Rising Music Star DOV On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

I wish that someone would have told me that creating music and producing is a long process that involves a lot of disappointments and that it’s okay and even an important part of being an artist.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing DOV.

The son of a left wing political activist, DOV migrated to NYC from Tel Aviv’s conflicted ideals, as they didn’t fit the life that he wanted to lead as a queer liberal musician and artist. In 2017, the DOV project was born in Brooklyn — putting his own stamp on alt-pop, the eclectic project focuses on the many aspects of his life as a Queer, Jewish immigrant. Encapsulating his experience in NYC’s LGBTQ community, his unique production style has been described by Line of Best Fit as “music that glistens with contrasting textures” and by Clash as “striking, deeply original work, at once pop but also deeply alien.” Popular outlet Cool Hunting quotes “In crafting expressive, enticing pop tunes from his honest perspective, DOV acts as an ambassador for (and to) the LGBTQIA community. Though identity drives the track, its musical landscape makes the entire experience powerful.” And with Chinwe’s added support by the likes of Complex, Wonderland, Fred Perry Subculture, BBC 1XTRA (Jamz Supernova) and BBC Introducing (Tom Robinson), the duo has struck musical gold with a wildly relatable hit, turned up a notch by none other than DOV himself.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in a small town in the suburbs of Israel not very far from Tel Aviv. I grew up in a small immigrant family. My mom is from Lithuania and my dad is from Ukraine. I was growing up in a very artsy environment. My mom was a guitar teacher and a community organizer. She established the first music conservatory in town and held many music concerts at our house, so I was surrounded by music and started learning classical guitar when I was 6 years old.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

It was always there from the moment I was born. Music was a major part of my growing up, and I was surrounded by music and creation from a young age. Since the age of 6, I was learning and practicing music, so it was a clear path from there.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There are many stories, of course, but one of the highlights of the beginning of my career was when I got chosen to be an opening act for one of my favorite artists, “Baths”. It was after I released my first song and I didn’t have a manager. I saw that Baths was playing a show in NYC and I was like, “reach out to his manager, you have nothing to lose.” To my surprise, his manager got back to me and said he loved the music and booked me to be the opening act.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I made many mistakes, and I still do. Mistakes are crucial and an important part of creating and life in general. A mistake that I remember (not necessarily funny) at the beginning of my production experience is that I started making music and producing on my own in an echo chamber, and that was a mistake. Only after a while, I realized the power of collaborations and the importance of getting feedback from a selected group of people you trust.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m starting a new dance project that is more “club” oriented. Lately, I’ve been more into producing music for the dance floor and playing with the idea of DJing and doing a DJ live set. I’m also finishing a debut EP with my indie project “Sasha & the Bear” and very excited to share that.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

1. A more diverse film/television/music industry is going to be a better representation of human society, specifically in America.
2. People from different cultures and backgrounds can enrich each other and inspire new ideas.
3. Diversity has enormous power to change people’s minds and open their brains up to new and different ideas. Being exposed to different cultures allows you to bring all these elements to your art, making your art more interesting and rich.
4. Diversity and POC visibility can help people relate to one another, and can open their hearts to understanding that race is nothing but a concept, and that we all belong to the same species sharing the same fragile blue dot. It can make people less afraid of what they don’t know and more intrigued to learn and educate themselves about different cultures. Ultimately, it can help people understand other communities’ needs, and hopefully reach out to make a better and equal living environment for everyone.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. I wish that someone would have warned me about “promotional” companies that are preying on indie artists with no experience.
2. I wish that someone would have warned me about pay-for-play music blogs that are charging artists to play their music.
3. I wish that someone would have told me that creating music and producing is a long process that involves a lot of disappointments and that it’s okay and even an important part of being an artist.
4. Have some money saved up since you’ll need it if you don’t have a record label to back you up. Being an artist is a business, and any business needs initial investment at the beginning.
5. Put things in perspective- success is relative, and is only defined by you.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them thrive and not “burn out”?

Take breaks and experience living. If you have a block in writing, don’t force it — go out to nature, take a time out, try something new that can insert inspiration in your life. Don’t be so hard and critical of yourself. Learn what you’re good at and be proud of any progress you make, even if it’s a song that will never be published. I have so many tracks that I spend hours and hours making and never release, but I don’t think of it as time wasted. Every new production, new song is a learning curve that teaches you about yourself and sharpens and molds your style and approach. Be proud of what you put out and have no regrets — it’s art and art can be raw and unpolished. You made it, and that alone is an achievement. Learn to give yourself some credit.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Honestly, I’m not sure how to answer that question since I think that movements start from a much more modest and relatable place. So, I would say that I would encourage people to try to experience the journey called living to the best of their ability and remember that they’re only mortals and we’re only passersby on this planet. We don’t own this place, and we’re not going to take it with us to the afterlife.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m grateful to a lot of people, actually, and I’m not sure I would be here making music if not for the help and inspiration of so many people. That said, a huge influence and a big reason I’m making music today was my electric guitar teacher, Barak Hanoch. His guidance and musical influence really affected the kind of artist I am today. He exposed me to great musicians that influenced my style. He was also the first person to recognize my writing and composing talent, and he pushed me to see it in myself.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“You only live once” — maybe a cliché, but definitely a powerful quote. Remembering your mortality is very important because it makes you appreciate every day that you’re here, and it puts in perspective all the issues and turbulence going on in your everyday life. It’s relevant to me because it reminds me that the journey of creating music is not for the goal of succeeding, but for the enjoyment of creating something and exploring human nature. If I made a random person that I’ve never met feel some emotions while listening to my music, I feel like I’ve done my part as a musician and an artist.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I would probably choose Arca — her music and production are so inspiring, and in general, I find her to be very interesting and intriguing as an artist but also as a fellow human being.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dovisnotabird/

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!