Spotlight - AMU Henry Smalls

Introduction & Background

• Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background.
• Tell us a bit about yourself. (Location, artist name, the works!)
• What's your musical origin story? (when did you start? What inspired you?)
• What were the driving forces or pivotal moments that inspired you to pursue music?

Hi! My name is Akira Ryosuke, most people call me Dotty. I was inspired by anime and other artists to start making music. I started playing piano at 4 years old, and drums at 7, then I learned (a lot more) about music production during covid. I'm from Maryland, growing up around all kinds of music until I decided I wanted to make my own. My stage name (AMU Henry Smalls) was random, but I added meaning to it later on after coming up with it. Making music would later give me the kind of creative outlet I would need. I'm inspired by rappers like YungLex, Lil Boom, Soulja Boy, Josip on Deck, and my mentor, Lil B!

Musical Identity

• How would you describe your style of music?
• How is your personality reflected in your work?
• Describe your creative process when you write new music.

I like to do an experimental style of Hip-Hop & Rap music, using anime and video games as inspiration for all kinds of tracks. I got into the Otakore/Anime rap niche sometime after I was depressed, and I made a song called Hentai Subscription. Before that, I was making drill music, and I was not having the most fun with it. Anime helped me realize what I wanted to do. Then I started experimenting more, even playing around with Vocaloid, getting collabs with Hatsune Miku.

Current Work

• What is the name of your latest releases?
• What was the inspiration for that release?
• What challenges or unexpected moments did you encounter during the writing/recording process?

My newest mixtape (April 13th ya'll!) is called Highschool DxD Tha Mixtape, and it's one of the most exciting and fun projects I've ever worked on. I was inspired by mixtapes from the 2010's, and I wanted to make something that felt reminiscent of that. I decided that everyone needed a mixtape to get excited about, so I brought the energy from Highschool DxD into my mixtape. Really, the only challenges I came across so far would have to be a little burnout.

Promotion & Engagement

• What strategies do you find most effective for promoting your music?
• How do you engage with your fans online and offline?
• What upcoming promotional activities or releases are you most excited about?
• How can folks contact you (socials/email/websites etc.)

For promotion, it really depends, because I really haven't found too many strategies to be effective enough. Currently, I think getmusic.fm has actually helped a lot with my Bandcamp marketing, pushing my music to a lot of people. In order to promote FINAL FORM+, COOKING MUSIC MIXTAPE, & Highschool DxD Tha Mixtape, I'm going to be at anime conventions just doin' mai thang. I love going to anime conventions - that's how I met YungLex, Strifecos, & vvbv_anwei, people online that I really look up to. People at anime conventions are so cool and friendly, and we all have common interests, so I can feel comfortable at these events. I also engage with fans on Instagram, Facebook, and SpaceHey.

Additional Insights

• Is there anything else of interest that we should have asked about? Please include it here.

Shouts out to the Ramune Boyz! Me, Kan3ki, YungLex, MoneyBoss, Lil Yandere-Chan, Blurr, and all the others! Shoutout to Lil Boom, Josip on Deck, Killa Karisma, Kay P, & Lil B the Basedgod. Enter code 'wagyu&ramune50' for half off of COOKING MUSIC MIXTAPE. HIGHSCHOOL DXD THA MIXTAPE COMING SOON! I LOVE YA'LL! BASED