Exclusive: Interview with Singer-Songwriter Dabit, Back with New Single "Zone Out"

Nov 14, 2014

The talented solo singer-songwriter Dabit has finally made his comeback with his new digital single “Zone Out“! This comes nearly a year after his debut with his album “When the Wind Blows” and song “Whoo Whoo Whoo” at the end of 2013, and we had the privilege of sitting down with the former Soompier for an interview!

Dabit, originally from Ohio, United States, is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music. His passion for music has grown since he was a child, and he eventually joined KoffeeDream Entertainment when he decided to pursue his own style of music; he had previously been training to debut with the group 24K.

The singer is now back with a brand new sound in “Zone Out,” with which he said he wanted to explore more of his musical side.

Check out our interview with the singer below!

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What was your biggest goal/focus for this single?

My biggest goal was to show a completely different side of me. I feel that my first single was more geared towards a certain concept, whereas for this one, I’m aiming to show more of my vocal color and my musical side.

Where did you draw your inspiration from?

It’s mostly from my life. It’s a very sappy song. I feel like a lot of my songs tend to be very self-loathing and self-pitying. It comes from a lot of failures. Sometimes that’s not always enough, so I also draw inspiration from outside sources. The emotions are there, but I need to put it into lyrics, so people can understand it; sometimes I ask friends, read books, watch movies, and try to dig deeper…but mostly it’s personal experience.

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Is there ever a time when you are writing when you think, “I think this song would be great for this person,” or “I wish this person would sing this song”?

Yea, actually, there have been a lot of cases like that. I look a lot at the atmosphere of the songs that I write, and one current artist that I really like is San E. San E is not a singer, but a musician and rapper, and I feel like one of the songs I wrote would have fit him well, so he’s the most recent one.

Similarly, who would you really like to write a song for?

I think it would be fun to write a song for BTS. They’re on my watchlist right now. They’re young, and have a lot of talent. They have a lot going for them, and that inspires me.

Who do you most want to collaborate with?

A hip hop artist. Just to bring more dynamics to the music. That brings me back to San E. He’s been the one on my mind the most.

Are there any artists that have caught your eye lately? You mentioned San E, are there any others?

Crush! I like Crush a lot, too. He’s a very classy, modern artist that’s out right now. I think he has a very good balance between his own and mainstream sound, in my opinion.

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When you are writing songs, do you ever get severe writers block? How do you overcome it?

Oh, all the time. I café hop. I can’t write lyrics inside of my house. I can’t be cooped up inside, in one room for the whole day. Usually what I’ll do is I’ll go to a café, order something, and start writing, and once I get to a block, I’ll move to a completely different café, and I’ll start again. I feel that each different place brings a different atmosphere, so whenever I go to a new place, I get a new energy or vibe, and I’m able to think of things I may not have before. I think changing your surroundings is a good way to avoid writer’s block.

So how many times have you hopped in a day before?

Oh, gosh. Four cafes? Two to three hours each? I don’t know if that’s a lot, but…

What are five songs on your playlist right now?

Donghaeng from Kim Dong Yul’s new album, “Space Between” by Urban Zakapa and Soyu, “Rainbow” by f(x), Sam Smith, and “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” by Michael Bolton.

What’s your favorite karaoke song?

It’s probably either Jason Mraz‘s “I’m Yours” or Maroon 5‘s “Sunday Morning,” to start. I like to sing ballads, too, but to start, it’s always those two. There’s also a song I really like by Yoon Mi Rae, called “To My Love.”

Do you have any celebrity crushes?

I’ve always liked Park Bo Young, ever since she came out in “Speed Scandal.” I fell for her then, and she’s always been my number one.

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In the future, is there a genre that you’d like to try out?

I think I’d want to try soul RnB. It’s what got me into music in the first place. I used to listen to a lot of Wheesung growing up, and he always had so much soul when he sings. Soul RnB is what got me started, but as I got older I realized there were better genres that fit my voice. Now, I’m trying to find my own style. But yes, I’d like to do soul RnB.

If there’s one thing that you’d like listeners to pay attention to in your new single, what would it be?

The lyrics are really important. It’s supposed to be relatable especially to those in their 20s, so even if you’re listening from overseas, and you don’t know Korean, you should definitely look up the translated lyrics. And you should watch the music video.

How was filming the MV?

It was fun! I did a lot of acting. I’ve been doing acting to open up my range of emotions. I feel like being able to open up, I got to express emotions like anger and jealousy, that I haven’t written into songs yet. I feel like that brought a whole new perspective to the art. I got a lot of inspiration from it, and I’m learning a lot about myself.

Any words for the Dalbits out there?

I really want to thank everyone, especially because… everything started from a project, actually. I got a lot of support from people all over the world. Recently I went to Tunisia, and had the opportunity to sing in front of over 1000 people, and it’s been overwhelming, the amount of support that I’ve actually gotten. Seeing all these doors open up, it’s been a blessing.

Check out Dabit’s new song and music video below: