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

Hi Joe, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
The obvious way to define success is by awards/accolades in our career- I learned the hard way there are better ways to measure success effectively. When I released my song “Body Talking” it sat stagnant for the first six months amounting maybe 4,000 streams. I thought to myself, if only it could hit 10,000 – that will make me feel like the song is a success. My very first thought the moment it hit 10k was, now let’s see if it can hit 100,000. That will truly be the moment I feel like the song did well; and of course, when it hit 100k, “ok this is cool, but it really won’t be successful until 1 million”. Eventually the song hit the million mark on Spotify and of course I didn’t indulge in the moment, but quickly began thinking of how it would feel to hit 10 million. I realized that the “chasing” of that feeling of success would never cease to exist as I was going to continue defining it by the next milestone or next big number, and no number would ever be big enough to be defined successful. The pattern of 10k to 100k to 1 million would continue well beyond 1 billion. While I celebrate my milestones, I try my best not to allow the achievement or lack there of define my success. That’s because I want to enjoy my success, and as long as my success is unattainable (i.e. forever dependent on the next big thing), I will never get to live in and enjoy its moment. I prefer to define success by consistency. I hold my self accountable to being consistent with the person I am, the content I release, my passion for music and what I stand behind.

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.
The number one lesson I’ve learned in creating my art is to focus on a subject matter that is meaningful to me. Each of us has a unique story to share with the world through whatever art form we choose. I chose music, because that’s where I feel the most free and inspired. It’s where I feel I’m able to express myself and allow others to feel seen the most. It’s where I feel excited, angry, sad, motivated and all the feelings in between. Creating music is the center of my peace and by sharing it, I hope my songs are just that for others – a reminder that everything is always okay. We as humans are soooo resilient. At the end of the day, the only thing that truly matters is being happy with ourselves just as we are. As a gay, Arab Christian, I’m passionate about breaking the barriers that were set forth by HUMANKIND, that you can not be a believer of God as a gay person. Love is love, and comes from God/whatever higher power we choose to believe in. The only sin in love is getting in the way of it. Also, while on this rant I’d love to clear one misconception a LOT of christians say which is “I sin everyday too”. While majority of people saying this mean it with good intent “who am I to judge” type of way, I want us acknowledge the fact that homosexuality wasn’t added to the Bible until 1940’s. Love is not a sin. Homosexuality is not a sin. We are all made perfectly by the divine being that created us. The biggest lesson I’ve learned while in this industry is to know who you are and not let the hate you receive get in the way of your passion for what you stand for. At this point we’re all unfortunately no stranger to online trolls. At times it was difficult waking up everyday to see hundreds of hateful comments from people who don’t know me, but I remind myself that the negative comments are an extension of the person behind the comment and in no way a reflection of who I am as a person. This has been my mantra that has allowed me to overcome and look past all the negativity as I continue to push for the issues that truly matter to me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shout out to my amazing and supportive mom who recently reminded me of something very important. “what good is success if it doesn’t align with who you are. If it’s good for your career but not good for your mental, give more thought to whether or not the success is worth it.”

Instagram: itsjoedaccache

Other: Spotify – Joe Daccache https://open.spotify.com/artist/1eOMxN37BxLAtv7GetTXcC?si=TCxLD0vwSyOHoal36DfsjQ

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