Music > Interviews
Dominyka - Rework Taylor Swift 8th June
05/06/24
When did your journey as a musician begin?
I've been into music for as long as I can remember myself but to be factual - I started singing at the age of about 3, according to my mum. She always played Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson's music videos and live concerts at home while I was growing up and I - absolutely stunned by their artistic craft and talent - was singing along into a hairbrush, imagining one day being on stage too.
How would you describe your music (is it similar to Taylor in anyway?!)?
I always put my music into the category of Contemporary R&B. The reason for that being the fact that my music isn't solely just R&B - it incorporates elements of other genres too because I enjoy experimenting. Plus, a huge part of my soul is inhabited by Jazz music, that's why you can often hear me making Jazzy renditions of my songs. One day I will make a Jazz album! In terms of similarities - Taylor and I for sure, both enjoy writing love songs!
Where do you look for inspiration for your music?
In every day life! I enjoy writing songs about the people in my life, situations I have found myself in, my happy moments and sad too. Music has always been my best friend and a source of happiness that helps me deal with life and everything it throws your way.
What inspired you to get involved with ‘ReWork’?
Reworking somebody else's art is definitely a challenge and I like challenging myself. So I guess, I see ReWork as that but also as a great opportunity to connect with other local creatives and music lovers!
Why do you believe Taylor has become an icon in the music industry?
Taylor has started her musical career at a young age and has released SO many bodies of work throughout all these years. Each involving a theme and a sonic sound of its own while staying authentic to her and connecting to millions of listeners! Plus, how many awards has that woman got under her belt?! It's admirable!
Pick your favourite Taylor era!
1989!
How do you plan on putting your own spin on the hits of Taylor?
My goal is to maintain those famous melodies as much as possible, so that people can easily recognise which songs I'm remaking and sing along easily during the show! However, I'm changing the tonality, tempo and the style into my R&B/Soul sound which will sound completely different to Taylor Swift!
What power do you believe live music holds?
Live music allows you and your audience to become one. There's something so intimate and special about singing your heart out through your lyrics to somebody that might connect with every word... You just never know! Live music is a space where an artist can show their real self to their listeners and have a laugh or tell you a story that will help you feel closer to them and realise that we're all just people that go through similar situations at the end of the day!
Social media - friend or foe for musicians?
It can be a foe if you don't find balance between the real world and the digital world of social media. I definitely think that it is a super helpful tool in reaching wider audiences of people, sharing snippets of your day to day life and just a great platform for receiving feedback about unreleased materials, as well as creating hype for upcoming releases! It's just important to stay active outside of socials and to remember that numbers are not equivalent to how good your music is.
How important do you believe it is to support the local music scene of Norwich?
I studied in Norwich for 3 years and I can definitely say that the music scene is lovely and there's such a feeling of a warm community there (at least in my experience)! There's an ever growing amount of great artists, bands and event organisers that are making waves and it's so important that you buy tickets to our events, listen to our music or even just show support through word of mouth! It all plays a big role in helping us develop and reach more listeners.
What advice would you give to any aspiring musicians?
Don't bin/delete old notes of songs you've written! You might think some of them are silly or are nonsense right now, but you never know when you might come back to them and make a song out of an idea you had! It's also great to sometimes look back on how much progress you've made over the years and see your growth in your creative field through reviewing your old music.
Have you got any plans for 2024?
I'm currently working on numerous exciting projects that will all be released this year. Some collaborations with great artists are on the way too. Plus performances! Keep an eye out on my social media for updates and announcements on all of those!
