Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dominique Bianco of Catharpin, VA

We recently had the chance to connect with Dominique Bianco and have shared our conversation below.

Dominique, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m really proud of building up my guitar and production skills slowly over time. People don’t see the day-to-day work that goes into it — the long hours, the trial and error, the quiet progress that happens behind the scenes. I’ve only been playing guitar seriously for less than two years, but I’ve been working on production for over six. Both have always been passions of mine, and reaching a point where I’m releasing a new single on October 24th, 2025 that showcases both feels incredibly fulfilling. It’s a reminder that the work you do in private eventually shows through in the art you share.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Dominique Bianco — a jazz singer-songwriter and guitarist originally from Staten Island, NY, and currently based in Washington, D.C. I’ve always been drawn to blending timeless jazz influences and the storytelling spirit of singer-songwriters with my own voice as a composer. My background as a vocalist has led me to work with incredible artists and mentors, and over the past few years, I’ve developed a deep love for guitar and production, which have become essential parts of my sound.

Beyond performing, I’m passionate about visual storytelling and creating a cohesive world around my music — from photography and design to the overall feeling of each release. Everything I do, from songwriting to visuals, is rooted in honesty, artistry, and a genuine desire to connect with people on a real level.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Obviously, my family and loved ones have played a huge role in shaping my identity and connection to my Italian-American heritage. But one relationship that truly shifted my perspective and way of life was with my best friend, Dazia, whom I met the year I moved to Virginia in 2016. She had moved at the exact same time, and we instantly connected on multiple levels.

Over time, she showed me what a real “ride or die” friendship looks like — what it means to show up for someone and to make others feel comfortable in their own skin. For a long time, I felt like my personality wasn’t accepted or fully understood by others, but she made me feel seen and at ease just by being herself. Now, nearly ten years later, she’s still my best friend, and I even wrote a song about her called “Dazia Pick Up the Phone” — which I’m sure is just the first of many songs inspired by our friendship.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes — the past two to three years have been incredibly unrelenting, filled with rejection and hard truths. I found it really difficult to find a healthy balance between working and creating, and after facing countless rejections from applications and opportunities, I reached a crossroads where I felt completely unsupported.

Even now, I still wrestle with fear and doubt — but one small, unexpected moment changed everything. While walking around Georgetown, where my mom works, I came across a man sitting in the park with a sign that said, “Sit here if you can sing.” Naturally, I said I could and sat down. It turns out he was Fulton Lee, a well-known influencer and music creator online. He told me we were going to improvise an entire song together, and what followed was a minute of pure call and response — something that came naturally to me from years of practicing scat singing at every live show.

Afterward, he told me how blown away he was, and later turned our encounter into a single and a series of videos. The clip of that moment now has over 4 million views on Instagram and 2.2 million on TikTok. That one spontaneous moment brought me more than 15,000 new followers, and I’ve since reached over 20k. It was surreal — a reminder that persistence pays off and that sometimes, the universe rewards you when you least expect it.

Now, I’m releasing a new single — a jazz arrangement of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” — with my fiancé, to celebrate both our engagement and this milestone. It feels like the perfect way to honor how far I’ve come and the people who’ve supported me along the way.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They would all tell you that not only telling a good joke here and there and getting some chuckles out of people is pretty important to me — almost like Tinkerbell needing her applause to stay alive — but more than that, my work ethic and drive to succeed in the music industry really matters to me.

Since college, I’ve wanted to be a successful recording artist. I self-produced my first EP, started recording it at 19, and put it out when I was 22. It was quite a feat for a young singer who had no clue what she was doing. I edited and directed my own music video for it, released it independently, and even toured the East Coast to promote it.

That drive to create is still within me, but I’ll admit the fear of failure is a bit stronger now than it used to be when I was 19. I’ve had to learn to push through rejection, haters, and naysayers — because I’ve definitely experienced my fair share of irrational opinions and criticism. But the people who’ve been closest to me all these years have watched me get knocked down and rise from the ashes over and over again in pursuit of my music career.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m definitely not doing what people told me to do — quite the opposite, actually. So many people told me to quit music, that I wasn’t good enough, didn’t have the work ethic, and was just delaying the inevitable. I was told to become a lawyer, a doctor, basically anything other than a musician.

But I can’t stand the idea of doing something that doesn’t have my heart in it. Music has always been what drives me, and even when it’s hard, it’s the only thing that feels true to who I am. Every day, I work toward my goals because you only get one life to live — and I don’t plan on wasting it doing something I don’t love.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Josee Molavi Photography

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