Jacksonville, Florida’s very own Dajah Dorn emerges as a multifaceted talent whose creative journey is deeply intertwined with her personal experiences and influences. Remixd Magazine had the opportunity to speak with Dajah Dorn exclusively about her upcoming project, the inspiration behind “Love U 4 Free,” and more.
Although she said she grew up shy, she began showcasing her voice as a member of her church choir. From a young age, Dajah was introduced to various genres which crafted her diverse taste in music. Fortunately, she became inspired by the soulful sounds of R&B, the timeless classics of Motown, and the rhythmic beats of Hip-Hop. Drawing inspiration from iconic artists like the Temptations, Dajah’s early exposure to music ignited a spark within her that would eventually fuel her own creative endeavors.
Moreover, Dajah has spread her wings and developed her own sound. Her singles such as “I Don’t Want You” and “Twice On Sunday” highlight the essence of love which is a common theme throughout her music. This month, Dajah returns with her latest love ballad “Love U 4 Free.”
Furthermore, “Love U 4 Free” draws inspiration from her personal expression as a lover. Just in time for summer, the upbeat track produced by produced by Khari “Needlz” Cain instantly puts listeners in a great mood. Throughout the track, Dajah flexes her vocal muscle all while providing a vibe unmatched. For this single, Dajah has also provided a visualizer which further highlights the essence of summertime. You can watch the visual here.
Stream “Love U For Free” by Dajah Dorn
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
Dajah Dorn Interview
Remixd Magazine: Briefly, I’d love to dive into your upbringing. From your church roots to just your everyday life. How were you able to decided that singing is your passion?
Dajah: I believe personally we are born knowing what we want to do, who we want to be, and who we are. I think as we grow up, the world tells us all these different things that makes us forget who we are and what we want to do because they will tell you “Girls are supposed to do this,” Black people are supposed to do this,” or “boys are supposed to do this”— Just boxes and stereotypes that may make you forget yourself.
My earliest memories I could have been like when I was 5. All I use to do is watch music videos or listen to some kind of artist. When I was young, I remember hearing “Rock The Boat” by Aaliyah and thinking ‘Oh yeah I like this,’ and seeing the video. I was like ‘Oh yeah, I want to do this.’ I always use to do fake interviews because I was the only child until I was like 15 so I talked to myself a lot, even to this day. I always use to say ‘I want people to love me like Aaliyah and I want people to respect me Beyoncé.’
You’ve explored many forms of the arts. Between visual artist, modeling, as well as music. How important is it for you to remain versatile in the industry?
Dajah: Extremely, I don’t have like a super thought out reason other than this is how I feel and that’s a big thing for me. You will hear me say ‘I feel”’a lot if you hang around me long enough. So, the way I feel inside— this is what I have to do, its driving me.
That’s just how I feel about everything— I love modeling, I appreciate what it’s taught me about my presence and how to sell things. I’m grateful for it all and I always want to be able to do everything.
You have also served in the military. How has that experience shaped you ?
Dajah: I have felt like I lived so many different lifestyles already. In a way, I was finding myself and in a way I was also stalling. It’s both because you gotta find yourself but you know you can’t stick around and do this forever because you know this isn’t your end goal. So the military, I always joke and say I signed my life away when I was 17. I signed my senior year. The main reason I did it in the beginning is because I’m the first person in my immediate family to go to the military or go to college.
My mom she didn’t even finish high school because she got pregnant with me. So, I didn’t know that I had to apply to college. By the time it came around like ‘Oh shoot you’re about to graduate.’ I had it in my head to go to college. Once I started hearing from my friends “I got accepted here,” “I got accepted there,” I was like what? Accepted? And then when I looked up the requirements to FAMU, the college I went to, I missed the application deadline.
I did it in a blind way. In the military it definitely helped me open up a lot. It pushed me and showed me just what Im capable of. You’re actually strong, you’re actually brave, you’re actually a leader and you know ? You problem solve in real life because that’s what it teaches you to do. School teaches you that in book form.
Being that you are a new artist, who are some other artist that you would like to collaborate with? Any genre?
Dajah: I definitely would like to collaborate with Haley Williams for Paramore. I have a dream of me performing with them. Like someday she’s going to see me perform Misery Business or something. I would love to get a verse from André 3000, I think that would be legendary if I could get him to come out of retirement for a minute. I love Anycia & Brent Faiyaz. Leon Thomas for sure, and J. Cole for sure. I love everybody that makes the type of music I make. People who come from situations that decide to be creative and pursue their passion. I love those kinds of people.
Within your songs like “Twice on Sunday” and “I Don’t Want You” these singles share common themes of love. How do you balance personal experiences with any additional themes in your songwriting process ?
Dajah: My first song is is literally about a relationship. I do it in different ways but that way I was just like I’m about to be real honest on the track about this experience. “Twice on Sunday” isn’t about anyone but me just welcoming that type of energy in my life so that is not super personal as far as experience goes it’s just a feeling. “Love U For Free” is my way of including to people in what’s to come for me. Again, I’m not talking to nobody I’m just saying this is apart of how I love and also wanting to encourage in the same way which is not really depending on what people can give you to love them a certain way.
This past week, you released your single, “Love U 4 Free” which also highlights the essence of love. Can you tell us more about the song? What’s the inspiration behind it ?
Dajah: That song, we just knew we needed to make a fun song next. Because we knew it was about to be summer time. People are outside and it was also about to be holiday season and fashion week. We knew the mood for that was something fun and upbeat, something people can dance to. That’s what we had in mind writing it.
We actually came up with the idea in the car. We went to he studio after being in the car and I finished writing the verses. I don’t think people notice but there multiple voicing singing “Love U 4 Free.” Two of the voices are apart of my team.
This song is more of a summer dance vibe to it which is slightly different from your other songs. With such a diverse musical background, is there any other genre outside of R&B that you would like to explore?
Dajah: My roots are from the church so I definitely got that on there. It has them gospel cords and slow singing. Im going to always want to explore gospel. Definitely some rock/ pop sounds, hopefully I can do one of those real soon because I definitely have some ideas for that. I would definitely love to get some reggae on a song. One of my favorite songs is Beanie Man and Mya “ Girls Dem Sugar,” I would to do a song like that but original with an reggae or Afrobeats artist because I love Burna Boy too. Country … I don’t want to box myself in at all.
Your upcoming debut EP “Having my Way” is set to be released this fall. What can you tell us about this project?
Dajah: Having My Way —I love that title so much like I’m really proud of naming it that, that’s just my mood. For me, with my music and my projects its my lifestyle that I’m just recording. So, I’m in this mode of just having my way and doing what I want to do and just doing what feels right for me, my career, for my lifestyle, friendships, people I date. It goes across the board.
To conclude, for those are starting out in music, what advice do you have for them? What has your journey taught you so far?
Dajah: Tell your truth, be honest with yourself about what you have to say. Invest in yourself and your skills because everybody makes music now. So, if you really want to be heard and stand out, invest in your skills because that going to make you confident and that’s going to make you want to create and share more. What I’ve learned, I’m one of those people that before I tell you anything, I want to make sure I do it right. I definitely invest in my vocal classes and I watch stuff on YouTube about becoming a better writer.
My vocal coaches are also award winning singers and songwriters so I listen to them. What I’m learning consistently is just to trust the process and trust my team. Like in any relationship, trust has to be the driving force. Venerability because its ok to have support and people helping you to get your music seen and heard on a larger scale that you can do on your own. Music is really collaborative across the board.
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In conclusion, Dajah Dorn is making waves on her own terms. Her latest single “Love U 4 Free” is available now for streaming. Nonetheless, she proves that her resilience and determination will take her far. Her upcoming EP Having My Way is set to be released this fall. To keep up with the latest on Dajah and her career you can follow her on Instagram here.
