An Interview with Smiles Davis

Ari Nonahal

The StockX team met up with DJ Smiles Davis in Downtown Los Angeles to chat about what sparked her music career and what's in store for her future.

Editor’s Note: Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Smiles Davis actually began her music career studying dance, but always had a fascination with producing. An unfortunate injury and a neighbor with turntables would eventually pave the way for her to become a full-time music producer, composer, and curator. Today, Smiles is only scratching the surface of her career with talent and ambition matching the legendary inspiration of her stage name, Miles Davis. She now has 2 singles dropping at the end of this month, an A side and B side featuring her very own vocals. Read up on her journey to music from dance, her personal and musical inspirations, and what’s next.

The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Ari Nonahal, StockX: Let’s start with a quick introduction on yourself.

Smiles Davis: I’m Smiles Davis, a DJ, music producer, composer, curator, former Alvin Ailey and Soul Train dancer. My transition into music from dancing was rather natural. I’ve been curious about producing my own music since I was young in dance class admiring the percussionists passionately beat their live drums for the dancers to move freely. It’s been a long time coming but after nearly a decade of being behind the decks I finally turned that admiration into practice. It’s been about three years now since I made my first official record and the excitement for this new trajectory is what’s currently propelling me.

Lizzie Kassab, StockX: How did you make this switch from dancing to music? How natural did that feel?

Smiles: Actually more natural than people might think. In addition to the live percussionists in some classes, there were also live pianists in others… or guitarists. But, no matter what, always a live musician in every one of my dance classes. There was always a level of mystic and intrigue behind the synergy between the musicians and the dancers. You know, if the music was off the dancer was off. If the musician was on, the dancer was on and so that symbiotic relationship was one that truly fascinated me. The relationship between the DJ and the dancefloor is no different. If you’ve ever been to a party where the DJ was truly amazing, you never stopped talking about the memories from that night. Inevitably, I had some injuries from dancing for over 15 years. I was perpetually rehabilitating and just became tiresome. Dance was my first love, but also my first heartbreak as I just couldn’t continue rehabilitating anymore. My neighbor at that time had some turntables in his basement, he was the music director at the local radio station in Arizona and he would let me come over and practice on his turntables and that’s really where I started closet DJ-ing. Eventually friends were like, Hey, let me pay you for this service people actually need.

Ari: How has living in Los Angeles impacted your music?

Smiles: My mother loves west coast hip hop and classic funk and soul. She played all the jams around the house when I was younger. The SOS Band, Chaka Khan, Melissa Morgan, DJ Quick & Sugafree. The heritage of that music didn’t resonate with me until I was old enough to appreciate it. A child knows very little about 808s, hip hop, & lowrider culture because even if exposed to it, most are just ignorant and don’t know that much about the world. It wasn’t until I moved to LA that I recognized game. That my mama had been known! People live and breathe this energy here and you hear it in the music and it’s more natural and organic after you’ve seen the culture firsthand, in real life. So living in LA really just heightened what my mother had taught me growing up.

Ari: What are you inspired by?

Smiles: I’m inspired by genius. Prince, for instance, is just undeniable. Everything he touched was so culturally impactful that it becomes undeniable.

Lizzie: Would you say that your new music that’s coming out is in that same vein?

Smiles: if I could have even a pinky on Prince, I would be happy. I’m greatly influenced by Prince. A lot of my music, especially the new stuff coming out, is all dance-inspired. But I’m also from the Midwest, so it encompasses house music, especially Detroit and Chicago where house music originates.

Ari: You’re originally from Grand Rapids, correct?

Smiles: Yes, Michigan in the house.

Ari: That’s awesome. Can you talk a little about some of the women that inspire you?

Smiles: My mama, she taught me a lot about hard work and just burying your head and getting the job done. Don’t make any excuses, stand on your own two feet, be an independent woman. She also didn’t take too much bullshit.

Ari: Always a good lesson.

Smiles: Always a good lesson. I would say Judith Jamison, also, former artistic director of Alvin Ailey, where she held her post for over two decades. She was interested in two things; dance and the black experience. And for her, continuing Ailey’s legacy, embodying the African American experience through fluid dance movements and the flexibility of black people’s ability to bend and move with purpose, was her whole mission. And the Ailey company’s legacy really has held up because of her leadership.

Ari: What would you say is the most overrated at the moment?

Smiles: Lying through mission. You know when people are like, “Hey, how are you doing?” and you say “good,” just because you think that’s what they want to hear, as opposed to just keeping it real. I think what’s lacking is people just being honest with each other.

Ari: What would you say is the most underrated?

Smiles: Connection. I enjoy having people over for dinner. I enjoy socializing. It’s so important to my mental health and I see a lot of people who’ve buried themselves either in work or online, and they don’t understand the way that human connection can be very rewarding.

Ari: If you could give your younger self advice now, what would you say to her?

Smiles: Comparisons are bullshit. I spent a lot of time admiring people from afar and thinking I had to do or be like them, and it’s a waste of time. Just be original. Carve your own path. Start young, and don’t look back.

Ari: What’s next for you? We’ve heard there’s new music coming out. What are you excited about at the moment?

Smiles: I have a project coming out that I’m truly passionate about. It features some of my friends and people I really admire. August 08, Channel Tres, Alice Smith, Bosco, and Duckworth. And I’m looking forward to the path this puts me on. I’m also utilizing my own vocals on a few upcoming tracks, which is outstanding for me, because I’ve been so shy about it. The first few singles, an A side and B side are to be released later October.