The founder of Dai+Drm and Equality Should Be Normal discusses how AI artists like Xania Monet are changing the music landscape while advancing social justice initiatives.
Romel Murphy has found something many people spend their entire lives searching for. The Chicago entrepreneur discovered both his passion and his purpose, and remarkably, he has learned how to make them work together. As founder of Dai+Drm, a music management and marketing firm, Murphy is at the forefront of AI innovation in the music industry.
Simultaneously, through Equality Should Be Normal, he dedicates his efforts to youth mentorship and educational reform. His unique approach combines cutting edge technology with community advocacy, proving that social justice and business innovation can create powerful partnerships.
You’re not just the founder of Dai+Drm, you also founded Equality Should Be Normal. Why these two different organizations?
Equality Should Be Normal, I call it ESBN. That’s my purpose in life. My purpose is to give back to the youth, because I was one of those youth that got lost. Nobody was there to put their arms around me. So that’s my purpose, is to give back to the community, help eradicate racism, and educational reform, because there’s a disparity in education from the city to the suburbs, and I want to close that gap.
Then music, that’s my passion. I tell people that I found both of my P’s in life, my passion and my purpose. I will always pursue music, because that’s what brings me energy. It doesn’t feel like work, it’s like fun, it’s what I love to do. But it has to align with my purpose, so I brought those two worlds together because to reach the youth and to reach the community, you can use music, and you can use that as the great connector, because music is the one connector that crosses all genders, races, nationalities, and it brings it all back to full circle.
Dai+Drm is described as being on the forefront of music innovation. What does innovation in the music industry look like to you, and how are you pushing those boundaries?
To me, innovation in music looks like change, and a lot of people are apprehensive with change. As we know in our world, technology and AI are going quickly, and it’s moving fast. It’s only a matter of time that it was going to impact music. So what we did was we wanted to have a seat at the table, and not just crumbs from the table, so we got on the forefront.
That’s where Nikki Jones created the avatar and the creation of Xania Monet. She took her poems and her life experiences and put them in song. We used AI as a tool, so it kept the integrity of the music and the integrity of the intellectual property, but we just used it as a tool that it was created for, and it enhanced, and we’re here now.
With AI innovation in music, a lot of people are resistant to change. How are you dealing with the tensions and negativity concerning AI artists?
With the negativity, I don’t think people want to be negative, they’re just unaware. With change, you have people that support it, and people that are against change. I just listen to their thoughts, listen to their ideas, and we try to let them know that we’re not trying to replace the artist, because that’s their biggest gripe. We’re trying to give the artist another tool and a way to get their messages out.
I feel like everyone is an artist, be it a poet, be it a songwriter, be it a singer, be it a musician, you’re all artists in your own right. We just continue to support all the artists that feel like AI is not welcome in the space. We continue to support them and be fans of their music, and we also want to educate them and let them know that AI is a tool, and it can help them and help our artists.
Where do you see AI and technology helping both Equality Should Be Normal and Dai+Drm?
I feel it’ll help both sides because I’m teaching the youth artificial intelligence, so it’s preparing them to be able to take the workforce in corporate America and not be behind. They would be on par, if not more advanced, than other people entering the workspace, because you have to embrace AI and tech in corporate America. You have to be able to use it to the best of your ability to maximize your potential. So, we’re incorporating that in all of our purpose driven things. And then, of course, in my passion, we see how we’re using it in music.
Do you see opportunities to use music and media as tools for community safety and advocacy?
I actually do see music as a tool, because a lot of people are influenced by the lyrics. Music can motivate you a lot. Music can motivate you to want to get up and get money. Music can motivate you to want to help others. Music can motivate you to tap into your emotional intelligence. I believe that music is involved in our daily life, and in any event that I do, we have a live DJ. I always have a live DJ because music just adds energy to you.
Where do you see the music industry in the next five years? Where do you see AI artists?
I believe that every major label will have an AI department. Because they are now embracing it slowly from our PROs, which are publishing groups, they are embracing it. Recently, the chairman of Universal, Lucian Grainge embraced it. They’re all starting to embrace AI. They just want to make sure that there’s a human element involved, and it’s not completely replacing the artist. I think what we showed with Xania, it is definitely a human element involved.
I think slowly but surely, they’re embracing it. In five years, I think they will have their own divisions, and it will be an integral part of the music space, and I hope to be a part of that.
For people who have never heard of Xania before, can you tell us about this project?
Xania Monet was the first AI artist that was able to reach multiple accolades. Billboard, number one R&B song on Apple iTunes, number five album on Apple iTunes. We have over 30 million streams in less than two months. She has three songs on Billboard right now, and it was created by a young lady out of Mississippi. She taught herself AI, she wrote all her lyrics.
She took it by storm. She allowed me the privilege to manage her, and I was able to negotiate the largest AI record deal. Actually, it was the largest record deal of 2025 for our individual artists. She allows me to help guide her career, and we’re just making memorable music that’s connecting with fans across the globe. Currently, we’re averaging over six million streams a week for our whole project.
It’s not just in America. Our number two country is South Africa, then we have the UK. So she’s impacting the world, and it’s all because of its lyrics, and real music, and it’s connecting, which is why I say music is the great connector.
Where can people find you and your music?
Xania’s music is everywhere on all DSPs. When I say DSPs, I mean Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, everywhere. Her music’s available everywhere. You can find out more about what we do at daidrm.com, and you can find out everything we’re doing, and just continue to support us. Stay tuned, more to come.