pretty Eyes is by far the most beautiful song on the project. I remember I came in the studio and generiic stated he wanted to try out something more mellow that day. We pulled out a digital synthesizer and played some chords. I remember when he laid that bass down I started to sing lyrics to myself. We got the whole first half recorded in like 30 minutes. Then we decided to switch the beat at the half way point and generiic asked if I can go into a spoken word verse as if I was kendrick on TPAB. I did that in one take. We originally were going to add a choir but I took it out last minute because I wanted to let the beat play out. It sounded like the computer was melting into a synthetic digital pool of sound. I remember with the mix I just wanted people to be immersed in the sounds and feel the way I felt when the beat dropped for the first time. We bounced it straight out the DAW and released it that way.
When you’re making records, what do you chase first: melody, drums, words, or mood?
If I am not producing, definitely words and mood. I want my songs to have an energy and I really focus on not wasting words when finding the feeling. I then find the melody. The melody is the most important aspect as it immerses the listener. Lastly it is the groove. The rhythm has to complement the cinematics. If I am producing though it is reversed as I would need to make the beat to fit the words to. It is subject to change depending on how I feel though.
What artists/sounds were in your headphones while you were building this project?
Definitely Early Weeknd, Travis Scott, Early Kanye, Gessefelstein, and Daft Punk. I was able to draw inspiration for flows from the likes of XXXTentacion, Baby Keem, and Lil Uzi. The art of conceptualization and painting a vivid picture with my lyrics while being somewhat commercially accessible, came from me listening to DAMN by Kendrick Lamar on repeat. He is undoubtedly the greatest rapper alive.
What’s a lyric on the project that still hits you the hardest, and why?
Designer bags can’t hold your pain, no matter how much shit you feel with it. This hits the hardest to me because I always thought money would solve all my problems. To a degree I still think that sometimes. Now I notice even when I do have a semblance of stability and financial means, I am still feeling empty and paranoid. I realize the circumstances tied to homelessness and the life that I was living affected me in a way that would require more than money to fix.
How do you want new listeners to feel after hearing The Noise front-to-back?
I want them to feel cathartic and excited for more. The Noise sets up the world that I am building. Every track is an easter egg. I want this EP to really stamp me as an artist worth investing in. The sound, the message, the story, all of it is real. I want listeners to leave with a project knowing that in a world of cookie cutter Tik Tok filtered music, there are still projects out there that provide an experience.
What part of your story do people usually miss when they first discover your music?
Usually the beginning of the story. I went semi-viral making cyberpunk2077 jokes previewing Starchild! So that’s how most people know me. The few that dig deeper though will find the two eps and be shocked at the level of depth that lies in the catalog. I love it though. It makes me happy that the layers will continue to be pulled back.
What’s your relationship with performance right now: do you have shows planned, and what do you want the live version of this era to feel like?
I love performing. My whole goal is to be a world touring artists. I have shows that I am planning out hopefully for ATL LA and NY mainly. I want them to be free shows that immerse the crowd into the experience. The live version of this era involves warehouses, raves, and just gritty atmosphere. I want people to embrace being alive at my shows in all of its complexities.
What are you building next after this release, and what are you most excited to prove to yourself?
I am building a project called PACIFICA. I am excited as I want this project to help establish a consistent fanbase and establish a real buzz. This will be like my Days before the Rodeo. I am most excited to prove that I am here to stay and that the sound that we are cultivating is the future. I am excited to prove that not only can I tour but that I am one of the best performers on the planet.
The Noise rewards the kind of listening that has become rare: front to back, no skips, full attention. It is the work of an artist building a world instead of chasing a moment, and it makes one thing clear: Dio Valentino is just getting started. We are grateful to Dio for the honesty he brought to this conversation and for trusting us with the story behind the music.
Thank you again to Dio Valentino for sitting down with us. Keep up with everything he is building next on Instagram.
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