Next Wave #640: Dornik

Future R&B with talent to burn...

Dornik may well seem like an overnight sensation, but the R&B newcomer’s rise comes after years of rehearsals, endless hours of practise. Matching those sweet pop tones to some sultry soul vocals doesn’t come easy, as the South London singer is the first to admit.

“I've got a really musical family,” he explains. “I've got older cousins who are musicians as well and my parents always played music around me. That's how I got into music. Messing around, writing songs on my own… and eventually people heard.”

Blessed with a shrewd pop touch, Dornik’s music thrives on the less-is-more formula. Sparse but enormously effective, his take on R&B arrives with a stunningly broad array of influences.

“I love a wide variety of music,” the singer continues. “I listen to rock, as well, and metal. Which some people find hard to believe! I appreciate all sorts of music. So long as it sounds good!”

Debut album ‘Dornik’ is set to arrive shortly, the first full-length record to bear that name. However sessions stretch back some time, with the album containing elements that date back more than three years.

“I wanted to get it done, but everything happens at the right time, I guess. A lot of the stuff is quite old, some of the songs I did a while ago. I had to spend time writing, recording and then getting everything as one. Now it's finally coming out, so…”

“Some of them are quite old, but more recently I've done some really pop stuff. I sit with them, and write with them just to keep me sane. I sit at home and see what comes out.”

Continually exploring, the self-taught R&B talent is eager to move into new realms, to attempt fresh feats. “I've started some demos for my next album already,” says the Londoner. “I'm just writing, writing and writing. It's experimenting and having fun at the minute, between doing shows.”

“I'm evolving, I'm growing and going with what happens to me,” he finishes. “I'm somewhere else now, in my life, and I just feel that will come out musically. I mean I want to learn! That's what life is about, you're never too old to learn. Always growing and learning.”

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