As their brand new single Drowning continues to grace the airwaves online, we caught up with newly collaborating duo Dobie and Xavier Clayton to talk about their creative process, the meaning behind the song, and their plans for the future. Here’s how it went.
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Hi guys, great to chat – congrats on the release of Drowning! For those who don’t know, how did you two first connect?
Xavier: I think it was through Brutu Music.
Dobie: Yes, Brutu Music produced Xavier’s track High High High and contacted me if I was interested in working with Xavier.
Xavier: I was recording some songs with him and he sent one of them over to Dobie and then Dobie sent me a song, which turned out to be Drowning, actually… and we’ve all just been writing a lot more songs ever since.
Dobie: We are all very passionate about music.
Given your differences as artists, did the collaborative process take you to unexpected creative realms?
Dobie: Yes, it did!… But it just all seemed to work.
Xavier: I agree… In the studio, we were just trying to be open to whatever ideas we had that we wanted to put into this collaboration.
Dobie: Yeah. My productions are very much for EDM/Dance/Club tracks – and Xavier comes from a very Pop/R&B background… but musically, we find a way to blend our influences into something that – I hope – sounds quite special.
What does the song Drowning mean to you, and how did it come to be?
Xavier: It’s about loneliness… pain… heartbreak… and Love.
Dobie: And the humming Xavier does at the end of the song reinforces that. It’s great!
Xavier: But I have to say, it doesn’t feel sad. There’s a lot of imagery about water in the lyrics.
Xavier – do you think of yourself primarily as a performer or a songwriter (behind the scenes)? In either case, how different is it to perform a single of shared origins with another artist?
Xavier): I got into the music biz through song-writing. [Xavier has written world hits with David Guetta (“The World Is Mine”) and Chab (“Closer To Me”) among many others!]. I really like collaborating! I love collaborating! If it was all just me-me-me then you guys would have some very boring songs! I like the back and forth that goes on in working with working with other artists. Maybe you don’t know that these are the first songs that I am singing. It’s really opened up my creativity just by singing them and seeing them do well on the charts. I’m like — “Ok, I just want MORE!”.
What was it like working together, and will there be any more projects to come?
Together: Yeah!
Dobie: We are at different stages on three or four other tracks Xavier has recorded. Either mastering, producing, writing…
Xavier: — And I have two dictaphones full of more ideas I haven’t sent them yet. Full of melodies and chorus ideas.
Dobie: What?!
Xavier: Yeah!
Together: [laughing]
Dobie, how do you decide where to include a vocalist in your music, and how do you know when you find the right voice?
Dobie: For me, the music and the vocals have to fit together. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right vocalist for the right production. But, we’re always creating new songs and keeping an eye on what DJs are playing in the clubs and on the radio. With the pandemic, that’s been a bit of a challenge, but now that everything is opening up again, we are coming out with a lot of new tracks for the summer and the rest of 2021. But having said that, sometimes we get songs in that just stand on their own as instrumentals. A lot of it is what we feel would be the best for that particular track.
Is there anything else we need to know?
Xavier: We’re just having fun. It’s just been really enjoyable to work with Universal Flow Records.
Dobie: And I have to say the same! We’ve got a new track called Again that will be released soon.
Xavier: I love that song.
Can’t wait, guys! Great talking to you both!
Xavier: Thank you!
Dobie: And with you too!
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Check out Dobie on Facebook, IG & Reverbnation. Visit his Website for more information.
