FEATURE: Spotlight: dodie — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

dodie

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I hope that dodie…

PHOTO CREDIT: Parri Thomas

gets to tour later in the year as her debut album, Build a Problem, was released earlier this month and has received some incredible reviews. I think dodie is an artist who is going to get bigger and more popular. At the moment, she has a huge fanbase behind her. I want to bring in a few interviews soon. First, here is some background information Wikipedia:

“Dorothy Miranda Clark (born 11 April 1995), known mononymously as Dodie (stylized dodie), is an English singer-songwriter, author, and YouTuber from Epping, Essex. Dodie began her career uploading original songs and covers to Youtube. She has over 160 videos, over 1.9M subscribers, and over 340 million views on her main channel (as of February 2020). On her side channel, she has 350+ videos, over 900k subscribers, and over 94 million views. On 9 December 2016, she released the first video on her Vevo channel, dodieVEVO, where she has over 47 million views, her subscriber count is kept private on though. She has collaborated with many other musicians, including Tessa Violet, Julia Nunes, Lauren Aquilina, Orla Gartland, Thomas Sanders, Jacob Collier, Emma Blackery, Pomplamoose, and Flashback. In 2018, Dodie collaborated with singer Tom Walker on "Human", the lead single from her third EP, also titled Human.

Dodie has released three independent EPs—Intertwined (2016), You (2017), and Human (2019)—all of which charted within the top 40 of the official UK Albums Chart. Her debut studio album Build a Problem was released on 7 May 2021”.

Back in 2019, the then-twenty-four-year-old British queer spoke with Flaunt following the release of her E.P., Human, earlier that year. Among the topics discussed was mental-health, being a big YouTube star and promoting positivity:

“How would you describe your sound?

I like to use a lot of harmonies and dramatic chord sequences. I write for strings based off of clarinets. My voice could feel dusty and dark.

How does being from Epping, in the UK, play into your life and career?

It’s quite nice. It’s interesting to have had such a particular childhood — I never ever thought I’d be in LA doing interviews. It’s nice to have had that different side of life.

Talk about being in LA.

I love LA, it’s fun. It’s very different, really interesting. I’ve been here since 2014. The whole US is fascinating to me. It’s so present in media when you grow up in England. Not sure if you know, but everyone in the playground acts in American accents. When they play imaginary games, like “omg! [valley girl accent]” or “that’s so weird!”

We do that here with a British accent too.

Do you? Because every cartoon you watch as a kid, America is everything you see on TV. Yellow school buses, all that stuff. When I came here for the first time, it was like walking into a movie world.

At what point did you realize this music thing was for real?

Probably when people would pick up particular lines. It was a combination of getting first-hand messages and playing at shows where people sing-along. That was very strange to me because I had written the words in this book in my bed and now the crowd was singing them. People knew the words!

Congrats on releasing your Human EP, what’s the significance in the name?

Well in collecting all of these songs together, I realized there was a running theme of a human feeling. There's a forgiveness in saying anything you’re feeling is human and just an experience of life. It’s been really good. Everyone’s so lovely. Everyone can relate to some feeling in it. There’s a lot of shame, love, maybe unhealthy love, anger, but also acceptance.

Talk about linking with Tom Walker on “Human.”

It was kind of a business thing. Our teams got in contact. He came into the studio and was really really lovely. Very kind and good to work with. He sang it beautifully with his wonderful husky voice. He has the ability to belt very loudly and exude so much power. I enjoyed using his softer side of singing.

Why is it important for you to promote positivity and inclusivity?

Positivity is such a helpful tool in carrying on and finding the best in life. If I didn’t enforce that in myself everyday, I’d struggle. Inclusivity is very important because you can feel isolated in your problems. To let people know there are other people just like you is a very powerful thing,

3 things you need in the studio?

Food. I guess I snack a lot. If I’m being technical, I need great levels on my headphones so I can really hear what we’re doing. I need tea, a big cup of tea. It’s a great way to get a break as well. “Okay, we’re gonna go get a fresh cup of tea.” Daylight at some point.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing music?

There are so many avenues of music, different music careers I could do. if I wasn’t working on my own personal project, hopefully I’d be scoring someone else’s. Even studying or playing in a band. If not music entirely, maybe teaching English or drama”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Parri Thomas

I want to bring things more up-to-date now. It must be disappointing for dodie that the pandemic has hit. She would have had plans to launch her debut album and capitalise on the momentum with things behind more open. As it is, the album has gained a lot of acclaim online. I hope that she will be able to tour the world when things get better. The next interview I want to source from is from Dork from back in March. There are a few sections that caught my eye:

“It took her a long time to warm to the sound she’s curated today. Initially scared off by the idea of drowning her small voice in huge pop production and coming out of sessions hating what she’s made because producers have done exactly that. It wasn’t until she met producer Joe Rubel (known for working with Tom Grennan and Maisie Peters, plus this little unknown indie artist called Ed Sheeran) and started using a video editing software to splice together clips of her singing and playing different instruments that she got used to writing less acoustic tracks.

“It has been interesting to hold on to it for so long because I’ve moved on from who I was when I wrote it, as you do you. You grow. It’s strange to still be talking about these topics and feelings even though they’re always going to be relevant to me because I wrote them and as with any lesson, you take them with you.

“For a while, I battled with what kind of an artist I was. Am I sort of an indie singer-songwriter bedroom artist who writes very small acoustic songs, or am I like this pop queen who’s trying to get on the radio, and I couldn’t pick and, and then suddenly I had the realisation I can do both. I think this album is such a great combination of that.”

Of course, lots of that plays out on ‘Build A Problem’ – the clue is in the title, taken from a track titled ‘Hate Myself’ – as she processes years’ worth of experiences. ‘Rainbow’ is an uplifting dedication to her bi-ness, while ‘Special Girl’ dissects her difficult approach to relationships. Then there’s the middle track ‘Four Tequilas Down’, a story of an illicit affair sandwiched between two instrumentals.

“I remember, I wrote it, and my friend Sammy was like, ‘You really want to put this out? Like, are you sure?’ And I’m like, I think so? I think it’s probably the right thing to do,” she says of the track. “It’s tough, and a lot of people are like, why are you romanticising this thing? And I’m like, not romanticising it, I’m processing it! I’m putting it on display. If other media can explore like feelings that are problematic, then surely music can as well, surely I can? Just because I’m a fucking seemingly sweet angel girl doesn’t mean that I can’t write about this stuff. I’m not an angel. It feels like I almost want to like go against that. Maybe that’s why I did it. So I could like push that boundary.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Parri Thomas

Although she wants to challenge other peoples’ perceptions of her, it does seem like sometimes it gets a bit too uncomfortable for dodie too.

“It does get tricky when you cross topics that you’re still going through, like you’re still processing like you’re not really sure how you feel about it. There’s a song on there that called ‘Guiltless’, and it’s about a relationship I had with someone I don’t talk to anymore now. I was in a soundcheck, and I was feeling really sad about it, like triggered by something, and I went to have a big cry. And then I heard somebody just whistling it down the corridor, and I was like, that is so fucked up. Like, I can’t believe you were just whistling this that I wrote about this deep, deep trauma that I have.”

It’s different when it comes to fans telling her how these songs have changed their life, or helped them out of a tough situation. dodie says she knows what that’s like and sometimes it’s hard to truly express her gratitude. “It is no small thing when someone says, I relate to this song, I relate to this feeling of something that I’m going through in my life and like, their situation is probably incredibly complex and like, so different to mine in so many ways, but it doesn’t matter. It feels good to know that we all connected”.

There are great and illuminating interviews regarding dodie. She is a fascinating artist and inspiring person. I think that people should check out her music and investigate her YouTube content. When she spoke with The Line of Best Fit earlier in the year, dodie discussed the triumphs and tribulations of the past year:

“Impressively, dodie is able to maintain an online presence that feels intimate and open, despite having millions of followers on every social media platform. Although a casual onlooker might view this content as effortless, it would be disingenuous to ignore her determination considering her already decade-long YouTube presence. This innate drive to create and share music was no clearer than on 8 February 2021, when dodie broke the news that Build a Problem’s release would be delayed. Sharing her tearful reaction to the three-week wait (caused by vinyl manufacturing issues) on her Instagram story, she had clearly waited a long time to present this project to the world. Before this announcement, she described her feelings towards its release: “I think it probably does define the year in which it was written. It’s very relieving, very fulfilling, to go through the process of figuring out all of these feelings and crafting them into something that I’m proud of, and [something] beautiful. It’s been a long time coming because it was pushed back a few months because of Covid. So I’m just ready - more than anything, just so ready to let this go and start something new. I’ve no idea what….”

Will it be difficult to reignite her enthusiasm for those original tracks, following this delay? “The enthusiasm is still there because now and again I’ll just listen to it and be like “Wow! Can’t wait!” I have to listen to it with fresh ears. [A live audience] will definitely amp it up.” dodie acknowledges the disadvantages of writing such autobiographical tracks in this environment. “I’ve obviously lived through that year and made the music and the dust has settled for that part of my life - I’m just about to move on from it and now I have to rehash all those feelings.” Ever the optimist, she concedes: “At least I can return to it as, like, my older, wiser self (by only a year!)”

Mental health issues can be isolating at the best of times, let alone when the law dictates that social distancing and physical isolation is required. In November 2020, dodie published a video () on her YouTube channel doddlevloggle, describing how this lack of contact had affected her. She explained how it not only evoked past traumatic experiences but increased the amount of time she spent “spaced out” - a symptom of living with depersonalisation. Considering the additional stress brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, having friends close by has been invaluable: “I have a few neighbours around. Obviously we’ve had to be very careful but it certainly helps to have at least a bubble of people I can go on walks with.” Rather than spending Christmas with her family, dodie stayed with her friends in London, all of whom happen to be musicians and/or YouTubers. “That was really nice. It’s definitely been a saviour to have these people around, there’s Orla [Gartland], Lauren [Aquilina] and my friend Evan [Edinger] just down the road.”

Although she’s now focusing on music, dodie’s stated that her original career plan was to become an actor. If she were to pursue acting in future, what genre or type of character would she choose? “Anything that has a British accent! I did an audition for a show - it was so random, they reached out and asked if I could send something - and I did it all in an American accent. It was so bad, so bad. I can’t act and, like, change my mouth at the same time. So just any acting role where I have to chat like myself.” These days she’s found a happy medium and embraced these dreams through her music and side projects: “Now I’m older I think, oh, acting is really hard to do! I love acting in my music videos, I’ve also done a bit in my friend’s short films, that kind of stuff.” dodie has performed in a number of her music videos - is she a trained dancer? “Oh my god, no, definitely not. But thank you! I did a few things as a kid, I think everyone did, but I haven’t danced in a wee while. Only every time I have a music video am I like “let’s go [dance]!””

PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Simon Photography

Labels can be complicated. While one individual may find belonging, validation and empowerment in a label, another person might view it as inflexible, judgemental and lacking nuance. How does dodie approach labels in her own life: does putting a label on her sexuality, mental health, etc. make things more difficult, or does she find comfort in defining it? “I truly think both. Sometimes I worry that, if I were younger, that a label could make [me] fixate on something… but I think people are smarter than that and overall labels are helpful. I know that when I found a name for my condition, Depersonalisation, that was so validating for me and I found a community of people going through it.” Sadly, her journey to reach this point of discovery was long and difficult, worsened by health professionals who didn’t take her seriously. “When I was 18 I went to the doctors because I was feeling really, really, really bad and asked them if I was depressed (which I think I absolutely was)”, she shares. “But the doctors said “Oh no, it’s dangerous to give someone so young a label”. It threw me into a spiral and I didn’t go back to the GP for my mental health for ages. So I think it would’ve been very useful if I had instead been given that [label] and a little bit of kindness.” Despite her doctor’s unempathetic demeanor, dodie is intentionally open about her struggles: “I think there’s something so wonderful about sharing experiences of mental health.”

It is this dichotomy of light and dark that makes dodie so wonderfully real and human. Combined with her likeable, quirky online personality and remarkable talent, it is perhaps this authentic, imperfect reflection of themselves that draws millions of fans to her. Even today’s icebreaker question about her favourite scent receives an endearing answer. “I love the smell of artificial strawberry. I had a lip balm that tasted like strawberry and I’m pretty sure I’ve just eaten the whole thing, it’s so small now....” Another comes to mind: “My flatmate Hazel has a very specific perfume and if she’s away I’ll just go into her room and just smell her clothes!” dodie laughs, imagining the scene. “It would be quite funny if she came in and I was just like “(sniffs) I missed you!” I like the smell of people - specific people, the smell of my friends. It’s enough to make you cry, isn’t it?”.

I will wrap things up in a bit. I want to bring in a couple of reviews for an amazing and hugely engaging debut album. In their review for Build a Problem, this is what AllMusic had to say:

“The debut album from British singer/songwriter Dodie, 2021's Build a Problem balances artful introspection with a wry, pop sensibility. Produced by Joe Rubel (Ed Sheeran, James Blunt), with one production by Pomplamoose in the hooky, kinetic single "Boys Like You," the album finds Dodie further expanding the sound she first displayed on her previous EPs, including 2017's You and 2019's Human. With her delicate voice pushed high in the mix, there's an intimacy to Build a Problem that makes it feel as if Dodie is singing directly to the listener. Weaving together her often-vibrant, multi-tracked vocals with strummed ukulele or acoustic guitar, organic percussion, piano, and deft string or woodwind flourishes, Dodie's music has a chamber pop quality that evokes the classical-influenced art rock of Kate Bush and Tori Amos. Also like those artists, Dodie brings a keen, feminist eye to her songs, detailing her feelings about living in a world of entitled men, just as she probes her own often self-destructive inclinations especially in regards to relationships. It's a style best represented in tracks like "Hate Myself," "I Kissed Someone (It Wasn't You)," and "Special Girl," the latter of which begins with what sounds like two sticks beating out a rhythm against a woody acoustic bassline as Dodie sings about how people often equate being in love with being in pain. She sings, "Sweet, sweet irony/Could not care less if you love me/But hate me first, yeah make me work; that's perfect/Baby I'm a funny thing/I’m walking if it doesn't sting/Heartbreak only means that it was worth it." The minimalism of Dodie's songs gracefully juxtaposes their sophistication, helping to illuminate the many revelatory pop moments that can be heard throughout Build a Problem”.

Just before closing this off, I think it is worth bringing in some words from CLASH. They were clearly compelled and impressed by the debut album from the amazing dodie:

“Always managing to find cruxes in common experiences, tracks like 'I Kissed Someone (It Wasn’t You)', offer a painstakingly realistic view of feeling, a snapshot of an exact point in the heartbreak arch we’ve all felt, mourning in the back of a taxi. In a way that Joni Mitchell’s 'Blue' is essential listening to soundtrack the end of love, 'Build A Problem' feels like it should join the ranks, the kind of album girls everywhere will hold tight to as they go through the emotions.

And it’s a beautifully wrapped package to hold. Opening up with 'Air So Sweet', a melodic prologue built almost entirely from dodie’s signature humming harmonies, the record has a clean-cut path through interludes and into its orchestral finale. Accompanied by a series of narrative lyric videos that capture our 20s in their rawest, 'Build A Problem' is concise in its form to let the explosion of emotion never feel exhausting; a considered decision shown in the second disc appendix of demos which are essential listens to the record. Offering a rougher and readier sound, the demos simultaneously nod to her bedroom recording origin while showing massive growth with 'In The Bed' and 'All My Daughters' standing out.

It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what makes this album feel so special. Maybe it’s the lack of answers as dodie seems to go through the motions of these feelings with each play and pause, offering no wisdom or lessons, just perfect articulations of exact emotions. With all tracks sharing a sense of immediacy, 'Build A Problem' seems to hold the present emotion of everlasting questions. It asks ‘How do I make them love me?’, ‘Will I ever feel satisfied?’, ‘Do they miss me?’, and find the words to articulate how it feels to yearn for the answers, rather than offering them.

Tinged with vulnerability from start to finish, this album feels like a unique product of a unique path. As a culmination of a decade of sharing her feelings with a crowd of over a million subscribers, dodie has always been releasing music to a captive audience, uploading original songs to a channel populated with people that are interested in her and her life. Following her through her struggles with derealisation disorder and depression, amongst the various ups and downs of relationships, parental divorces and moving towns, dodie fans feel like they know her, and this album makes it seem like she knows you too, letting you be privy to her deepest feelings in the trust that you’ll understand. And we do.

Unmistakably hers, dodie’s debut is wholly realised and polished in its sound. A beautiful vessel for messy emotions, 'Build A Problem' is a tour of the highs and lows of living and loving in your teens, twenties and probably beyond; raw, full of questions and yet celebratory as it revels in its big emotions”.

I think that dodie is one of the most exciting and interesting young artists we have in the U.K. Let’s hope that she will be able to capitalise on the love Build a Problem has accrued. A stunning and memorable album, it is clear that we have a very talented and hugely promising artist in our midst! If 2020 and 2021 has not been ideal, I feel that the post-pandemic world will allow the amazing dodie to…