Gulyayev Dmitry Igorevich (born 22 January 1986), better known by his stage name Dimal /dɪmʌl/ (Russian: Димал), is a half-Russian, half-Ukrainian rapper, singer and songwriter based in Malta. He is also the founder and (CEO) of Russian Muziq Mafia Records in Ukraine.
Early life
Dimal was born and raised in Sevastopol, Ukraine in the USSR in the eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula, where half of the population are Russians. He was born in a mixed family, with a Russian mother, Svitlana Agius, and Ukrainian father, Igor Gulyayev. His father left the family when he was just five years old.
Dimal had a passion for arts such as graffiti, singing, break dancing and martial arts such as boxing and taekwondo. At the age of six he attended music school, where he studied the violin. He began rapping at age of 15 and was a part of the rap group Zapadnya (Russian: Западня; lit. "Trap") and was also a member of the Key Clan, or just Keys. He left the Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University at his third grade, where he studied economics. At the age of 19 he moved to Malta.
2010: "Shake it" and Malta Music Awards
In 2010 Dimal released his first major single – featuring vocals from Maddee, a singer-songwriter from the UK – which received major air play in Malta. The song became very popular on Myspace and in a short time it reached over 3 million playsOfficial myspace page Later on that year, he was nominated for "Best Hip-Hop/R'n'B Artist" at the Malta Music Awards with such artists like Muxu, Kristina Casolani and Thea Saliba, and won. the award which was presented by CEO of MOBO Awards Kanya King. Also that year, Dimal had played in support of two international acts, Ja Rule and Flo Rida.
2011: "Go Low" and Eurovision
The single "Go Low", which also was featured Maddee, was released on 17 August 2011 and hit Malta's Top 10 Charts but only for few weeks. In October Dimal worked on a Eurovision song with Deborah C, and together they flew in Germany to record a songDimal & Deborah C Submit Malta Eurovision 2012 Entry which was produced by Ralph Siegel – but they did not make it to the finals of the contest.
2012: "Lets Make It Happen" and Bay Music Awards
During the summer of 2012, Dimal teamed up with Maltese singer-songwriter Lyndsay Pace to release their song "Let's Make It Happen", which blends Dimal's rapping skills and Lyndsay's melodic vocals. The song did well on local and international radio charts including Malta's Top 10 Charts, PRS Top 40 Charts, Urban Top 20 Charts, among others. Most of the local DJ's picked up the song and put in their play lists. This led to the Bay Music Awards, where Dimal was nominated for "Best Newcomer". The song was also nominated for an award for "Top SIngle" in the MMI Listeners Picks Poll which is run by Toni Sant.
2013-present: IPMA
In January 2013 Dimal was nominated for the International Portuguese Music Awards in two categories, Best Dance Song1st Annual International Portuguese Music Awards (IPMA) – Nominees and People's Choice Award. The show will be held on 2 February 2013 at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford.
Awards and honors Year Organisation Award Result2010 Malta Music Awards Best Hip-Hop and R'N'B ArtistThe Winners Of Malta Music Awards 2010 MMAs 2010 Winners: Winter Moods Take Top Honours The People's Music Awards Best Dance/Electronica Song Best Hip Hop/Trip Hop/RnB Song MMI Listeners Picks Poll Top Online Release 2011 MMI Listeners Picks Poll Top Single (Go Low) 2012 MMI Listeners Picks Poll Top Single (Let's Make It Happen) Bay Music Awards Best NewcomerBay Music Awards 2012 Nominees RevealedBay Music Awards 2012 - Party Like it’s the End! Viewer's Choice 2013 IPMA People's Choice Award Best Dance Song (Let's Make It Happen)
Singles YearSinglesChartsWeeksAlbumBAY(MT) PRS(MT)UT20(MT)2010"Shake It" 5——4Non-Album Single2011"Go Low" 9——2Non-Album Single2012"Let's Make It Happen" (feat. Lyndsay Pace) 3317 14/20/2Coming Soon2012"This Is Paceville" ———
References Notes
External links Dimal on Myspace