Sometimes reconnecting with someone else can lead you back to a part of yourself you had forgotten.
That idea sits at the heart of Dorian’s latest musical chapter. What began as a deeply personal response to complicated feelings surrounding a strained sibling relationship eventually grew into something much bigger with “Reconnected,” a heartfelt dance track that turns longing, memory and vulnerability into something energetic, colourful and alive.
Rather than treating longing as something that has to sound sad, Dorian chose to move with it. “Reconnected” carries emotional weight in its lyrics while embracing the energy of dance music, creating a contrast that reflects the complicated way people actually experience memories and relationships. There is nostalgia in the song, but there is also warmth, hope, freedom and the feeling of finally allowing yourself to breathe again.
Recently, Dorian had an exclusive interview with us, where he opened up about the personal emotions behind “Reconnected,” the creative freedom that shaped its sound, and the much deeper meaning the word eventually took on.
For Dorian, reconnection is no longer simply about finding your way back to another person. As the album developed, he began to see the concept through a wider lens. It became about reconnecting with his creativity, confidence, relationships, purpose and even the younger version of himself who once dreamed about making music without worrying so much about how it would be received.
That evolution also reflects how far he has travelled since beginning his musical journey in 2019. Dorian describes the difference between the artist he was then and the person creating music today in terms of confidence, freedom, growth and a deeper sense of peace with who he is. His music remains personal, but he has learned that honesty does not require revealing every detail of his life. Sometimes protecting the specifics allows the emotion itself to become more universal, giving listeners room to find their own experiences inside the song.
Creatively, “Reconnected” represents another important step forward. Dorian allowed himself to move beyond the rules he had previously placed around his music, building his own sounds on keyboard and experimenting with a bigger, more colourful and dance-driven production. His influences stretch across R&B, Gospel, pop, soul, electronic and alternative music, and he sees no reason to force himself into a single genre when his musical instincts naturally move between them.
His previous success has also brought a different kind of challenge. With “Reign Love” reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners and Dorian surpassing two million streams as an independent artist, there is naturally an expectation to build on those milestones. But rather than allowing past numbers to dictate his next move, he sees them as proof that authenticity can connect. “RECONNECTED,” the album, becomes an opportunity to take more risks rather than simply recreate what worked before.
And that is perhaps what makes this chapter particularly revealing. “RECONNECTED” is not presented as a perfectly polished version of Dorian. He describes it as raw, colourful, emotional, atmospheric, romantic, introspective and sometimes unexpected. More importantly, it documents a real period of personal and artistic growth.
Ultimately, Dorian wants his music to represent possibility. The possibility of dreaming, believing, loving, healing and becoming someone new without losing the person you were. He wants listeners to hear more than individual songs when they eventually look back at his catalogue. He wants them to hear a human journey unfolding.
With “Reconnected” and the album that carries its name, Dorian appears to be embracing that journey with fewer restrictions and a much clearer understanding of who he wants to be as an artist.
Read our full interview with Dorian below.
“Reconnected” is a heartfelt dance track about the desire to reconnect with someone who still holds emotional significance. What was happening in your life when the idea for this song first emerged, and what did you need to express that could only come through music?
When “Reconnected” first came together, I was in a very reflective place. I was thinking a lot about relationships, memories, and those connections that may change over time but never completely leave you. Sometimes you can move forward with your life and still recognize that a person, a feeling, or even a version of yourself meant something significant to you. It was originally sparked lyrically, by the need to express repressed feelings from a strained sibling relationship. Music gave me a way to express that feeling without having to completely explain it. There are emotions that can feel complicated when you try to put them into regular conversation, but once you add melody, rhythm, and production, somehow, they make sense for me even more.
You have described “Reconnected” as sounding different from anything you have released before. What specifically changed in your creative approach this time?
Vocally it was one of the most heartfelt. Production wise it was one of the most energetic and colorful as well. I then created some of my house sounds playing on a keyboard at home—adding in my own bells and whistles to really make a world that felt free of “rules” when making a song. I think the biggest change was that I stopped putting as many rules around myself creatively. With “Reconnected,” I really allowed myself to follow whatever sounded exciting.
The production felt bigger, more colorful, and more dance-driven, while the lyrics were still coming from a very emotional place. That contrast immediately interested me. I realized I could make something that makes you want to move while still saying something vulnerable.
What does “reconnected” mean to you on a deeper level?
The word became much bigger than the original song.
At first, you can hear “Reconnected” and assume it is simply about reconnecting with another person. And that is absolutely one layer of it. But as I continued creating the album, I realized I was also reconnecting with myself, my creativity, my confidence, my relationships, my purpose, and even the younger version of me who dreamed about making music without worrying about how it would be received.
So the album became almost like a journey back to myself—but not necessarily going backwards. It is taking the things I’ve learned and reconnecting them with the parts of myself that I never want to lose.
Your music is rooted in soul but deliberately crosses into different genres. Why?
I’ve never experienced music through just one genre. The music that shaped me comes from so many different places—R&B, Gospel, pop, soul, dance, electronic music, alternative sounds, and other influences. So when I create, it feels unnatural for me to tell myself, “You can only make this kind of music.” I just do what feels right to me, and I gravitate towards. A lot of times its about “how can I convey this emotional effectively?”.
How do you balance emotional honesty with keeping parts of your life private?
That is something I’m still learning. My music is very personal, and a lot of what I write starts with something I’ve felt or actually experienced. But I’ve learned that being honest doesn’t mean I have to tell every detail of the story. Most people can relate to concepts, themes, general speak in a sense when it comes to song hooks or conveying emotion and storytelling lyrically. That way people have something personal to pull from and apply it to the music for themselves.
Sometimes the most important thing is preserving the emotional truth. I can tell you exactly what heartbreak, love, disappointment, healing, or longing felt like without necessarily telling you exactly who was involved or every detail surrounding it.
Why express longing through dance and energy rather than sadness?
Because life itself is filled with contrast. And most people get to a point where they may want to “dance the pain away”. Or channel that emotion through another means—dance!
We have a lot of sad songs out there anyway lol. I felt it was important to tell an emotional story but still make it feel uplifting and even motivating. Some of my favorite emotionally-driven 90’s ballads often were given a “dance remix” treatment—even the sad ones; which tended to be some of my favorites at the time.
Because longing isn’t always sad. Sometimes remembering someone or something meaningful can actually feel warm, exciting, nostalgic, hopeful, and even euphoric. I wanted “Reconnected” to capture that side of it. That duality feels very human to me. Healing doesn’t always happen while you’re sitting alone and being sad. Sometimes you heal while dancing, celebrating, travelling, falling in love again, or simply allowing yourself to feel alive. I wanted the record to have that kind of energy.
What has changed most between the Dorian of 2019 and the Dorian creating “Reconnected” today?
Confidence—and probably freedom personally. When I started releasing music in 2019, I actually hadn’t even come out of the closet to my family! I had the ambition and the imagination, but I was still discovering who I was as an artist and human. I think that’s something every artist has to experience. You learned artistically by living life—telling its story, releasing music, taking chances, making mistakes, etc.
Theres so much more growth, gratitude, and a quiet confidence that peacefully sits within me. Because this path feels tried and true now; in a real way!
Has success given you more freedom to take risks, or created new expectations?
Honestly, a little bit of both. When something like “Reign Love” connects with hundreds of thousands of listeners, of course part of you thinks, “How do I do that again?” That’s natural. But I’ve realized that trying to recreate a previous success can actually become creatively limiting.
What those milestones have really given me is evidence that people can connect with my music when I’m being myself. More than two million streams as an independent artist is something I’m extremely proud of, but I don’t want those numbers to become creative handcuffs for me. I live and heal as an artist by telling my real stories authentically. And that can’t be a complete repeat of the past.
But now, and if anything, it makes me want to take more chances. And be more fearless—RECONNECTED the album is reflective of that! There will always be expectations once people become familiar with your music. My responsibility isn’t necessarily to repeat what worked before. It’s to continue giving listeners something that feels authentically like Dorian, even when the sound evolves. All I can do is pray “lightning may strike” so to speak when it comes to success/numbers and things.
What journey can listeners expect from the complete album?
RECONNECTED feels like entering a world. My personal story telling of a time in my life. I wanted it to feel timeless, but lyrically point to a particular theme—reconnection.
It’s colourful, emotional, atmospheric, energetic, romantic, introspective, and sometimes a little unexpected. There are moments that feel huge and almost euphoric, and then there are moments where everything becomes much more intimate. Its raw and far from perfect—but it is me and I am SO proud of that!
What kind of artist do you ultimately want Dorian to become?
I want Dorian to represent possibility. Possibility in the dream, in faith, in real love—and the celebration of that in its many colors and phases. I’ve always described myself as a dreamer, and I don’t think that’s ever going to change. I want to build a career where I can continue experimenting, creating different worlds, telling honest stories, and hopefully reminding other people that they don’t have to fit neatly into one box either.
Of course I want the music to reach more people. I want bigger stages, more collaborations, more opportunities, and all of those things artists dream about. But I also want longevity. I want someone to discover my catalogue years from now and be able to hear a real human journey happening through it.
When people look beyond the songs, I hope they see someone who kept believing in what was possible—even when the path wasn’t traditional or easy. The music is documenting me becoming who I’m supposed to be. And RECONNECTED feels like one of the clearest moments yet where I’m finally allowing myself to do exactly that.
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