The secret to music duo Paperwater’s success? They’re the full package.
You’ve probably seen them, and it’s more than likely you’ve danced to the music they spin. After all, Eddy Samy and Daygee Kwia have been taking over Miami’s music and nightlife scene as Paperwater, the production and music team that has landed coveted headlining slots at Faena, III Points, and Coyo Taco, where they host a monthly dance party.
“We create everything in house — music, visuals, merchandise. Everything is DIY under our media company, Half/Full Creative,” says Daygee. “DJing allows us to stay current, to see what people are into and where music and culture is going, but we set ourselves apart by expressing our creativity outside of music as well — by doing audio installations and experiential pop-ups.”
MUSIC, MEDIA AND MORE
Eddy and Daygee’s partnership traces back to high school, where the two met at football tryouts and bonded over a shared passion for music. “Daygee introduced me to making beats; we eventually became best friends,” says Eddy.
After college, they decided to pursue music and art full-time. Other aspiring artists might have tried landing a record deal in New York or Los Angeles — but that’s never really been the goal for Paperwater. Having been signed to Warner Bros Records during an earlier stint with the band Aftersmoke, Daygee had other ideas.
“I wanted to be a little outside the music industry while still being able to utilize it. LA might be cool eventually, but Eddy and I want to keep our homebase in South Florida.”
“We also view Miami as less developed in the content creation space, so there’s much more room for us to grow independently,” adds Eddy. “What’s more, we’re incredibly inspired by South Florida’s beauty.”
It’s worked for them so far. For their performance at this year’s III Points, they brought a six-piece band, shattering fans’ perception of them as a traditional DJ duo. Then there’s the media company they operate in collaboration with longtime friends and managers Aaron Turner and Alex Garcia, which focuses on creating unique multimedia content. And to top it all off, they also run a label called Wet Paper Records; the current roster spotlights rising homegrown talent, including singer-songwriter Morgan Bryson and producer-DJ Coffin texts.
NEXT ON THE SCENE
Their next big endeavor is The Florida Project. It aims to showcase different artists in Miami’s creative community while allowing Paperwater to explore new sounds. “We want to inspire our fans — and other artists — to be individuals. We’re constantly categorized and put into a box and we don’t want to have our fans feel the same way. Do what makes you happy and everything else will follow,” says Daygee.