Getting To Know: Dottie Mai

In their recent release, "Hello," Dottie Mai ignites listeners with layered, ethereal sounds and deeper transitions that blur the lines between commercial and underground music. This fiery track is just the beginning, a tantalizing taste of a larger project set to drop in 2025. Expect a fearless blend of genres and experimental pop, underscored by a profound electronic melancholy.

"Songwriting and producing have always been essential to expressing the cocktail of emotions love brings," [Artist Name] reveals. "From self-taught piano sessions after school to hiding away with fellow music fanatics, my journey has been about letting creativity lead, free from pressures or expectations. If it resonates with my soul and tells the story I aim to convey, I want to share it."

In this interview, we delve into the inspiration behind "Hello," the exciting path of Dottie Mai's career, and the unguarded, genre-defying music that lies ahead.

1. Your latest release, "Hello," has been described as a sensually dark and driving electronic-pop track with layered, ethereal sounds. Can you elaborate on the creative process behind this track and what inspired its unique sound and lyrics?

Dot: The creative process behind "Hello" began with inspiration derived from deeply moving emotions experienced meeting someone unexpected and new (and being blown away). It's hard in this modern world to cross paths with potential romantic interests, let alone have a genuine connection and chemistry that feels like it's out of this universe. Love at first sight, or pretty damn close. The vulnerability needed to let yourself fall into this kind of deep feeling was key to the darker sounding finish of the track. It embodies softness with intensity and blurs love and lust. Creatively the lyrics drove this track from the get-go: "You had me at hello". Working closely with Pete Yelland-Brown at Eigor Studios on the music production has been and continues to be an incredible experience. He helped to pull the full magnitude of every emotion out of the track; soft, haunting hooks, layered sounds which build the intensity and a perfect amount of intrigue. 

2. "Hello" is the initial release ahead of a larger project due in 2025. Can you give us a sneak peek into what we can expect from this upcoming project in terms of themes, sounds, and experimentation? 

Dot: Melancholy yet warmly nostalgic; I'm a deep feeler and my music reflects this as a collective. Whilst the sound will be generally electronic, I look to experiment with how to portray different emotions and experiences through pushing boundaries of specific genres. I'd like the project to feel like a playful exploration, where listeners can stop, reflect, feel deeply and find their own relevance and connection to the words & sounds. (And want to put it on and play it again).

3. You've mentioned that songwriting and producing are essential parts of expressing the complex emotions love emanates. How has your journey as a self-taught pianist and lifelong songwriter influenced your music and shaped your current sound?

Dot: I originally sat at a piano to address boredom after school, waiting for my Mum to finish work, teaching myself which chords sounded good, felt good, no music to read. But it became more than that - it was like I found a new language in which I could easily express the pain I felt at the time which I struggled to vocalise or even really acknowledge. Chord progressions felt and sounded exactly how I needed them to sound to vent emotions, lyrics soon followed. It's always been my comfort throughout life and my tonic for chaos and unrest. Music, especially writing it, has a power to calm and release so beautifully and powerfully. That's exactly what has influenced my music creating over the years; using the piano, music production & words to speak the language of complex emotions. The process is more important to me than the end result I have come to learn in recent years and that's really okay; we don't always need a shiny result if the process itself has been the art and expression your soul needed.

4. Your music is described as sitting between commercial and underground, with experimental pop sounds and an underlayer of electronic melancholy. How do you balance these diverse elements to create a cohesive and compelling musical experience for your listeners? 

Dot: It's funny because music platforms, blogs and radio stations have been really supportive of the track which I'm so grateful for, however there's been some contradictory feedback in terms of it being "too commercial" for their audience or "too underground" for theirs. I think this is great though and exactly what I love to create - music which blends a few parameters and raises a few questions! Isn't that the beauty of music and art making anyway? If we all stuck to the same rules on genres, sounds and target audiences we would never grow or progress as musicians and music lovers. 

5. In "Hello," you explore the chemistry of love at first sight and the gravitational pull of igniting souls. How do you approach translating such profound emotions into your music, and what do you hope listeners take away from this track?

Dot: I hope that listeners are able to escape the specific meaning I intended for the track and the reason behind writing it and instead use it as a catalyst to feel a little more deeply and lean into romanticising a little more. I love the concept of "Who does this song make you think of?" and running with that. I hope this track inspires listeners to either believe in love a little more boldly or follow up on a flame they're reminded of.