Hello everyone, it’s your host Tehillah from DULAXI, and today I’m delighted to be joined by Dorian, the genre-fluid artist from the United States whose music moves across soul, R&B, pop, electronic and other influences with a strong focus on melody, emotion and personal storytelling. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dorian has been building his independent career since his musical debut in 2019, and today we are discussing his latest album, RECONNECTED, released on August 22, 2026.
Before we begin our conversation with Dorian, here’s what you need to know about today’s featured project.
About Dorian
Dorian has built his musical identity around the freedom to explore. Rather than treating genre as a fixed boundary, he approaches each song according to the emotion and story he wants to communicate, creating music that can move naturally between soulful expression, contemporary R&B, pop, electronic sounds, dream-pop textures, dance influences and other unexpected directions. That genre-fluid approach has been present throughout his career since his 2019 debut, during which he has released five genre-bending bodies of work and developed an audience that has taken his music beyond his home base in the United States.
His journey has also produced significant milestones. Dorian’s music has generated more than two million streams worldwide, while his single “Reign Love” has surpassed half a million streams. In 2022, he was named “Artist of The Year” by the DMV-based independent artist platform EnJOY The Mic. Yet the story behind RECONNECTED is less about adding another achievement to that list and more about understanding what happens when an artist gives himself permission to explore again.
Released on August 22, 2026, RECONNECTED represents a new chapter in Dorian’s creative journey. The album was shaped around the idea of reconnection, but that idea reaches far beyond romantic relationships. For Dorian, reconnection can mean finding one’s way back to another person, rediscovering creative purpose, repairing relationships, reconnecting with faith, or learning to recognize oneself again after a period of distance and change.
That personal dimension became particularly important during the making of the album. Dorian’s creative plans were affected by a physical injury, bringing a period of isolation, self-doubt and emotional difficulty. At the same time, the experience created room for healing, reflection, prayer, communication, relationships, gratitude and a renewed appreciation for life. Those experiences gradually became part of the emotional foundation of the album, allowing RECONNECTED to grow into something larger than a collection of songs about romantic connection.
Musically, the project reflects that personal freedom. Dorian describes himself as someone who follows the emotion of a song rather than worrying about which genre it belongs to, and RECONNECTED gives him space to work with that instinct. The album embraces contrast, moving between vulnerable and confident moments, intimacy and celebration, reflection and energy. Its colourful approach is not simply a change in sound for the sake of experimentation. Instead, the different musical directions serve the changing emotional experiences explored throughout the project.
The project also arrives at an important point in Dorian’s independent career. With more than two million streams already behind him, he could have approached a new release by attempting to recreate previous successes. Instead, RECONNECTED reflects a desire to continue evolving and to allow longtime listeners to hear that evolution. For Dorian, creative growth is part of the responsibility he feels toward the people who have followed his journey.
Having this brief introduction to today’s featured project, I’m sure both new listeners and longtime fans are excited to hear directly from Dorian. So, without further ado, let’s begin today’s interview.
INTERVIEW SESSION
Tehillah:
You describe yourself as a dreamer who believes in the impossible, and that belief seems especially relevant to an album built around rediscovering creative freedom. Looking back at the journey from your 2019 debut to this new era, what parts of your younger ambition still drive you today, and what have experience and growth taught you about the kind of artist you want to become?
Dorian:
I think the biggest thing I still carry from that younger version of myself, as well as the child in me that I keep alive— is the ability to dream without immediately asking whether something is realistic. I’ve always had a pretty big imagination when it comes to music and what I want to create.
The last several years of experiences; personally, professionally, spiritually, with relationships and friendships—I’ve grown so much and wanted the album to reflect that, and tell those stories in the most fearless and colorful way.
I want to continue to evolve in that way, while remaining authentic and true as I continue to become the artist I want to become.
Tehillah:
Your music has always moved across genres rather than staying inside one category, but RECONNECTED appears to push that freedom even further through new sounds, textures, and influences. What does musical freedom mean to you at this stage of your career, and how do you decide when experimenting is genuinely expanding your artistry rather than simply changing the sound for the sake of change?
Dorian:
Musical freedom, for me, is being able to follow the emotion of a song instead of worrying about what genre box it belongs in. I’ve always been melodically driven, and I think melody and emotion are really the threads connecting everything I do. The production around those things can change dramatically.
On RECONNECTED, I gave myself permission to explore. There are moments that pull from R&B, pop, dance, electronic sounds and other influences, but I never even marinated on the thought of making those choices for the sake of a gimmick. For me, it’s about what I hear in my head, and how I can evoke the emotions of the song as much as possible; painting with as much color as needed without even thinking of rules. I’m also a very moody person—so it is natural for me to shift gears so to speak! Lol
Tehillah:
The idea of reconnection operates on several levels throughout this project, including love, creativity, purpose, other people, and your relationship with yourself. Which of those forms of reconnection became the most important while making the album, and how did that particular journey influence the emotional direction of the record?
Dorian:
Honestly, reconnecting with myself became the foundation for everything else. Because it realigned me with my purpose and faith in God in a deeper way. I had personal traumas and childhood wounds I needed to heal from.
And I was intent on doing that for myself, for the child in me that always dreams. That Dorian deserved healing.
And that’s really what started the theme of the project for me. However, the concept of reconnection was very much connected to love and relationships as well through my several experiences — wanting to find your way back to someone, wanting to repair something, wanting to feel close again. But the deeper I got into making the album, the more I realized I was also reconnecting with myself creatively. That all helped shape the emotional direction of the album because it became bigger than romantic reconnection. It became about finding your way back to the things, people and parts of yourself that make you feel alive.
Tehillah:
You have described RECONNECTED as feeling like a rediscovery of why you fell in love with creating music in the first place. Was there a particular moment during the making of the album when that feeling became especially clear to you, where creating stopped feeling like something you were simply doing and started feeling exciting and necessary again?
Dorian:
There wasn’t necessarily one single dramatic moment. It happened gradually, as I had to recover from a physical injury, and my creative plans drastically changed. The shock of that, the depression from that, the isolation and self-doubt that was created from that time, but also the other side of it: healing, clarity, prayer, communication, life experiences, loving relationships and creating moments with loved ones, humility, gratefulness, peace —it all started to tell its own beautiful story.
Tehillah:
More than two million global streams and the success of songs such as “Reign Love” have already given you a substantial audience, yet this project seems much more interested in creative discovery than in repeating what has worked before. How did you separate your new creative instincts from the expectations that can come with having an established body of work and a proven audience?
Dorian:
I think for me, I just stick to what feels instinctual, what feels like me, what feels like the story I want to tell at the time. I know that I have so much more musically to express—but I didn’t want this “RECONNECTED ERA” to sell itself short in expression by chasing trends or what worked before necessarily. For me it was about telling the story the way I need to tell it; and hoping that it resonated with supporters.
I’m incredibly grateful for every stream and every person who has connected with my music. But I also think I owe those listeners growth. If someone has been following me for years, I want them to be able to hear the evolution and to know me! I’d rather take a creative risk than spend my career trying to recreate one successful moment.
Tehillah:
RECONNECTED deliberately brings vulnerability and confidence into the same space, allowing intimate moments to exist alongside more energetic and celebratory ones. How did you use that contrast to create a record that feels emotionally complete rather than presenting only one side of who you are?
Dorian:
Because that’s genuinely how I experience life. I’m not sad all the time, I’m not confident all the time, I’m not romantic all the time, and I’m definitely not serious all the time. I love to have a good time. And I often find joy in expressing the duality of life in music. That contrast is oddly beautiful to me.
I wanted the album to have that same emotional range. You can be healing from something and still dance. You can miss somebody and still feel confident. You can be vulnerable without being weak. You can be completely unsure about one part of your life and incredibly certain about another.
That contrast made RECONNECTED feel more human to me. Instead of choosing one emotion and building an entire album around it, I wanted the record to reflect the different emotions that can exist within the same person — sometimes on the same day.
Tehillah:
Because RECONNECTED places such strong emphasis on emotional connection, it leaves room for listeners to bring their own experiences into the songs. What do you hope someone who has experienced loneliness, lost a relationship, or simply feels disconnected from themselves takes away from this album when they encounter it in their own private world?
Dorian:
I hope they feel understood, but I also hope they feel hopeful.
Disconnection can feel permanent when you’re living inside of it. Whether you’ve lost someone, lost a relationship, lost your sense of purpose or simply don’t recognize yourself anymore, it can feel like you’re never going to find your way back.
But sometimes reconnection isn’t about getting the exact thing you lost back. Sometimes you reconnect differently. Sometimes you find yourself again and realize you’ve changed. Sometimes the thing waiting for you isn’t behind you at all — it’s ahead of you.
If someone hears this album during one of those periods, I hope they walk away feeling like connection is still possible.
Tehillah:
As RECONNECTED opens the door to what you describe as a bright and increasingly adventurous future, what are you most excited to explore next, whether musically, creatively, or personally, and how do you see this album influencing the artist and the person you become from here?
Dorian:
I’m excited about expanding the world around the music.
With RECONNECTED, I want to explore more visually, experiment more with live performance, play with different arrangements and versions of songs, and continue pushing the music into spaces people may not immediately expect from me. And write new music!
Stay creative, stay inspired, and give more and more content through storytelling and authenticity. I’m also learning to enjoy the process more. As an independent artist, you’re constantly thinking about what’s next — the next song, the next release, the next milestone. I want to get better at actually experiencing the moment I’m in.
I think RECONNECTED is going to be one of those projects I look back on as a turning point. Not because I suddenly figured everything out, but because I became comfortable with not having everything figured out.
“RECONNECTED feels like a portrait of an artist choosing curiosity over repetition, allowing every shift in sound and emotion to become part of a larger story about finding his way back to himself.”
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE
What stands out about Dorian’s conversation around RECONNECTED is how closely the album’s creative freedom is connected to personal growth. His approach allows contrasting emotions to exist without forcing them into a single mood, while his genre-fluid writing gives each idea room to develop on its own terms. The result is a project shaped by experimentation, reflection and a clear desire to keep evolving. More importantly, Dorian’s perspective makes the album’s central idea feel personal: reconnection is not always about returning to the past, but about understanding who you are now and what you want to carry forward.
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
CLOSING
Our conversation with Dorian offers a closer look at the personal and creative journey behind RECONNECTED, an album shaped by experimentation, healing, self-discovery, relationships and the freedom to follow an idea wherever it leads. His reflections also show how much of the project is connected to the process of becoming, rather than simply arriving at a finished destination.
Thank you to Dorian for taking the time to share these thoughtful insights with DULAXI and for opening up about the experiences, creative choices and personal reflections that helped shape this new chapter. For listeners discovering his music for the first time, RECONNECTED provides an opportunity to experience the colourful and genre-fluid world he has created, while longtime supporters can hear how his artistry continues to develop.
We encourage readers to spend time with the album and explore Dorian’s wider body of work as he continues to build on this chapter. His journey is still unfolding, and RECONNECTED offers an honest snapshot of an artist who is embracing the freedom to grow without losing sight of what brought him here.
Thank you for spending time with DULAXI and joining us for another artist conversation. Until our next interview, keep listening, keep discovering, and keep supporting the artists whose stories deserve to be heard.