In a world where good music is hard to find, Damon Hamilton is a singer/songwriter with expressiveness far beyond his years. Perhaps it was The Temptations’ music that constantly floated above his crib, or maybe it was Mehalia Jackson’s serenades that danced in his ears before he could speak. The source is unknowable, but one thing is clear - Damon Hamilton was born to perform great music.

Damon credits his older brother as one of his earliest inspirations. Hamilton’s brother is a talented piano player, who began playing the piano at age five.

Damon, however, would prove to be the family virtuoso.

 After his brother would learn a song, Damon, a mere toddler, would stumble over to the keys and play what he heard. By three years old, Hamilton was imitating his brother, and playing full songs by ear. At age 5, Damon began his own piano lessons. This early training gave him a passion for classical music, and a skill for musical composition.

Though heavily influenced by composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederic Chopin, young Damon developed a thirst for R & B. Raised to appreciate multi-part harmony groups like Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as the Temptations, Damon became enamored with the 90’s R&B contemporary versions of these groups. He credits his current musical style, strong lyrics with an emphasis on melody and background harmonies, to his early love for mimicking groups such as New Edition, Boyz II Men, and Shai. Today, his musical influences include movie composers such as, John Williams and Hans Zimmer, in addition to artists like Sam Cooke, Brian Mc Knight, Alicia Keys, and the legendary Stevie Wonder. 

Damon also took an early interest in writing. He experimented with both fiction and non-fiction; however as he entered his teen years, he found that poetry was an effective way to express his feelings. He was immediately interested in literary form, and most of his poetry contained a distinct rhythmic pattern. These early poems were songs that Damon did not know he could sing; however his mutual love for music and poetry would soon converge.

Though writing and music were his forte, Damon’s parents instilled in him a passion for education. He attended two distinguished Catholic high schools (one in LA and the other in NY), and was eventually accepted into the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School of Business. Although his coursework kept him extremely busy, he carved out time to further develop his craft. Hamilton became a member of The Inspiration, UPenn’s historically black acapella group that specializes in music written, arranged, and performed by people of the African Diaspora.  He credits The Inspiration as his laboratory, a place where he learned about harmony, blending, composition, sound technique and stage performance.

After graduation, Hamilton found himself further entrenched in his passion. To secure a spot on the Philadelphia music scene, he began working with several local producers. Though he was beginning to develop his musical identity, he did not truly find musical synergy until he collaborated with Leke Osinubi, an accomplished producer from New York City. The chemistry was instant, and the two men formed D.O. Music Group, a production team that was founded to create music with meaningful lyrics, captivating melodies and hip-hop/symphony orchestrated production. This collaboration has been essential in the development of Hamilton’s sound.

Equipped with top-notch production, clever songwriting, and several years of classical training, Hamilton began to perform in Philadelphia. He quickly secured an impressive following and reoccurring gigs at some of the city’s hottest concert halls and venues. As his notoriety spread, he found it easier to collaborate with other accomplished artists, eventually forming the 7 member ensemble known as The Damon Hamilton Project.