Gus Dapperton
Brendan Patrick Rice[3] (born March 11, 1997), better known by his stage name Gus Dapperton, is an American singer and songwriter from Warwick, New York.
Gus Dapperton
Brendan Patrick Rice
March 11, 1997[1]
Warwick, New York, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
- musician
- model
Guitar, vocals, keyboard
2015–present
Public image[edit]
Dapperton has received particular attention for his fashion style, consisting at some points of a green bowl cut, noticeable jewelry, eyeliner, brightly colored clothing, and thick-rimmed glasses.[4][5] Despite being known for his gender-bending fashion, Dapperton does not believe in "gendered clothing" and says he simply wears what he likes, avoiding concern about gender stereotypes.[6][7] He also mentions that he sees his appearance and fashion as part of his creative expression and "a form of art on their own".[8]
In 2022, he signed with IMG Models[9] and was the face of Celine Homme spring/summer campaign.[10]
Dapperton has mentioned that he prefers to go by his stage name rather than his birth name, explaining it as "I sort of referenced those two eras of my life. The start of a new era being me, Gus, this is my music, this is how I’m gonna express myself for the rest of my life, and Brendan being someone who is more neglected and discouraged from that." He also described "Brendan" as someone scared to embrace their own individuality, while "Gus" is closer to his true self.[11][12]
Artistry[edit]
Following his 2018 tour, Dapperton lived with his parents in Long Branch, New Jersey before moving to New York City.[43][41]
Dapperton often works by himself, not enlisting help from producers or collaborators. He explained his beginnings as an artist started in computer production on GarageBand before he began creating his own vocals and instrumentation, and also stated that he simply prefers to mix and master alone due to the desire to materialize his ideas very quickly. He also frequently answered that he had no dream collaborator, finding it difficult to imagine working with someone he has never met based only on their public image. However, for his second album Orca, Dapperton enlisted the help of other musicians, which he said added depth and vulnerability to the music as well as growth and positivity to his creative process.[44][45][7]
Despite his collaboration on "Supalonely" achieving viral success, Dapperton has criticized the idea of "TikTok music" and labeling of artists as "bedroom pop," believing that they are reductive and do not facilitate well rounded artists or listeners.[44] When asked to label his own music as a genre, Dapperton chose "surrealism". Dapperton admits his music would also fall into the "indie" or "alternative" genres, but dislikes "how all those terms have kind of curated a very specific theme or image when you hear those words".[46] Dapperton also admires mainstream pop music and "never denied the pleasures of pop music growing up".[40]
Dapperton directs many of his music videos himself in collaboration with his friend Matthew Dillon Cohen, calling himself "a director as much as a musician". He has said he is very inspired by cinema, is very into film, and has an interest in creating scores in the future. He names the soundtrack to Palo Alto as one of his favorites and says that his song "Medicine" while imagining a movie and as if it were part of a movie soundtrack.[47] He also states that he cares a lot about his work and sees visuals as very important in his conception of new music, and that he likes to put 110% into his work, including full visuals.[45][7][41][6]
Personal life[edit]
Dapperton first became interested in music production while in eighth grade when he won a song contest after using GarageBand in his school's new computer lab.[48] He played lacrosse and was a member of the diving team while in high school. He was inspired to pursue music seriously while recovering from an ACL tear and subsequent surgery.[46][6] He lists Odd Future, King Krule, David Bowie, MF Doom, The Beatles, and Britney Spears as his early influences, and says Taylor Swift's "Love Story" is one of his favorite songs.[40][14]
Dapperton attended Drexel University studying music technology, but took a semester off to go on tour in support of his 2018 EP You Think You're a Comic!.[49][50] After two years at Drexel he chose not to return, citing a competitive environment in the music department as one contributing factor.[51]
As of October 2021, he has been dating photographer Jess Farran for three years. Dapperton's song "My Favorite Fish" is written about Farran, the title being in reference to something she once said.[11][40][52] He previously dated actress Barbie Ferreira, who appears in his music video for song "Prune, You Talk Funny".[53]