Time can be a friend or an enemy, depending on how it's spent. As an artist, large-scale success can happen quickly or it can be a grind. Both routes require hard work, dedication and effort. Most importantly, seeing a future that isn't there yet can change everything. Armani White, a 25-year-old Philly native, had already been laying the groundwork for years as an independent artist. Coming off his most recent project, 2021's Things We Lost In The Fire, he always believed he would take off and never gave up, knowing that his time was coming.
That time arrived in February of this year, when the teaser for his song "Billie Eilish" went viral on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram. When the track officially dropped in May, the fun, extremely catchy single was already huge off the hook alone. The lyrics "Bitch, I'm stylish/Glock tucked, big T-shirt, Billie Eilish" were everywhere, landing perfectly on a reworking of N.O.R.E.'s 2002 hit "Nothin'." When Armani first broadcasted the snippet in February, he didn't have the "Nothin'" sample cleared, which was a sizable roadblock to the song being released. He got that straightened out, with the last piece being Billie Eilish herself allowing the record to drop, since it used her name. She reposted the snippet on her Instagram and the rest was history.
Now at 54 million Spotify streams, "Billie Eilish"—the proponent of his self-created genre, Happy Hood Music—has come very far, purely off faith and working hard. These days, Armani is a Def Jam Recordings signee, already following up with his recent release, "Diamond Dallas," which is also streaming well. Considering how quickly everything has ramped up, Armani is calm and measured, a man with a plan for what's next.
As this week's guest on The Break: Live!, Armani White discusses his early days, remaining unique to his sound and adjusting to his new life. Check out the interview below.
Follow Armani White on SoundCloud and Instagram.
Standouts:
"Watch Your Self"
"Billie Eilish"
"Diamond Dallas"
Things We Lost In The Fire