Dayvid, also known as SAYMYNAME, is the godfather of #hardtrap. The title is not arbitrarily applied. His first major musical success was in 2012 with a trapped-out remix of Hardstyle superstar Showtek’s “F.T.S.” This tune, which SAYMYNAME credits as the impetus for the Hardtrap genre, was banged out ad infinitum on every major festival stage in the world multiple times over. LA Weekly has also acknowledged this title. By fusing Hardstyle with Trap, “the dance music world has been better for it ever since”. But this Humboldt, California native had modest beginnings. SAYMYNAME was raised in a musical family. By the age of 5, his father, a DJ himself, cultivated in Dayve a passion for music. At 12, he picked up DJing as a hobby. His high school years were punctuated by his interest in music, sports, and the arts (Dayvid is an accomplished Graffiti and street artist). He took two years of advanced music theory courses, which set him on the path to professional music production. He first experimented with Apple’s Garage Band but soon graduated to more advanced production tools like Acid, Reason, Sylenth and Abelton. He was accepted to Chapman University in Orange County, California, the prestigious IVY league of the West Coast. While there he kept himself as focused on music as he did on his academics and, in 2013, his diligent work ethic and production prowess combined to win him the coveted Insomniac Discovery Project contest. This win landed him squarely in front of thousands of fans at EDC Las Vegas, and his performance was touted as one of the best of the festival. His future in dance music was becoming a reality, but this dream had yet to pay the bills. After college, Dayve continued to work 35-40 hours a week at Guitar Center, then rushed home to produce in his bedroom at night. It was this job at Guitar Center that got him through those tough early days, and two days before his first Australia tour, he handed in his two weeks. Now, years later, with top headline and mainstage billings across the globe and mega hits like his collaboration with Mercer, “Wanted”, and his remixes of Dj Snake’s “Propoganda” and Mercer’s “Encore”, SAYMYNAME finds himself at the center of setlists by Dance music’s elite including Tiesto, Afrojack, David Guetta, Dillon Francis, Madeon, Dimitri Vegas Like Mike, Jauz, W&W, DYRO, Borgeous, Showtek, NGHTMRE, and Diplo. Towering above the decks at 6’5, SAYMYNAME is the undisputed champion and originator of Hardtrap. He’s a genre pioneer, and he’s just getting started
