After securing the win as as the Most Popular Group /Duo/Collaboration at the 35th edition of the Anugerah Bintang Popular BH (ABPBH), Dolla has launched their new single “Damelo” featuring Hard Lights.
Originally written in Spanish, the song was given a Malay and English twist by female rapper Sya and produced by hiphop star, SonaOne.
“Although the song is written in Malay and English, we kept some parts in Spanish to honor the original songwriter. We had to learn some Spanish pronunciation from SonaOne and his sister to ensure the song was well delivered. And besides, apart from the fact that we love experimenting new things, we also have fans from Latin America now. So the timing is just right,” said the girls of DOLLA about this new project.
“So happy for the new release! This is a huge accomplishment and we all should be very proud. As a record label developing homegrown girl A-pop group, meeting regional or global standards definitely requires a big effort from the eco-system including the commitment from the DOLLA girls and the Universal Music team. Action speaks louder than words, and the results are reflected in the music to brand engagements as well as concert announcements which are coming soon,”said Kim Lim, Managing Director, Universal Music Malaysia.
Echoing views on this successful project is Hermond Cheng, Director, A&R and Marketing and Head, Def Jam Recordings Malaysia “Congratulations DOLLA! “DAMELO is a very fresh and current track that further cements DOLLA as one of the top groups in the region. I’m so proud I have been with you from the start, and the multi platinum achievements that you so deserve! Can’t wait to take the next steps with you on our journey together for Asian domination!” quoted Hermond.
The Spanish titled track also has several meanings for the four talented girls.
“Well the song can be about doing what you need to do in order to achieve something. And to do this, We use our capabilities and energy as females. you listen carefully,-it actually our most feminine song and screams of women empowerment” the girls added.
The song, which took several sessions to be completed, also comes with an interesting music video with visuals that set the tone for what their coming full album will be like.
“The music video for DAMELO is a huge step forward for us. It showcases a different side and a more mature version of DOLLA has several different elements, like the desert and water with some dance scenes as well. We wanted something new and amazing so we tried to put in different surprises in this video.
We gave full trust to Pyqul and Tessera Productions to deliver the Spanish Baddie vibe and they really gave it their 100%. The team young, fresh and worked really well in delivering a really trendy music video that matched the song. We are super happy with the video and hope everyone else loves it too,” explained DOLLA about their music video.
However nothing was without challenges. The girls did face some issues while filming the music video.
“We were shooting in the desert and a workshop, it was super hot! lmagine we had to dance and shoot with lights all over us for hours under the hot sun. Shoutout to the production team and the dancers for taking the heat like champions with us and still looked amazing in in the video.
Even though it was hot, it started raining during the workshop scene, which set back our schedule for quite a bit, but overall it really was a great experience thanks to the crew’s efficient planning,” the girls added.
The girls of DOLLA also hope that DAMELO will allow them to engage with more international listeners and fans.
“We have never tried anything fully in this genre and hope with this track we can reach a different market, It would be a good song that people can enjoy at EDF festivals too. Hope everyone loves it like we do,” ended the girls on a happy note.
DAMELO is set for release on all digital platforms starting 28 July and can be access by clicking here. The music video can be viewed on DOLLA VEVO YouTube channel from 4 August onwards. In fact, the lyric video is currently trending at 10th place on the YouTube Music chart.