Damien Escobar
American violinist
title: "Damien Escobar" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "1986-births", "musicians-from-queens,-new-york", "people-from-jamaica,-queens", "american-male-violinists", "hip-hop-violinists", "america's-got-talent-contestants", "21st-century-american-violinists", "21st-century-american-male-musicians"] description: "American violinist" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Escobar" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American violinist ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Damien Escobar |
| alias | Dame Esco |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Jamaica, Queens, New York City |
| genre | {{flatlist |
| instrument | Violin |
| years_active | 2003–present |
| label | LCM Entertainment |
| past_member_of | Nuttin' But Stringz |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = Damien Escobar | alias = Dame Esco | birth_date = | birth_place = Jamaica, Queens, New York City | genre = {{flatlist|
- Classical
- jazz
- pop
- R&B
- hip hop | instrument = Violin | years_active = 2003–present | label = LCM Entertainment | past_member_of = Nuttin' But Stringz | website =
Damien Escobar (born 1986), also known as Dame Esco, is an American violinist. He was previously in the duo Nuttin' But Stringz with his brother Tourie, but has been a solo artist since 2012. His "crossover violin" musical style consists of a mix of classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and hip hop.
Early life and education
Escobar was born in 1986 in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood in New York City. He lived with his single mother and older brother Tourie. At the age of ten, Escobar became the youngest student accepted into the Juilliard School of Music. He graduated from Juilliard at 13. He also studied at the Bloomingdale School of Music.
Career
As kids, Damien and Tourie worked as street musicians, playing at Grand Central Station and on the New York City subways. In 2012, Nuttin' But Stringz separated. Escobar returned to school and got his real estate license.
After a short career as a real estate broker, Escobar returned to music as a solo act. His first solo performance was on the French TV show Taratata. He also played at the Indy Car 2012 Championship Awards Banquet, Russell Simmon's Hip Hop Inaugural Ball and the 2013 Food & Wine event in New York City. In 2013, Escobar went on the I Am Me tour in order to promote his comeback. He released his first solo album "Sensual Melodies" in 2014.
In 2014, he authored an autobiographical children's book titled "The Sound of Strings." The same year he performed at Oprah's "The Life You Want" weekend tour. Escobar released his first pop single "Freedom" in September 2015, which premiered at #15 on the iTunes chart.
He released his second solo album, Boundless, in 2017, which was nominated for the 49th NAACP Image Awards in 2018 for the Outstanding Jazz Album category. The album includes eleven songs. Then, after a year's break, he released another solo album, Songs from a Breakthrough, followed by 25 Days of Christmas in 2020.
Escobar started the "Life Out Loud" tour in 2022, which he performed across the United States. The theme of the tour was to encourage the audience to live a real life without regrets. As of 2022, he is working on his upcoming album, which he will release in 2023.
Discography
::data[format=table]
| Year | Album | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Sensual Melodies | Cupid, Emotional Interlude, Adorn, Diced Pineapples, Unthinkable, Water Runs Dry |
| 2017 | Boundless | Love Notes, Fuse, Awaken, Get up and Dance, Phoenix, A Winter Night in Boston, Night Drive, Reflections, Mood Swings, Overture’15, Lights, Intermezzo |
| 2020 | Songs from a Breakthrough | Am I Wrong, Purple Rain, Rain |
| 2020 | 25 Days of Christmas | This Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas |
| – | Others | Freedom, Best Mistake, Bermuda Triangle, All of Me, Thunder, Down, Broken Sorrow |
| :: |
Philanthropy
In 2007, Escobar founded the Violins Against Violence foundation. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Jamaica YMCA. In 2013, he hosted an event that raised over $50,000 for the Jamaica YMCA.
References
References
- (18 July 2013). "Meet Damien Escobar, the Hip Hop Violinist". TheHuffingtonPost.com.
- . ["About Damien Escobar"](http://www.mtv.com/artists/damien-escobar/biography/). *Viacom International Inc*.
- (1 December 2006). "Nuttin' But Stringz: Hip-Hop Violin". NPR.
- (26 February 2013). "Damien Escobar, hip-hop violinist, to perform at Think Loud event in York". York Newspaper Company/York Daily Record.
- "Interview With, Performance By Violinist Damien Escobar". CBS Local Media.
- (16 August 2013). "Damien Escobar: Bringing the Violin into Pop Music". Viva Glam Magazine.
- . (13 June 2014). ["Violinist Damien Escobar's Debut Solo Single 'Freedom' Debuts at #15 On iTunes Charts"](http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Violinist-Damien-Escobars-Debut-Solo-Single-Freedom-Debuts-at-15-On-iTunes-Charts-20140613). *Wisdom Digital Media*.
- (2018-01-14). "NAACP Image Awards: Full List of Winners".
- (April 24, 2020). "Songs from a Breakthrough".
- (November 20, 2020). "25 Days of Christmas".
- "DAMIEN ESCOBAR "Life Out Loud" Tour | The Birchmere".
- "Damien Escobar "Life Out Loud" Tour 2022 at Birchmere on THU Nov 10, 2022, 7:30 PM".
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