When Dauble charted #2 on the Music News 360° Top 10 Chart, we had to find out more about the Cypriot artist. After failed attempts at connecting by phone, we were able to exchange Q&A, ahead of the release ‘HXPE’, his forthcoming EP dropping May 3rd, 2019. Excerpts below from our conversation on Turkish music, dealing with the uncertainty of the future, and Dauble’s intimate connection with the word ‘hope’.
MN360° – What is the music scene like in Cyprus?
Dauble – Because I am from North Cyprus, and the primary language here is Turkish, most singers here sing in Turkish and it’s also quite different from my genre. Most people tend to make acoustic music and don’t include too much of electronic/trap vibes like I do. I think it’s cool to see the difference though, realizing how many different cultures, genres and types of music are there and that you don’t need to stick to one.
MN360° – How did your time in the US influence your creative process?
Dauble – Honestly, it made me write the whole EP. I wrote “Lost In My Pain” back in May 2018 and I first started writing for this EP in November 2017, both when I was still in US. I had a chance to meet with amazing musicians there and even work with them. It taught me a lot and made it even more fun and interesting.
MN360° – What is Lost in my Pain about?
Dauble – I wrote “Lost In My Pain” back in May 2018 when I was an exchange student in US and it was towards the end of my year too. So it was a whole year ago now, and it is about the depression and anxiety of leaving the people and the place you fell in love with. It is about not knowing what’s going to happen next in your life or to you in general. I remember keep asking these questions to my self such as; “Am I going to happy?”, “Is everything will be fine” etc. It was scary to think about all of that because the whole year changed my entire life, both in a good and bad way. This is also the only track in the EP that is not dedicated to a specific person but rather dedicated to a feeling which I think makes it a little more unique.
MN360° – How did you connect with Obsess3d?
Dauble – So Obsess3d is actually one of my best friends and has been for the past 3 years. We always talked about everything even before we thought about creating “HXPE.” That’s what makes the whole EP more special because we didn’t just work an “EP,” we put our stories, real emotions there because I wasn’t afraid to share anything personal with him, which led to EP being more honest and different, both lyrically and production vise. We created each song in his room with just two us thinking like “okay, how did this moment, this situation make me feel?” and we wanted to be as honest as possible, you know. Because we wanted the listeners to feel us, to feel the emotions, to connect with each song rather than just listening. He started working on production when I left to go to US, and he would tell me about it and by the time I was back, he was really good at it. It scares me sometimes how creative he is and what he is capable of. He can literally take a voicemail and turn it into an amazing song. I am really proud to say he is not just my producer, but also my best friend and I can’t wait to work on better and bigger projects with him.
MN360° – Why do you spell Hope with an X?
Dauble – The whole “HXPE” is about my complicated relationships, being afraid of losing someone I love, fear of future, heartbreak, and revolves around subjects like these. So to me, the word “hope” summarizes the EP as a whole and the thought that I have hope or want to have hope but not knowing if anything is going to be okay at all. That’s why there is an X there. It symbolizes the unknown and how you can’t know if everything will be fine no matter how hard you try, work on something or how good of a person you are. Fun fact, my real name (Umut) actually means hope in English, which I think is kinda cool.
MN360° -Who are your biggest musical influences?
Dauble – I am very specific when it comes to listening to music. Instead of listening to a lot of different artists, I find an artist that I truly connect to and love all of their EPs, Albums and projects. Artists like Shawn Mendes, Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish, XXXTENTACION and Joji have helped me figure out a lot about myself, and my music. I truly love their work and how they affected people. Those artists have always been on repeat for me. I would definitely say they are my biggest influences.
MN360° – What is your spirit animal?
Dauble – Platypus. The reason could be a lot of things but it’s been my favorite animal for the longest time I can remember. I think they’re really unique in their own way.
MN360° – If you had only one sentence to communicate your message to the world, what would it be?
Dauble – “An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind…”
MN360° – When does the EP drop?
Dauble – “HXPE” is out May 3. I am really excited and cannot wait for all of you to listen!
MN360° – Where can we see you perform?
Dauble – I haven’t planned a tour or a concert or anything like that so far. But I’m dying to sing the whole EP to all of you, all I can say is hopefully soon!