IAMDDB

{{Distinguish|IMDb}} {{Portuguese name|Rocha|De Brito}} {{Notability|1=Music|date=November 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = IAMDDB | image = IAMDDB.png | caption = | birth_date = 05 March 1996 | birth_name = Diana Adelaide Rocha De Brito | alias = Diana DeBrito | birth_place = Lisbon, Portugal | genre = {{flatlist| * Alternative hip hop * trap * jazz fusion * Neo soul * Alternative R&B * Soulful house * Reggae }} | occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|singer-songwriter|actress|producer}} | instrument = Vocals | years_active =  | website = {{URL|iamddbworld.com}} }} '''Diana Adelaide Rocha De Brito''', known by her stage name '''IAMDDB''', is an Angolan-Portuguese rapper and singer based in Manchester, United Kingdom. IAMDDB has released three EPs and three mixtapes as of 2021 and was listed number three on BBC Sound of 2018.<ref name="theguardian 31 March 2018"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2021/09/17/premiere-iamddb-jgl/| title=The celebrated artist is going through a rebirth, and she is making it known with the release of her newest track. | language=en |accessdate=11 May 2022|website=wonderlandmagazine.com| date=17 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814215550/https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2021/09/17/premiere-iamddb-jgl/|archive-date=14 August 2022}}</ref>

== Early life == Diana Adelaide Rocha De Brito was born on 5 March 1996 in Lisbon, Portugal to an Angolan-Portuguese father (Manuel De Brito) who worked as a sound engineer and bassist,<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 March 2015 |title=Vozes na Taberna de regresso com Diana Debrito |url=https://www.verangola.net/va/pt/032015/CulturaEducacao/416/Vozes-na-Taberna-de-regresso-com-Diana-Debrito.htm |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=VerAngola |language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722052449/https://www.verangola.net/va/pt/032015/CulturaEducacao/416/Vozes-na-Taberna-de-regresso-com-Diana-Debrito.htm|archive-date=22 July 2019}}</ref> and an Angolan mother.<ref name="afrocritik.com">{{Cite web |date=11 March 2024 |title="Love is War" Review: IAMDDB Confidently Struts Her Skills on New Album - Afrocritik |url=https://afrocritik.com/love-is-war-review-iamddb-new-album/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250810071421/https://afrocritik.com/love-is-war-review-iamddb-new-album/|archive-date=10 August 2025}}</ref> From a young age, she was immersed in music, spending countless hours in her father's home studio surrounded by instruments, vinyl records, and the sounds of jazz, soul, samba, classical music, and Afro-jazz.<ref name="mixmag.net">{{Cite web |title="My art is not a joke, it's literally my legacy": IAMDDB is completely independent and creatively unshackled |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/iamddb-interview-completely-independent-creatively-unshackled-waev-trap-hip-hop |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=Mixmag.net |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074742/https://mixmag.net/feature/iamddb-interview-completely-independent-creatively-unshackled-waev-trap-hip-hop|archive-date=22 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="Interview: IAMDDB">{{Cite web |date=3 April 2019 |title=Interview: IAMDDB |url=https://www.inkl.com/news/interview-iamddb |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=inkl |language=en|url-status=|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260502012654/https://www.inkl.com/news/interview-iamddb|archive-date=2 May 2026}}</ref><ref name="afrocritik.com"/>

Around the age of five or six, her family relocated to Manchester, United Kingdom, where she quickly adapted to her new surroundings despite speaking little English, an experience she recalls as more challenging for her family than for her.<ref name="Interview: IAMDDB"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Equipo |date=2019-02-12 |title=IAMDDB puede ser lo que tus oídos hambrientos necesitan |url=https://pousta.com/iamddb-trap/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=POUSTA |language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421081452/https://pousta.com/iamddb-trap/|archive-date=21 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="afrocritik.com"/> Growing up across various neighborhoods, she developed a strong identity as a Mancunian.<ref name="Interview: IAMDDB"/> Influenced by her father's eclectic musical tastes, she grew up listening to vocalists like Nat King Cole, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and even genres like classical music, Afro-soul, and her own "Angolan frequencies".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haidari |first=Niloufar |title=IAMDDB on her come up, the internet and making music for the hood |url=https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/iamddb/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=Crack Magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420132004/https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/iamddb/|archive-date=20 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="mixmag.net"/> From infancy she recounts her parents would play Bob Marley recordings to lull her to sleep, and she would wake up as soon as the music stopped.<ref name="comunidadeculturaearte.com">{{Cite web |date=22 March 2019 |title=Entrevista. IAMDDB: "Gosto de saber todos os passos do processo por que a minha arte passará" |url=https://comunidadeculturaearte.com/entrevista-iamddb-gosto-de-saber-todos-os-passos-do-processo-por-que-a-minha-arte-passara |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=Comunidade Cultura e Arte |language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118225000/https://comunidadeculturaearte.com/entrevista-iamddb-gosto-de-saber-todos-os-passos-do-processo-por-que-a-minha-arte-passara|archive-date=18 January 2025}}</ref>

By age seven, Diana began writing her own songs, and by age eleven, she had already recorded her own music.<ref name="afrocritik.com"/> Although she studied performing arts in college and continued to nurture her musical voice, it was not until her late teens that she truly recognized music as her professional calling. At around age 15, she took part in her school production of ''Grease'' as Rizzo where being on stage made her realize that performing was her true passion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnston |first=Kathleen |date=17 January 2020 |title=IAMDDB: 'Machester is so diverse, we're all so warm and we don't give a toss' |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gq-hype/article/iamddb-interview |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415001728/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gq-hype/article/iamddb-interview|archive-date=15 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="Alvin">{{Cite web |last=Alvin |first=Mark |date=5 June 2020 |title=British Rapper IAMDDB Releases Positive Vibes With "Quarantine" |url=https://www.musictimes.com/articles/81747/20200605/british-rapper-iamddb-releases-positive-vibes-quarantine.htm |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=Music Times |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250810071612/https://www.musictimes.com/articles/81747/20200605/british-rapper-iamddb-releases-positive-vibes-quarantine.htm|archive-date=10 August 2025}}</ref>

== Professional career == A defining moment in her artistic development came during a six-month tour of Angola, where she performed jazz along with her father's band. This experience immersed her in professional music-making by learning discipline, stage presence, and the rigors of rehearsals and performances. It also ignited her desire to pursue music full-time.<ref name="Alvin"/><ref name="afrocritik.com"/><ref name="IAMDDB Interview">{{Cite web |date=2020-03-12 |title=IAMDDB Interview |url=https://ftculture.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/iamddb-interview/ |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=ForTheCULTURE |language=en-GB}}</ref> After returning to the UK with newfound determination, she left higher education and independently released her debut single, "Leaned Out" in 2016, launching her career under the stage name IAMDDB, which is an acronym for ''I Am Diana De Brito,'' and introducing her self-defined genre of 'urban jazz'.<ref name="IAMDDB Interview"/><ref name="afrocritik.com"/>

Over the next few years, she steadily built her discography with a series of critically acclaimed EPs and mixtapes that showcased her genre-blending artistry, such as ''Waeveybby Volume 1'' (2016), ''Vibe Volume 2'' (2017), ''Hoodrich Vol. 3'' (2017), and ''Flightmode Vol. 4'' (2018).<ref name="comunidadeculturaearte.com"/> Her breakout single "Shade" from ''Hoodrich Vol. 3'' went viral, amassing tens of millions of views on YouTube & bringing significant attention to her creative vision.<ref name="screenshot-media.com">{{Cite web |title=IAMDDB's latest single 'Silver Lines' embodies sisterhood... |url=https://screenshot-media.com/culture/entertainment/iamddb-silver-lines/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=SCREENSHOT Media |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250422220700/https://screenshot-media.com/culture/entertainment/iamddb-silver-lines/|archive-date=22 April 2025}}</ref> Her 2019 mixtape, Swervvvvv.5, is regarded as a career highlight. It features a compelling mix of trap, R&B, jazz inflections, and neo-soul, and includes Portuguese vocals as a nod to her heritage. Pitchfork praised it as her best work to date, noting its "freewheeling mixtapes" aesthetic and ability to set the stage for an anticipated full-length album.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Torres |first=Eric |title=IAMDDB: Swervvvvv.5 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/iamddb-swervvvvv5/ |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

IAMDDB subsequently achieved early recognition from major platforms. She placed third in BBC's Sound of 2018 poll.<ref name="Interview: IAMDDB"/> In 2019 she was featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 European Entertainment List.<ref name="aAh!">{{Cite web |last=aAh! |date=27 January 2020 |title=Manc of the Week: IAMDDB |url=https://aah-magazine.co.uk/2020/manc-of-the-week-iamddb/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=aAh! Magazine |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241014215143/https://aah-magazine.co.uk/2020/manc-of-the-week-iamddb/|archive-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>

De Brito rapidly became a touring force, supporting Lauryn Hill on the UK leg of her arena tour in 2018, an endorsement that elevated her visibility significantly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IAMDDB |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/iamddb/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=Forbes |language=en|year=2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260502012853/https://www.forbes.com/profile/iamddb/|archive-date=2 May 2026}}</ref> She also toured with prominent R&B artists like Bryson Tiller and Jhené Aiko, and performed at festivals such as Glastonbury, Afropunk, Parklife, Field Day, Reading & Leeds and more.<ref name="aAh!"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=IAMDDB {{!}} SESH.sx |url=https://sesh.sx/artists/iamddb |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=sesh.sx |language=en}}</ref>

A defining trait of IAMDDB's approach has been her dedication to independence, marked by her never signing a major record deal. After early buzz, she founded her own imprint, Union IV Recordings, opting to release music at her own pace and maintain creative control over her output.<ref name="Interview: IAMDDB"/>

Following a four-year interval after ''Swervvvvv.5'', IAMDDB gradually began working on her next project around 2020, during which she focused on restructuring her artistic direction and reclaiming control over her music and masters. In 2021, she released the spiritually uplifting single "Silver Lines", celebrating themes of sisterhood, healing, and self-empowerment. The song's vibrant video was filmed in Saint Lucia, amplifying its joyous and visual energy.<ref name="screenshot-media.com"/> In 2022, IAMDDB released several singles, including "Fucked Uppp" and "Yallah Habibti". These releases continued to explore themes of resilience and self-empowerment, resonating with her audience during challenging times. In 2023, IAMDDB she released a blend of drum & bass and R&B as the single "Where Did the Love Go?'''"'''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nasinde |first=Shama |date=23 February 2023 |title=interview {{!}} iamddb |url=https://schonmagazine.com/interview-iamddb/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |website=Schön! Magazine |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250517175334/https://schonmagazine.com/interview-iamddb/|archive-date=17 May 2025}}</ref> Later that year, she released a double single titled "BET" & "Stop Playing With Me", featuring Len. Even In terms of live performances, IAMDDB made notable appearances including a performance at Rally 2023 in Southwark Park, London.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IAMDDB Concert Setlists |url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/iamddb-7bce727c.html |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=setlist.fm |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2024, she released the single "Ibiza", accompanied by a visualizer that evoked sun-soaked nostalgia and served as the lead-in for her forthcoming album ''LOVE is WAR, Volume 6'', which was announced to be released on 29 February 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 January 2024 |title=IAMDDB Releases "Ibiza" Announces Upcoming Album |url=https://rotatemagazine.com/iamddb-releases-ibiza-announces-upcoming-album/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806090915/https://rotatemagazine.com/iamddb-releases-ibiza-announces-upcoming-album/|archive-date=6 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="IAMDDB on Apple Music">{{Cite web |title=IAMDDB on Apple Music |url=https://music.apple.com/za/artist/iamddb/1185949838 |access-date=2025-08-10 |website=Apple Music - Web Player |language=en-GB}}</ref> The full album featuring 15 tracks, arrived as scheduled on 29 February 2024 and marked her official return with a full-length project.<ref name="IAMDDB on Apple Music"/> Additional releases included "Cry Baby" and "Rasta Pasta" (featuring Masego).

== Discography == === Studio albums === * ''Love is War, Vol. 6'' (2024)

=== Extended plays === * ''Waeveybby, Vol. 1'' (2016) * ''Vibe, Volume 2.'' (2017) * ''Kare Package'' (2019)

=== Mixtapes === * ''Hoodrich, Vol. 3'' (2017) * ''Flightmode, Vol. 4'' (2018) * ''Swervvvvv.5'' (2019)

=== Singles === * "JAZB (Flying Lotus)" (2016) * "Selfless" (2016) * "Leaned Out" (2016) * "Shade" (2017) * "Drippy" (2018) * "Wokeuptoflexxx (WUTF)" (2019) * "Night Kapp" (2019) * "Famous" (2019) * "Kare Package" (2019) * "God's Work" (featuring iLL BLU) (2020) * "Quarantine" (2020) * "End of the World" (2020) * "Wa'hum" (2020) * "Silver Lines" (2021) * "JGL" (2021) * "F***ked Uppp" (2022) * "Where Did the Love Go?" (2023) * "Ibiza" (2023) * "Cry Baby" (2023) * "Rasta Pasta" (featuring Masego) (2023) * "Bet" (2023) * "Stop Playing with Me" (featuring Len) (2023) * "ViBRATiON" (2024)

=== Collaborations === * ''Earth Tones'' EP by Lenzman (2017) * ''We Could'' EP by Graeme S (2017) ** "You Don't Know Me" ** "Taking My Time [Explicit]" * ''Jagged Tooth Crook'' EP by The Mouse Outfit (2018) * "Mira Mira" (from ''Europa'' EP) by Diplo (2019)

=== Show Appearances ===

* ''Jungle (2022)''

== References == {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="theguardian 31 March 2018">Tara Joshi. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/31/iamddb-diana-debrito-flightmode-live-one-to-watch One to watch: IAMDDB]. The Guardian. 31 March 2018.</ref>    }}

== External links == * {{Bandcamp|iamddb}} * [https://waeveybby.com/ IAMDDB] Website

Category:1995 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Lisbon Category:Rappers from Manchester Category:English women rappers Category:English women singer-songwriters Category:Portuguese women rappers Category:Portuguese women singer-songwriters Category:Portuguese singer-songwriters Category:English people of Angolan descent Category:English people of Portuguese descent Category:Portuguese people of Angolan descent Category:Portuguese emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:21st-century Portuguese women singers Category:21st-century rappers Category:21st-century English singer-songwriters