Singer-songwriter and producer Dorine Levy, who was born and raised in Canada but is now based in Tel Aviv, made a splash on the music scene in 2013 with her debut release "Lenyrose". Her unique, melodic approach to indie pop quickly earned her praise from tastemakers such as WONDERLAND, SHORTLIST, MTV, and INDIE SHUFFLE, as well as plays on BBC 6 Music. She went on to perform at prestigious music festivals such as SXSW, CMJ, and Culture Collide in New York. After spending a year in her Tel Aviv apartment studio, Dorine is back with the first single, "Feel Alive," from her upcoming album. The track showcases Dorine's impressive songwriting and production skills, with its uplifting, introspective, and expansive sound.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Dorine Levy, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hi Kamil, thank you, and it's very nice to speak with you as well. Well I always loved music from a very young age, buying CD's and going to shows was my thing. I learned to play the guitar and started to write songs at the age of 13. But what really got me was that my ex-boyfriend pushed me to a recording session with his brother which had a recording studio, and we recorded a song in French called ‘L’amour’ which became viral pre the internet phase. And that gave me the courage to go for it.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
My Favorite part is definitely writing songs, creation, production and the recordings. I love the flow of it all, and though I haven't had a show for the last two years, I love performing. I actually can’t come up with the least favorite part, but I can say that releasing a song can be emotionally overwhelming sometimes for me, but I learned to embrace it too.
Your latest song is 'Feel Alive'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
‘Feel Alive’ is the first song I wrote for my upcoming album before I knew I was writing this album. In the past years, I used to write songs by first creating the production and then the melody on it, and it started to feel that it limits my voice. So I went back to the basics of sitting at the piano and letting my instrument lead, and that's the first song that came.
Something very unusual happened, at the end of recording the production for this song, I was having doubts about an earlier version of the playback and a newer one. So I imported both playbacks and the vocals separately in a new project, to export both versions, and at one time I accidentally exported both playbacks playing with the vocals. Listening to that version with both playbacks just worked for this song. So It ended up with the vocals layered on those two playbacks.
How do you differ from most other artists?
I think the fact that I’m both Canadian and Israeli affects my music and voice.
Where are you from and do you have a stable home or do you prefer traveling?
I live in Tel Aviv, I do have a stable home here with my husband and two girls. I haven’t traveled for a long time because of the Corona and last week we traveled to Dubai for a vacation so it did bring back the sparkle to travel more.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
It's a singer-songwriter based with a distinct atmosphere.
How do you nurture your own creativity?
I listen to the amazing advice that comes my way from the people in my life. Also, I like to learn and play songs that are not in my genre and that gives me a wider range in terms of harmony.
If you could go open a show for any artist, who would it be?
Depeche Mode, definitely.
Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
Honestly, I really learn and get inspired from anyone I work with. So it doesn't matter who, but more the reunion that nourishes.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to put out this album I recorded last year, hope for the best and let's see what happens:)