Done Overtime is a 22-year-old NY/LI rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his single, “Helper to Hero,” and his three analogous EPs: Veins, Vices, and Virtues. His songs combine elements from different genres to not only provide a unique sound while still drawing familiar influences, but also to incite emotions and move people through the way of musical ability. His new album, MHDCMA, is a telling of recent events in his life and a modern take on falling into a pattern of falling too far into a dangerous, monotonous routine.

With My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore out now, we took some time to hear from Done Overtime. Read below to learn more about Done Overtime, the story behind My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore, and what’s to come.

Hi Done Overtime! Let’s start with how did you choose your moniker?

Hey! How are you? My stage name comes from my own belief and methodology. I truly believe that all the best things in life are worth waiting for and working towards. Things that happen too quickly or are just given to you results in no satisfaction and no fulfillment. Life is full of challenges and trials and tribulations for each individual that wishes to make more of themself or overcome. “Doing something over time” is just a simplified way of saying it. Me calling myself Done Overtime is a construct, that even I will strive to improve and make better music as I work on projects, no matter how long it takes.

What city are you from, and where are you based now?

I’m from Long Island, New York. Always have been, but I feel very at home in the city despite never living there. I don’t claim to rep NYC at all, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have my influences based heavily there.

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?

It was about 2017-2018ish, I would make remixes and DJ sets for some of my favorite songs, and I eventually started coming up with my own lyrics. That was my first exposure to rap music specifically. Although, my whole life ever since I was a baby, I was surrounded by music. At some point, it was bound to happen.

How would you describe your sound?

I don’t really like saying JUST rap, because I pull from a sh*tton of influences: Early Rock, Post-Soundcloud Era Rap, Alternative Rock, Lofi, some Metal, Hip-Hop, House, Trap, and Drill. My sound really changes track to track, and I love it that way. My sound is a beautiful conglomerate of all these genres. I try to encapsulate my raw emotions in my sound. Samples, instruments, lyrics and tone all have a part in that.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

Lots of hobbies: making videos, playing various card games, Legos to keep the hands active, woodworking and tinkering, collecting watches, thrifting, horror media of all forms, watching (a little) anime, reading comic books/visual novels. Just to name a few. I’m always working on 3-5 projects creatively that have nothing to do with music.

Who are some of your main musical influences?

Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Travis Scott, Kanye, Chris Cornell, MF DOOM, and Biggie. Whether it’s beat choice or lyrical assembly, these guys are the most influential on me.

Who would be a dream to work with?

I would love to work with Tyler, the Creator both as a producer and fellow rapper. I won’t bore you and gush about why, haha.

What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?

Definitely my recent album drop party. It was a night for family and friends mostly, but the whole night, I felt nothing but love and support. It was a lot of fun.

What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?

Kind of a cheeseball answer, but just don’t doubt yourself, take input from others but if you’re sure about something, I’ve learned not to be so easy to sway. Always believe that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to, and you should always have your own back first.

Now onto My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore. What inspired this album? What is the overall theme of My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore?

The past year and a half to two years has been a little rough for me. People, situations, life shit. Everybody’s got it, but I was starting to resent a lot of the regular routine similarities that I was noticing daily. Each song represents an emotional state. “Stand By Me” is about a loved one not having faith in you and your decisions, and ultimately ending up leaving your life due to lack of trust and patience. “The Lake” is about unrequited love and odd romantic situations, and truly longing for someone. But not all of the songs are that somber. “Blurring the Crowd” is letting all your troubles melt away for a night and just having fun without worrying about life temporarily. This is what I mean by emotions. Things others may relate to but places I’ve been at least once or twice in my life. I hope that people can relate themselves to my experiences so we can have fun when things get better. “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Having an outlet for all my thoughts and feelings to go was extremely unbelievably healthy and helpful to me. This album helped me work through and think process big pieces of my life. As all of my discography does as well.

What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore?

Each of the songs represent one of the pictures. I won’t say which is which. 😉

What was the creative process like when making My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore?

Late night writing sessions, meditation. A lot of sitting in my room with as little noise as possible and just letting my mind run. Not sleeping, just thinking. It’s a very healing experience and it gives your mind time to temper and see history and opinions clearly. I would often go right from there and come up with lyrics in that state, then spend the following hours into the AMs working on pouring it all into audio.

How long did it take to complete My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore?

2024 right up until it came out. Some song’s tracks were older but got revamped and reworked for modern lyrics. So about 2-ish years.

Is there a specific song on My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore that speaks to you the most? If so, why?

“The Lake” for sure, I think it’s my personal favorite on the album. Of course, it’s about a woman. I attempted to capture how much she means to me in song form. But, the song has definitely ascended and evolved from that.

What do you hope fans take away from My House Don’t Comfort Me Anymore and your music in general?

Again, just hoping people can relate, a lot of the situations and positions that I rap/sing about are not enjoyable ones. I just hope hearing that others CAN relate and provoke the same thoughts and emotions that I’ve had will allow all of us to not feel so alone, even if your situations AREN’T exactly the same.

What’s next? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?

More on the way soon. Singles, next projects. Music videos…

I definitely want to focus on and sit with MHDCMA for a little while though. I have some dates planned. I will post on my IG soon.

Where can we follow you on social media?

Of course, my Spotify directly, and my IG is @0vertime_21 if you’re like to follow me. 🙂

(the “O” in overtime is a zero)

Before you go, let’s ask you a random question. What is your favorite color?

My favorite color is purple, there is truly no bad shade of purple. My second favorite is blue for the same reason.

Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!