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Duprie talks new single “Le Ndem”, transition to a singer and future of Damrex Records

2021 so far has been a promising year for Duprie, the Cameroonian singer-songwriter and entrepreneur who kicked off his singing career earlier this year with the release of his debut single “Pull Up”.

Born and raised in the city of Kumba in the Southwest region of Cameroon, Duprie discovered his passion for music while pursuing his secondary school education at Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) in Kumba.

Growing up, Duprie whose musical interest was influenced by Michael Jackson and R. Kelly, started writing songs when he moved to the city of Buea in the Southwest region of Cameroon to continue his secondary education at Bilingual Grammar School in Molyko.

Prior to picking up the mic, Duprie has been in the music scene as a songwriter. Just a month after releasing his debut single, he released another single titled “Playboy” with Ghanaian artist Ahkan.

This drew criticism from some of his fans and listeners who expected his first collaboration to be with a Cameroonian artist. “It’s really not a nationality thing for me”, he said elaborating that it is always about the music. “I have known Ahkan even before I released my debut single, and we have a great relationship.

"We had been working on that song together and we both felt good about it, so we decided to do a collab and to anyone who is not happy with that decision, I want you to know that it was all about the music and nothing personal.

"Besides, I am just getting started and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, so rest assured there will be plenty of opportunities to work with the many talents we have in Cameroon

Duprie talks new single “Le Ndem”, transition to a singer and future of Damrex Records
Duprie talks new single “Le Ndem”, transition to a singer and future of Damrex Records

Seemingly well-settled only after a few months in the singing arena, Duprie has just released his third single of the year.

The Afro-Love track titled “Le Ndem” which was produced by prolific Cameroonian producer Phill Bill and mastered by New Jersey-based Ghanaian producer and sound engineer Pee GH has been well received not just in Cameroon but also in other parts of Africa and Duprie wants his listeners to expect more of such collaborations.

“As an artist, I understand the need for finding my voice and being consistent in that uniqueness, but I also understand that experimenting with my sound and exploiting all possibilities is what will keep my music relevant so you should expect more of such collaborations from me”, - as he puts it.

As for what’s next, Duprie who is already working on another single as a segue to his upcoming EP that is slated for release by the end of the year stated that the focus right now is to shoot a video for his new single and give it the push it deserves, “this is my first music video, of course I am excited but at the same time I want it to be done properly so that’s where the priority is right now”.

He also gave a glimpse of what the future holds for his record label Damrex Records. Upon moving to the United States, Duprie founded Damrex Records. The label was launched in 2018 while he was attending Brown University.

“I first came up with the idea in 2016, but I knew the timing wasn’t right. I wanted to have a clear agenda for the label before embarking on anything and I was able to do that in 2018 which eventually was the right time”.

Now a fully established label, Duprie plans to expand Damrex Record’s artist roster beyond himself which also places emphasis on the need for expansion in the production and management team.

“The goal has always been to recognize, develop and showcase. I want to be able to give young talents; be it singers, songwriters, producers and executives especially across Africa the opportunity and platform to develop and share their talents with the rest of the world”.

“Le Ndem” is now available on all streaming platforms.

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