Name: Dornika
Occupation: Singer-Songwriter, Producer, Vocal Coach, Multi-Disciplinary Performance and Visual Artist
Nationality: Iranian-American
Current release: Dornika's Revolution EP is out June 30th 2023.
Recommendations: NOBODY by Dornika, KoOkOo by Dornika :)

If you enjoyed this Dornika interview and would like to stay up to date with their music, visit Dornika on Instagram, and Soundcloud.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I think it depends on the music. Sometimes I close my eyes and see either movements or textures, other times I like to walk down the street and imagine a movie, and my favorite is when I see dancing or feel the urge to move in a certain way to the sounds.

Listening to music in public spaces usually inspires me the most.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

My earliest memory with music making was when I was 5 years old and making tunes on the piano. I definitely love the energy in experiencing things as a beginner. I think that’s also one of the reasons I keep gravitating towards new genres and sounds.

The part that developed for me was getting comfortable with improvising and trying new things, or in a more cliche way getting comfortable being uncomfortable and pushing myself. I still cherish the first songs I made and look forward to incorporating my earlier compositions in my music.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

I never knew that but looking back it makes sense. As a teen I had a very deep relationship with music and remember moments I thought this is the most love I ever felt. It was spiritual and felt holy, not in a religious way but as in feeling connected to life.

Around 14-15 was when I decided I wanted to be a musician. I still go back to that intense feeling. But my current process is not as consistent with instrument practice for example.

Now it’s more about concepts and world building and a lot more electronic as opposed to my classical training as a teenager.  

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

I started out playing the classical piano as a kid, but having undiagnosed ADHD and struggling with sight-reading made me feel like I would never be able to get good enough to play professionally.

I then got obsessed with the guitar and played classical guitar with very consistent practice until I stopped a year later. It’s very common for people with ADHD to get fixations on things and then drop them. But back then it just made me feel like there was something wrong with me.

I feel my gravitation towards singing also was my way to get more intimate with music and I find it the most fascinating as an instrument because the body is just very fascinating. Singing has taught me the most because it’s so connected to memory, emotion and the way the body stores trauma.

The most difficult thing I’ve done in my life is learning to sing as it was really hard for me and I had lots of hurdles both internal and external, because of where I grew up. But I’ve learned so much about myself and my body by going into this journey.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

That’s a very general question. I guess the key ideas are in the tracks, if you listen to them carefully. My motivation is either coming from wanting to heal and share, to experiment or to try to solve a bigger issue.

But I don’t limit myself if one day I want to make a track about something random, I try to listen to my inner desire to create. I have a very creative brain so the ideas just kind of keep coming up.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

Well, if I can get past the perfectionism and criticism, I just like getting into the world that is created with each track.

I have different feelings toward each track, but there are some tracks that I just love listening to and feel like it’s so cool that I made this. I would like to make more music like that.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I guess you can find music in every environment, though it can also become a bit compulsive for some musicians. I think music can be very different things, depending on how sounds are presented.

I personally love natural sounds, but think of them more as communication and a dialogue of nature that music.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I get bored easily so love contrast quite a lot. I love surprises in music and even sudden changes within tracks.

I wouldn’t say I only like loud or quiet but just don’t like monotonous things, unless maybe I’m really zoned into it or high.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

Honestly depends on each track. I don’t have one process for everything.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Off the top of my head Lateralus by Tool and Magdalene by FKA Twigs



If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I would like to see a fairer playing ground for female, trans and queer musicians and artists from the global South.

I think the industry in general needs change that would give more space to the art and not just exploiting artists for money. I really wish we would step away from content culture because I think it’s somehow taking space away from deep interaction with music and art.

But I guess this is a problem of capitalism, so the fall of capitalism I guess.