Meet Manny Dibiachi, a Pittsburgh-based musician and performer who centers underrepresented communities in his work. His years of rhyming, engineering, writing, and performing come together to connect humans by creating authentic depictions of what it means to be a Black, gay musician.
Manny Dibiachi // Photo courtesy of Manny Dibiachi
Manny is not new to the music scene. He has been a headliner and performer at some of Pittsburgh’s largest festivals, like Too Hot for July and Pittsburgh Pride. Or, you may recognize Manny from his recent hits including “Fuego,” “Mean Girl,” and his newly released EP “Let's Pregame.”
Talking to Manny is similar to catching up with an old friend. His energetic and joyful personality is exemplified in his ability to connect quickly, leading with acceptance and love. It’s no shock, then, to learn Manny’s mission in his artistry is to create safe places and nurture QTBIPOC communities. He shares this mission with the TAG Collective: a collective of local artists aiming to celebrate diversity and give a larger platform to underrepresented artists.
Manny Dibiachi // Photo courtesy of Manny Dibiachi
Manny’s legacy continues to take shape as he further headlines LGBTQIA+ events, including this year's Wilkinsburg Pride festival. He continues to trailblaze the music scene for QTBIPOC, establishing himself as a role model and influence to other younger QTBIPOC people.
We asked Manny to expand on his mission and outlook. (This interview has been condensed for space and clarity).
What is your creative process like? How do you begin a project?
I think that's changed definitely over the course of time. When I started, I felt I needed to be so meticulous and that my work needed to live in the same world. I found that, after I garnered some sense of attention, honestly, I started to overthink: What then does that look like? What do people want to hear? What are they expecting? And so I realized, if you're going through a creative process, just write whatever comes to mind. If you're writing three projects at once, just let yourself create. Just let yourself write rap, or write songs that are just singing, or write R&B. Sometimes it’s that I'll hear a beat and I'm inspired by it, but it has nothing to do with the story of what I just wrote yesterday. I think, how do I put this in one project? How does it live together? So I found that, honestly, just writing what comes to mind.
Honestly, I'm putting all the confident and brash-sounding songs together; getting all of my pop-rap sounding songs together. Sometimes I’m intermingling the two because since I have all that living in me, there's sometimes where I'm on a rap song, and I can't help but incorporate other sounds on that song. So honestly, I just let the word vomit come out, and then I just piece the puzzle together after.
I want people to feel that in my music. I mean, I could write a song about a cup and there's a song about a cup, but do you feel it? Is it inspiring? Is there something there? So we could regurgitate an idea but it's like, I want people to feel that authenticity.
"I want people to, in a deep way, understand that Black, gay artists don't have to be a monolith."
What do you hope your audiences take away from your art? On the surface, I want people to take away confidence and to be who you are. But I don't want to sound cliche. I feel like everyone wants you to be who you are and be confident in who you are, but I feel like I want people to, in a deep way, understand that Black, gay artists don't have to be a monolith. It doesn't have to be one note or one page to break down an idea of what a rap artist looks, sounds, and feels like. Honestly, I want the little gay boys to be able to look up and say, “I can do that.”
What do you think is your biggest takeaway from creating your art? My biggest takeaway is that I am way more diverse than I give myself credit. Also, with what I'm creating, I always have this feeling where if I make something really great, I think, how am I ever going to do something better than this? But the biggest takeaway I can get is that I will continue to create. Like, you will continue to create. So whether it's good, bad, great, or different, it will still be something I created, so I'll never not be a creator. Even when I do make my magnum opus, there will still be something else for me to create.
Do you prefer mixing, writing, or performing? Why?
Performing. Definitely, because it's something that feels way more free. Like I'm nervous as hell, shaking in my boots before I go out every single time. But once I start it's like I’m free; it's a freeing feeling. When I'm writing or I'm mixing, I'm meticulous. There's times when I'm writing and when I'm connected to my higher self, and I'm just not thinking about it, and I'm writing, writing, writing, and it comes out great. A lot of times that's not happening, and you're trying to do the formulaic thing and think about writing in a specific way. I ask myself: how is the rhyme scheme? Is it getting too boring? Do I need to switch this flow? Am I veering too far off topic? That becomes annoying when you're overthinking and writing. But for me, performing is like a cathartic state, every time I perform I feel out of body. It’s the manifestation of this thing that you've worked so hard on, like this vibe that you've created.
In your opinion, what role does music play in society? Does this inform your creative process? I feel like music plays a huge role in society. Life imitates art and, the same in reverse. It's very deep rooted. It’s similar to how people can smell the same smell and feel the same feeling they have when they hear a song, when they see a movie, when they read a book. There’s something about art that connects human to experience. I know that as an artist, creating that is a big responsibility, but also have to be in my truest form. As an artist, I have to explain and express my experience to other human beings that may experience the same things or need to learn by seeing that other people experience these things that you may not have experienced. It's expanding on life. But at the same time, artists are thinking about “What are humans going to think about this thing?” And so that's how it informs our creative process. Sometimes that worry can hold you.
For example, in my first project, I was concerned about being that artist that was not too grunge, and that everyone wants to hear at a club and twerk to, but that's not always what artists need to be doing – not to say that there's anything wrong with that. I had to unlearn that mask of what society thinks of me as a gay, Black man. I had to think about whether I would be creating music that doesn't do anything for a culture or who I am, and that I would be contributing to a cliche. But, I had to grow as a person first and realize that I am many things as a human being. I am intelligent. I read books. I love flowers, but also I go to the club and I like to shake my butt. So I want that duality to be expressive in my art.
How do your goals as an artist overlap with the TAG collective’s mission to celebrate diversity and give a bigger platform to underrepresented artists? They stand for the same thing I'm standing for. We're trying to create spaces and communities for people that look like us and come from the same background. It's really for like LGBTQIA+ artists, particularly artists of color, who are usually fighting a tad harder in situations that have to do with art and culture and music. TAG is about creating those event spaces, stages, and platforms. Just like I do as an artist. We align perfectly.
How can the Pittsburgh community continue to support your work? They can buy and stream my music! Of course, I just dropped an EP that just came out about two weeks ago called “Let’s Pregame.” It is literally a pre-game, meaning that there's another project coming, of course. I'm performing a lot more now, and I think Pittsburgh is doing a lot better with supporting small artists. The scene is picking up a little bit, honestly, is getting real cute out here. I feel like people can support me by keeping up with Manny Dibiachi everywhere, on everything.
For more information on Manny, visit his bandcamp, YouTube, or find him on social media at “Manny Dibiachi” on all platforms.
