Born 1982 in Adelaide, Australia, Damien spent most of his young life fascinated with music. At the age of only five years old Damien began learning guitar and within a year astonished family members by playing whole songs fluently.
Fascination turned to obsession as Fernandez was a young boy. By 10 years old Damien was practicing guitar for hours on end every night until his mother would turn off the lights. He attributes this affinity for the instrument to his uncle, Ian Fernandez, Damien’s guitar teacher and a truly gifted musician.
“My uncle is the most ridiculous guitarist ever! Everything I play I learned from him in some way, I seriously can’t count the hours I spent watching him play and just learning and soaking it up.”
At fourteen a young Fernandez struggled with school and the frustration of being way ahead of his time musically. “I hated school! Hated it - all I wanted to do was go home and play, write songs and sing.”
Damien was accepted into a specialist music school on a scholarship but continued to struggle with classes - at times unable to pay the tuition. More problems arose when the staff realised the startling truth that Fernandez could not read music…at all. In fact he had been watching people’s hands to see the notes and playing by ear the entire year before the music director put him on the spot in front of the whole class.
“I just can’t read it, I’m happy for people who can but for me music comes from such a totally different place than where I read from in my brain that the two just don’t go together. So I changed schools, no big deal.”
By the time Damien was sixteen he was playing in a local band performing regularly in smaller venues that catered to the scene - amazing crowds with a talent far beyond his years. After doing work experience at a local recording studio he quickly realized he had a natural talent for producing and cutting rough demos for local bands, which in turn earned him studio time. The recording bug was caught!
In 2001 Damien released his first underground e.p ‘let u go.’ In 2003 he followed up with the independent releases ‘Phat Chronic, Volumes 1 & 2.’ More independent releases followed, including ‘Down 2nite E.P. (2004),’ the ‘Damien Fernandez show (2005).’ But it wasn’t until 2007 that Fernandez truly broke through with ‘The World Is Mine.’ The mixtape was the first of its kind ever – all the songs still contained original artists and hooks. Indeed this wasn’t a mixtape but the world’s first remix album. A star was born, and a nick-name that would become internationally famous…’The Remix King.’
Fernandez, also known to his fans as Six3, has shared the stage with such noteworthy artists as Lil Jon, Akon, Sean Paul, Pitbull, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Naughty by Nature, Benzino, TechN9ne, Kurrupt, Slim from the RnB group 112, The Luniz, Sisqo, and performed at private parties for Usher, DMX, Ja Rule and more.
Flash forward to the present and Damien is Australia’s hottest ARTIST/PRODUCER smashing critics and indeed the rulebooks with his groundbreaking and innovative new style.
The new album “ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOTS” is Damien’s first solo release worldwide with commercial radio support. Songs taken from the album ‘DRIVE,’ ‘MISSING PIECES,’ ‘SPACE TRAIN,’ ‘FOREVER’ and ‘SLEEPWALKER’ have exploded on the internet with thousands of downloads and numerous blogs frantically endorsing the new music.
“For along time I was making the tunes I thought I had to make. I had fun doing them but this is the first time as an artist I’ve stopped holding back. I’m making the album I would of made if I was ten years old and its amazing - everyone loves it. I think it’s cool cuz I get tough mean looking dudes hitting me up saying Forever is their favorite song or a friend telling me their mum loves missing pieces. It’s really the kind of music that doesn’t trick you into liking it cuz it sounds exactly like all your favorite songs.”
“In fact, I’ve steered in a totally different direction to ANY other urban artist. My whole album Killer Robots is all based on music principals taken from indie electro and 80’s progressive rock. I’m completely in my element now cause I’m in a creative space where I can do anything I want and trust it….cuz I’ve realized all I have to do is be me and no body can be better at that than I am......except a killer robot that looks like me”
.....coming soon 2008-present.