Dornika
Gender fluid Iranian-American artist Dornika is a Berlin based musician, visual artist, drag performer and vocal coach. Born in Tehran, she migrated with her mom to the US at age 7 only to move back a few years later to Tehran where she grew up. She moved to Berlin in 2017, establishing herself shorty after in the vibrant queer nightlife scene, creating alter-ego Many Faced Godx, and mixing drag, music and dance performance in festivals and clubs in Europe.
Dornika started playing classical piano at an early age. She later learned classical guitar and Setar only to discover her real passion in singing and composition. As a teenager she wrote pop songs and composed them on her bedroom piano. After facing many hardships in Iran as a female singer, she took a break from music and studied Fine Arts in Tehran and then in Berlin. She started writing and producing music again in 2019 and shortly after started teaching others how to find power in their voices drawing compassion from hardships she faced herself.
Dornika’s work is heavily influenced by her activism, confronting subjects of state violence, sexism, inequality and mental health. Her debut single, Fatbulous, is a body positive high energy pop track celebrating traditionally shamed elements of female bodies. Dornika’s music is not bound by genre. She draws from all parts of her life, picking up as she goes and exploring elements of jazz, hip-hop, pop, Iranian folk, voguing beats, techno and experimental electronic music.