CHURRY POPPINS Is Betting on Authenticity, Not Algorithms
For many artists, music starts as a dream. For CHURRY POPPINS, it became something much deeper: a way to survive, heal, and finally bring years of unfinished work into the world.
The Southern California duo—CHURRY POPPINS, made up of DREX and Dom BONEZ from La Habra, California (90631)—represents the culmination of decades of musical experience, perseverance, and hard-earned lessons. While both members contribute creatively, DREX also serves as the group’s executive producer, helping shape the project’s overall vision from the ground up.
A Foundation Built Long Before Hip-Hop
Long before CHURRY POPPINS existed, DREX spent nearly a decade performing in bands between 2006 & 2014. During that time, he developed the ability to play most of the instruments that would later appear throughout the group’s recordings. Rather than relying on outside musicians, he taught himself to produce complete songs from start to finish.
Life, however, forced everything to stop.
After losing his fiancée and unborn child in a tragic accident, music disappeared from his life. The grief led to heavy alcohol consumption, and for a time, creating music no longer seemed possible.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
In 2017, DREX returned to music—not because he wanted a career, but because he needed an outlet.
Creating songs became a healthier alternative to the destructive path he found himself on. Having watched more than eight previous bands dissolve due to ego and internal conflict, he no longer wanted to depend on a traditional group dynamic. Instead, he committed to producing entire tracks himself, handling nearly every instrument and creative decision.
That dedication eventually led to national recognition when he finished 5th place in Rolling Stone’s “Next Hitmaker” competition, rising through a field that began with nearly 250,000 contestants.
Years of Music Waiting in the Vault
Success didn’t immediately translate into releases.
According to DREX, he currently has three completed hip-hop group albums sitting unreleased. As those projects approached distribution, internal conflicts repeatedly surfaced, causing finished albums to remain locked away despite the years of work invested by everyone involved.
Those experiences reinforced an important lesson: completed music can’t impact anyone if it never leaves the hard drive.
Being a white producer in hip-hop also brought its own challenges, but DREX believes the response to the music has always spoken louder than assumptions.
“When I play my beats in a room full of people and everybody’s making the stank face while arguing over who gets what track, that’s all the validation I need.”
CHURRY POPPINS Moves Forward
Rather than dwelling on the past, CHURRY POPPINS is focused on finally releasing music.
The duo’s upcoming project, “1,” is currently in its final stages of preparation. While the tracklist is still being finalized, the first single is already moving through pre-release inspection and is expected to arrive soon.
The full album is scheduled for release by mid-August, marking the official debut of a project years in the making.
Looking Beyond the Industry Noise
With artificial intelligence rapidly changing the music industry, predicting the future has become increasingly difficult. Instead of chasing trends or obsessing over social media, CHURRY POPPINS remains focused on what originally made music meaningful.
For DREX, nothing compares to performing live.
The goal isn’t internet fame—it’s sharing songs with real audiences, connecting with other artists, and eventually taking the music across the country on tour.
More Than an Album
At its core, CHURRY POPPINS represents closure as much as a beginning.
For DREX, releasing this music is also a message to the musicians from previous projects whose completed albums never reached listeners. Years of sacrifice, creativity, and collaboration deserve to be heard—not forgotten on a hard drive.
With “1” approaching release, CHURRY POPPINS is finally giving those years of work a voice. The project isn’t about chasing hype or fitting into today’s industry. It’s about proving that persistence, craftsmanship, and authenticity can still matter—and that sometimes the most important songs are the ones that almost never get released.
