D.O.S.E sound is an anonymous music project built around one simple idea: make people feel something. D.O.S.E stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins the chemicals most often associated with emotion, connection, reward, and human experience. Rather than focusing on identity, image, or personal exposure, D.O.S.E sound places the attention where it belongs: on the music itself. Blending genres and ignoring convention, D.O.S.E sound is less interested in fitting into a category and more interested in creating songs that linger long after they end. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music
D.O.S.E sound: Being homeless at 16 made music my only anchor. It became the one constant thing I could rely on, and it heavily shaped my connection to music and writing.
2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?
D.O.S.E sound: I never had any formal training or studied music theory; everything I do is by ear and self-taught through trial and error. My journey was definitely a personal exploration. I learned to write by studying other artists, starting out heavily with rap and hip-hop, but expanding into loads of different genres. Whenever an artist drops a new album, I listen to the whole thing and analyze their lyrics. I realized early on that to stand out, you need range, so I listen to everything from mainstream to niche as long as it’s lyrically focused. My approach to the craft was shaped by being heavily focused on the phonetics of words and how they intertwine with the music. Music made me feel a certain way, and I wanted to be able to create that exact same feeling.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, what’s the story behind choosing the name ‘D.O.S.E sound’?
D.O.S.E sound: There are so many artists that influenced me, but a few stand out for very specific reasons. Immortal Technique is an absolute genius to me; he taught me how to truly send a message. Eminem taught me how to bend words and stack multies. Avril Lavigne taught me how to be vulnerable in my writing, and John Mayer taught me how to be minimalistic while still having a massive impact. As for the name, D.O.S.E stands for Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins. A couple of years ago, way before I planned on making music, I saw an image online listing the chemicals in our brain that affect how we feel. My brain automatically aligned them into an acronym that spelled out DOSE. I know there’s a book out there that uses the same acronym, and there are other artists with “DOSE” in their name, but my reasoning is specific: music itself naturally activates all four of those chemicals. I had other names in mind, but this felt like the perfect concept name simply because of what music physically and emotionally does to people.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
D.O.S.E sound: What sets my music apart is contrast. It’s no secret that a lot of my music has a melancholy feel to it, but I try to steer away from the typical formula of sad lyrics over a sad beat. I aim for self-awareness, specificity, and honesty—saying the things that most people probably wouldn’t say. For example, in verse two of my song “Someone,” that’s a real thing I did, and I still haven’t heard that ringtone yet. If I had to describe my sound to someone discovering me for the first time, I’d say it varies. You could hear one song from me that sounds completely different from the next. As for the emotions I hope to evoke, to put it simply: I just hope to make them feel something. It doesn’t need to be specific. If a song makes them feel sad or happy, there’s a reason for it. Invoking feeling is the whole point, because that’s what music did for me growing up, and still does today. That’s also why I don’t typically explain my songs. I want people to interpret the music in their own way. Whatever they think or feel it means, that’s what it means to them. I’d love to hear people’s interpretations one day. When someone can hear a song and feel something, that’s the contrast doing its work.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?
D.O.S.E sound: As far as emulating others, I definitely started out rapping. That was my early phase when I was younger. I would write lyrics and teach myself how to rap over a beat, which wasn’t something I was very good at initially. But I kept practicing and fundamentally learned how to write lyrics to pretty much any beat. Now, you could give me any beat and I can write to it. I think most skilled lyricists can do that, and I consider myself one because I’ve been doing it for a long time. So my learning phase and the artists I emulated were most definitely in the rap genre. As for the transition into what is known as “pop,” I’d probably put myself in the category of alternative pop or alternative rap. There just aren’t many broad options to choose from without getting super niche, so I just use the word pop. I don’t consider myself strictly a rapper, or an R&B, hip-hop, or rock artist; I don’t put myself entirely in any of those lanes. If I had to put a label on it, it’s more experimental alternative, but “pop” is just the simplest way to sum it up.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
D.O.S.E sound: Music can definitely transcend entertainment, especially politically, culturally, and spiritually, and it has many times. Personally, I don’t really write about or use politics in my music. As for spiritual themes, that’s not something I have done before and probably won’t either. I have actually written songs that touch on cultural topics and the way modern society is, but I haven’t finished or put them out yet simply because I have too many other projects I’m working on at the moment. So, for now, I am purely interested in music as an expression of personal narrative and entertainment.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?
D.O.S.E sound: Calling it a musical career is kind of funny to me right now, mostly because I’ve only been actively releasing music for the past seven months. I’ve experienced rapid attention that I really didn’t expect to happen this fast. My goals aren’t really the conventional ones that other artists have. Obviously, exposure is the main point, but I just want to see how far I can take it. Considering it’s only been seven months and I’ve had this rapid growth, I’m curious to see how high it can go. It’s a hard question to answer regarding rewards because two months ago I was sitting at maybe 13 listeners, and I would still be making music today even if I was still at that number. I’m not making music expecting or hoping for any specific rewards out of it. I’d still be writing and making music regardless, because it’s something I’ve continually done my whole life. It’s just that recently, I started releasing the music and it happened to catch people’s attention. We’ll see what happens.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
D.O.S.E sound: My creative process is pretty random. I could be driving, falling asleep, or at my day job, and suddenly a lyric or a bar will pop into my head. I’ll quickly write it down—even if it’s just one line— and build on it later. A lot of the time, I write my lyrics before I even have a beat. I’ll find a beat I like and then bend, change, and shape the words to fit it. It’s usually harder to do it that way, rather than writing to the beat, but it works for me. Other times, I’ll hear a beat first and instantly know what to write, so it varies. If I had to name the most essential part of my process, it’s probably that the writing usually comes first. As for collaboration, I haven’t really collaborated with anyone. The instrumentals I use aren’t created by me; I buy the rights from other sound engineers, but they become a part of the D.O.S.E project. While I don’t create the beats from scratch, I spend a long time mixing and doing a lot of vocal manipulation in FL Studio. I’m mostly self-taught using what you can learn online. With the tools that exist today, you really don’t need a professional studio. You just need a way to isolate sound, be software-savvy, and have patience and motivation.
9. What’s been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?
D.O.S.E sound: My most challenging hurdle personally is just the way my life is. I’ve always been on my own a lot. Growing up, I spent a lot of time by myself, and I am still alone a lot at this stage in my life. That isolation is really what shaped my way of writing, and it’s a big reason why I write in the first place, because there aren’t many people to talk to right now. Life can be lonely, and I know other people out there are lonely, too. Maybe someone who is lonely will hear my music and feel less alone, because that’s exactly how I feel when I can relate to another artist’s music. As for the challenge in my music career, it’s probably the fact that I’m an anonymous, concept artist. People will automatically be skeptical because, from their point of view, I suddenly came out of nowhere. Technically, I’ve only been releasing music for seven months. But what they don’t know is that for the past 20 years, I have been writing, refining, and studying music. I just didn’t release anything until this year, and that was triggered by a specific thing.
10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And let’s talk about your latest release and future plans.
D.O.S.E sound: Honestly, the fact that a magazine like yourselves even wants to interview me is probably my biggest achievement so far. It makes me proud, but it also feels completely surreal. I never expected to be doing an interview with a magazine, so just answering these questions is a massive thing for me. As for my latest release, “Someone”—and by the time this publishes, I will likely have other singles out—it is a song that cuts very deep for me. I actually can’t even listen to it myself. It’s exactly about what the title implies: being alone and wondering what it’s like to be someone’s someone. Whether that means being a friend, a partner, or whatever else, it’s open to interpretation. But the honest truth is that it was written with tears in my eyes. My future plans are just to keep releasing singles, making music, and trying things that may or may not work.
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
D.O.S.E sound: How do I handle criticism? I’m completely open to it. Please, go ahead and criticize, but you have to back it up. Don’t just criticize without a reason. Show me an example and explain why, because that’s what I do. I help an artist friend of mine; when she comes to me wanting my critique on her writing, I give it to her, but I also back it up and explain my reasoning. I never tell her what to write— she’s brilliant on her own—but I explain the “why.” So, I’m open to criticism, you just have to back it up. In terms of haters, you can hate all you want. If people want to hate on a song, they’re going to hate, and that’s fine. I don’t really care if people are negative toward my music. I do notice it, and I pay attention to it, but it doesn’t affect me. I pretty much ignore it. D.O.S.E sound stays out of drama.
12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
D.O.S.E sound: Interacting with a live audience isn’t really something that excites me very much. I’m an introverted person, I’m not used to that kind of attention, and I am an anonymous artist. Doing creative work in a home or studio environment is definitely what fits me best. It’s where I’m comfortable, and it’s what I’ve been doing for the most part anyway.
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
D.O.S.E sound: I hope my music always falls into the category where people are free to interpret it in their own personal way. That’s exactly why I don’t explain my music or my lyrics. I could, but I don’t want to take away what someone else emotionally connects with. Why would I want to do that? I try to make my music personal, but also open enough so that anyone can project their own feelings, thoughts, or experiences onto it. That’s what creates a real emotional bond to the music. Some of my favorite artists have made music that I’ve projected my own personal stuff onto, even if they probably meant something completely different when they wrote it. I hope people project whatever they need to onto my songs. While there are a few tracks I’ve made that are probably too specific for that, giving listeners the space to have their own personal connection is definitely the overall theme I go for. I’d actually love to hear what other people feel or think, so if a song ever hits you a certain way, feel free to send me a message. I’d love to hear it.
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