Looking to make his own mark within the electronic dance industry, the rising artist, Andrew Dum is a natural talent in terms of mixing and creativity. His visionary personality embarked him on musical journey like no other. He is the first Romanian Ambassador DJ of the Future Rave genre in Romania and also the first Romanian Dj to have a national tour- X tour, which impressed the crowd of 12 of the biggest and most important cities. Andrew Dum enjoyed international recognition for closing the tour with 3 special gigs in Dubai and playing a private Louis Vuitton Mansion Party. His unique sound was praised by leading names in the EDM scene, such as Hardwell, Don Diablo, Lost Frequencies, Sam Feldt and earned him a fanbase that continues to grow quickly.
1. Hello Andrew Dum, it fells ‘So good’ to have you here at EDM NOMAD. Can you tell us more about your early days starting to produce music and how you got involved in the music industry?
10 years ago I was taking my first steps towards the music industry through the chance I had to produce, collaborate and present a clubbing show broadcast on one of the music television stations in Romania, together with my manager and friend, Bogdan Niță. It was the first contact I had with great artists and great producers, both in Romania and abroad, and their interaction, stories and work fascinated me and determined me to apply a few years later for the courses of a prestigious DJs school in Romania. That’s how I was going to start in the exciting world of music production.
2. What advice would you give to yourself back then, knowing what you know now?
Things have evolved in a good direction in recent years, and the step from being a DJ to being a music producer came naturally with countless satisfactions, but if I were to go back in time and give myself an advice, I think I would tell myself that it is important that when you attend a DJ school, you start music production in the same time, no delay between these two moments, it is important to do them in parallel.
3. What more would you like to accomplish as an artist and producer?
Andrew Dum started out as an ambitious project from the beginning and my goals and accomplishments are to make music to reach as many souls as possible. I want my songs to conquer as many countries as possible, as many charts as possible, and through the music, I want to convey and to touch their feelings, moods and emotions.
4. What are your goals for this year and next one?
I aim to learn as much as possible this year and next year, to work continuously, because I feel that’s the only way I can get results, to interact with other artists to be a source of inspiration, to keep up with music trends, but especially to align what I could produce with the expectations of my listeners, to combine emotion and coolness in the same time.
5. Are there any artists who you’re following and listening to and who inspire you?
I follow many artists from Romania and abroad and I appreciate the effort made by each one, but also the endowment with which they manage to turn a pure soul art into a piece. There are many who inspired me and whose music pushes me to evolve, but if I were to give only two names of producers and artists, I think the ones who are representative to me from Romania are Manuel Riva whom I respect and admire for everything that he does and from abroad Lost Frequencies.
6. How did all of this impact your music moving forward?
The road to a musical career is difficult at times, but the determination comes from every motivational story I come across, because it was not easy for any of the great artists. I find motivation at every step, with every ascent or descent of the songs I prepare for the listeners.
‘Sometimes, good things come to life in minutes if those who have inspiration, desire and talent join forces’
7. Can you tell us more about the story behind ‘So Good’?
In my free time I usually work on instruments and one day, I was inspired to produce a piano sound. I was on call with my manager and he had the idea to contact Randi (a Romanian artist and songwriter) and to show him what I was preparing. Randi was open, he liked what he heard and in 10 minutes the first version of the song “So Good” was born. Sometimes, good things come to life in minutes if those who have inspiration, desire and talent join forces.
8. Your songs were featured in some big playlists on Spotify. How do you want listeners to interact with your music?
Our listeners bring us success. No matter how much effort we put in, no matter how much inspiration we have, if those who listen to a song are not satisfied, we will not be able to go on our own way. I’ve always had the chance to have devoted listeners, and my songs have really reached Spotify in the biggest playlists, but what I want is for these listeners not to stop here. I want them to include in their playlists my songs in which they are found, I want them to share and listen to them whenever they have the vibe to do so.
9. How did it feel to play music for an iconic brand like Louis Vuitton?
When you put music for an iconic brand like Louis Vuitton, then you realize that the music you offer, the music you play is qualitative, because otherwise you weren’t in the books. It is responsibility and commitment at the same time. It forces you to raise the standards in what you do and for me and for the Andrew Dum project, a collaboration of this type can only bring evolution on several levels.
10. Any last thoughts you want to share with our readers?
As an artist, I always tell to my listeners to follow their dreams, to do what they want and what they really feel, to love, to live the moment. All these things become clichés at some point. But what I want to emphasize and I would like to share with my listeners is that barriers appear everywhere and the professional path is not always rosy, but when you are down, when you feel you no longer have the power to surpass a specific heavy moment, you can still find that extra power to get things done. And become better day by day.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with EDM NOMAD.
Andrew Dum has more tracks in the pipeline with more releases expected out soon, so make sure to follow him on Spotify, as well as on him other social media platforms.
