With an eclectic fusion of indie, pop, and alternative influences, โStand as a Rockโ delivers a deeply personal and resonant experience, exploring themes of strength, resilience, love, and self-discovery. Known for her captivating vocals and masterful songwriting, Dorine has once again crafted a project that speaks to the soul.โ 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?
DORINE LEVY: Of course, I think the relocation from Montreal to a small town in Israel when I was 13 years old mostly impacted my path; the fact that I had to leave my life behind was not so easy for me. As a teenager, music was my outlet, my way of expressing emotions I couldnโt in any other way. I quickly learned a few chords on the guitar and started to write songs.
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?
DORINE LEVY: I learned to play the guitar for a few years as a teenager, and then I made a degree in music, but Iโm the kind of artist that creates music through senses. Just follow the flow.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, whatโs the story behind choosing the name โDORINE LEVYโ?
DORINE LEVY: I have many, from Beth Gibbons to Thom Yorke, Depeche Mode and Fiona Apple, and many more. I think they mostly influenced me in their writing song approach. Dorine Levy is my birth name.
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?
DORINE LEVY: Well, itโs hard for me to say it about myself, but someone else told me that my latest release, โStand As A Rockโ is somewhere between earth and space, so I like this description. I can say that my whole soul is there for sure, and Iโm evolving as a person, so thatโs surely coming out through music too. If I can touch the listenerโs soul, that is a lot for me.
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 youโre still seeking?
DORINE LEVY: Not yet; I feel that the rewards are still ahead. I have a lot more to give.
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 INDIE?
DORINE LEVY: I was never interested in emulating others. From the start, my thing was creating songs. Twenty years ago, I had my first band with only one song to play, so we met every week, and each time I wrote a song for us to play.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ 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?
DORINE LEVY: I think music is a pleasure in life; it creates unique moments for the creator and the audience.
As a creator, thereโs a place for all of these themes, but my thing is creating something personal but still abstract in a way.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process also of Stand As A Rock ? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track.
DORINE LEVY: I usually donโt create through ideas; itโs more from sensing something within, and I zoom in and just go with the flow of it.
With Stand As A Rock, I wrote it in a month, like a song a day, on the piano and just recorded it on my phone. After that I felt I had something different and special and I wanted to share it. So I recorded all the songs piano and vocals on my PC.
I had no idea how to produce it because before that I would write music with production already in the creative process.
So I just discovered the sampling way of producing, and I started to produce the songs with sampling. A process that can take a long time was surprisingly very easy for me; in one month, I produced all the songs.
And then with my partner Eitan Shapira, we did all the mix mastering; this took a lot of time because itโs 18 songs.
9. Whatโs been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?
DORINE LEVY: Before I became a mother, I was still touring a lot abroad, but then when my oldest daughter was born, I felt that I couldnโt leave her and travel; she was so small, and Iโm a total kind of person, so I had to find new ways of operating, creating, and performing. It led me to evolve and search within my musical path. When I became a mother the second time, something in my heart literally changed; it affected my voice and melodies, and Stand As A Rock reflects many of these changes.
10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And letโs talk about your latest release and future plans.
DORINE LEVY: I am very proud of my 3 albums. They are all significant to me. Also, my new solo piano show. I learned to play the piano a year ago, and I took it like I was preparing for a marathon. The fact that I can play my music solo is a big change and brings joy to my life.
My latest release is a personal album; itโs a story of resilience through obstacles in relationships. My plans are to continue releasing music and evolving as an artist and performer, hopefully healthy and happy.
11. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
DORINE LEVY: These days surely the interaction with the audience. I see them as light; a lot of love from my heart comes through when I meet the audience.
12. 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.
DORINE LEVY: I think both are important. Sometimes I like to tell the stories behind the songs, and of course each listener can relate through their own personal life.
STAY IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
