HI EVERYONE I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHEN YOU PLAY MY SONGS, TO PLAY THE PLAYLISTS AND THE ALBUMS FIRST! THANK YOU!! From Sofia/Bulgaria comes Donnie Donkov (Dobrin 'Donnie' Donkov), a talented man who began writing songs since he was very young. Over time he learned to play classical and electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, bass and flute and with the help from the new technologies, he edited and mastered his songwriting and compositions. He was in a band called Lithium for a few years after 2000. Donnie was writing, composing, arranging, editing, mixing, recording and mastering his songs on his computer until 2015, when he created 'Donnie Donkov Project' - a formation of guest musicians, editors, artists, music video directors and more, to record studio singles and albums, shooting professional videos, do all kinds projects in the name of ART. Donnie is the only producer of the 'Project' for now. He still writes, composes and arranges everything. Though he says he prefers not to sing his own songs. “Only 3 of them are professionally recorded for now and recording a fourth one with 'Donnie Donkov Project', but even so, I believe that all songs sound nice. We've got professionally shot official video to "Gone Forever" and at the end of the summer we're shooting another one to "It's a Beautiful Day to Start Over". By the way, recently I began to write so much new stuff - new Instrumentals and songs, movie-like music, kiddy songs... entirely new music, new lyrics', poems, short stories (even began a novel), screenwriting and some other... kind of alternative stuff which are still in progress. I'm full of ideas!!! The other thing is that I realized now I am also interested in some things like marketing, commercial and advertising, photography, music, video and photo editing and montage, directing, acting, all visual arts, painting and so many more... You can say I am expanding myself, hehe. Through exploring everyday new bands, new songs and new styles, I understand the richness of the music so I continue writing all the time”, says Donnie.
Since I can remember, I loved music, I got inspired from it and expressed myself with it. All my life was music. Still is! My parents told me that when I was so little and I barely spoke I sang, danced and drummed all the time, haha. Maybe I was 10 or something I liked the late 80’s and the early 90’s. I began from pop, rap, Bulgarian music and soft rock. Later on, in my life, my interest in music moved to hard rock, grunge, metal, punk, jazz, classical and movie music and then I have realized that maybe I can try to write something on my own because I lived with music all the time and it was the thing that mattered the most to me and kept me going. I wrote my first song in 1996. That’s how I found a way to express myself through music. Then my friends liked the songs so I decided to go on writing. I felt from that like never before and I realized this is my calling.
Well, this depends. I have a few actually. I want to be well known movie composer. Not like James Horner, you know, but enough to pay my bills, hah. I Don't want to be center of attention, on stage or something. I want just to write good enough songs, so someone can perform them and I just want to be credited for that. To be remembered for leaving something behind, you know.
I think I would do similar things to those which Leonardo DiCaprio is doing, but I'd include the health care too. I don't think I can stop crazy people or wars. Simple as that.
Wow, just one... Hmm, let me think. I recall I was very impressed and couldn't stop listening to two songs... Don't laugh! East 17's 'It's alright' and Jon Bon Jovi's 'Blaze of Glory'... I think :)
This will be long! My absolute favorites are Led Zeppelin (Especially Robert Plant), The Doors, Sinead O'Connor, Tony Mortimer, Pearl Jam, Beatles... John Lennon, U2 (before 2006), Pearl Jam, Michael Jackson... They are so many and can't count that much!!! The songs, which I have liked and inspired me at my early age, are all from different music styles, because of the fact that I have went through many different stages of structuring my music preferences. Some of those songs are Bulgarian hits, which are not world-famous, but they were very influential for my development as a composer. ‘The Doors’ and ‘The Beatles’ are classic, they have inspired many generations and musicians. ‘U2’ also had a big impact on my music, though 'Led Zeppelin', Tony Mortimer, 'Rainbow', Sinead O'Connor, 'Pink Floyd' and Michael Jackson had the last word.
Each one of my songs is inspired by a significant event in my life, music band or by a person – a girlfriend, friend of mine or by a member of my family. For this reason I can’t determine exactly, what is the inspiration of my music. But most significant impact were both girls... surprise, surprise :) One of them is an Ex girlfriend, won't tell name, and the other was my best friend. Maybe mostly her life and death influenced my music the most.
For me are very important are the feelings, which my music stimulates in everyone and the legacy which I want to pass to the audience from all generations. When I was young I have saw and felt what an impact the music from the early 90's had on the audience and me, and I know what an inspiration for the people was the hippie music wave in the late 60's and early 70's. My dream is to influence people like that. I want to believe that I would contribute for the moral development of the people through a serious and deep music, which also could be a way to remember and save some of the lost memories from the past. I would like to influence people the way I was influenced from songs by great performers such as ‘Led Zeppelin’ for example.
Wow, that's a tough one. Like everyone else, I suppose, I'm really nervous on stage, especially in the beginning, sometimes even really insecure. But this depends on so much stuff. Like type of audience, number of audience, the place you're performing, the songs you're allowed or not allowed to play, friends in the crowd and most important - the people you play with.
Oh my... Everything, almost EVERYTHING, I wish If I could I would turn back time, a bit at least. Now 95% of the popular/commercial music is built and based on MONEY, image, scandals, looks, yellow and corrupt press, connections with the 'BIG ONES', but never, ever on the quality of the music, lyrics', arrangements and so on. Don't get me started on the genres... It's bad right now, and it's going to get worse! There are exceptions of course, but most of them are not famous. For THIS Century I'm thinking about Coldplay, Adele who are famous for example. I had no idea, how many bands are struggling and are great musicians, with awesome songs, but don't have the qualities above. It's really rare someone to help, like your site - https://drooble.com/ ! And by the way I heard about them recently! Also in my country is even worse, haha. Some of us are trying to do something, but the corruption is stronger! I'm really sorry I'm so negative, but that's what I think! I'm getting more and more disappointed! The REAL musicians don't take any money, instead of the so called "musicians" I mentioned above.
Drooble is just awesome! This is the one site that has got everything a musician needs. It's becoming more and more popular and I hope it becomes the leader of all musical sites!
This is a very long subject, so I'll talk only about me, personally, just about one of the things. I studied and worked lots of stuff, but I rarely enjoyed any of them, or I was no good at them. So here comes the first and main problem - the money. You've got to have connections, to be a child of a famous musician, to have money already and many more like that, which I won't say here because I'll insult someone for sure. That is why you've got to have another job and you can't devote to the music entirely.
Yes, I do. I'm in a direct contact with some of them, I advertise them as much as I can (I don't think of anyone as a competition), I go the their concerts, support them in internet... stuff like this.
To be talented, hard-working, devoted, serious about the work... the art, not to be selfish.
Jeremy?, P.I.F., Tony Mortimer, Atlas, Der Hunds, FSB, Avenue, Monyx, Ostava, Ahat, The Mystery Of Bulgarian Voices, 100 kaba gaidi, tupani i gaidi