We were lucky to catch up with Doah Lee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Doah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am currently doing both so I can pursue my music the way I want. Like anything else, music is same as starting a small business. You need capital and funding.

I have a corporate sales job as a day job which helped me so much in my music career. Being an artist is all about selling yourself, branding, marketing, content creation, merch, productions (songs) etc. it’s very similar to a sales job where you are cold calling and growing and managing your own book of business as well as establishing relationships and selling your band/ music, to booking agents, venues etc.

There is a stigma around having a “real” job if you want to pursue music seriously however, if you don’t have a capital and steady stream of income, it’s hard to push your music.

Everyone has a different and unique journey and path to pursue what they love. It’s all about believing in yourself and there is no right or wrong answer. We all have to make mistakes along the way to keep growing and getting better at our craft!

So don’t feel like you have to choose anything! Just follow your heart and do what’s right for you!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Doah’s daydream was born about 5 years ago but the band really came together about 3years ago. It’s been such a roller coaster of a ride but, I knew I need to keep going no matter what the circumstances and challenges are.

I never thought that I would be pursuing music. I was that corporate “money” chaser being raised in a traditional Korean household, I was told from a very young age, get good grades, go to college, get a job as a teacher or stable government job, work hard, make money that typical our society ideal of “stable” life.

Doah’s daydream came after quitting a medical device sales job that I worked so hard to get. My corporate sales journey started after college selling solar going door to door to selling xerox copiers going business to business. Finally landing a potential 6 figure selling med device job and my parents bragged all around town about. I never quit a job in my life and I quit that job in 7 months. I was so miserable working 13 hour 6 days a week with very toxic environment, I was depressed and suicidal. At that time, I thought my life was ending and feeling like an absolute failure. But this hardship made me reinvent myself and open my eyes to the real definition of happiness and success.

Happiness and success is not about what you possess material wise. It’s about your heart and mindset. I am truly grateful to do what I love and help spread the message of self love and the true meaning of happiness and what life should be. Doah’s daydream is on a mission and it’s more than just a music. It’s more about inspiring people to turn their daydreams into reality. Going against the social norms and taking risks. Music is such a beautiful gift from god and I am just beyond blessed that I get to share it with the world.

Our live shows are packed with passion and undeniable love and positive vibes. We hope to keep building this thing and our shows and music can bring something “real” and meaningful into everyone’s lives!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best thing that we can really use help on to keep the indie and local bands keep going are streaming of their music, buying their merch, attending their shows and sharing and liking their social media posts and music.

Hard reality is that local bands playing local venues don’t make much money at all. Especially having to split it with the band members. Merch support helps so much and streaming their music and pre saving their new releases helps so much!!!

I personally really appreciate when people comes to our shows! That’s the biggest support in my opinion:-)

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about doah’s daydream is seeing people stoked at our shows and having a great time! The genuine connections we make with people and amazing friends we make along the way of our journey!

Another thing is leading a band. It really takes a lot of patience and commitment to keep a band together. Juggling 6 different personalities/ group is not an easy task but it makes me happy to see my band members grow individually through all the hard work and dedication I put into the band. It’s a really humbling experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.doahsdaydream.com
• Instagram: @doahsdaydream
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/vkABinwlidA?si=KMAWSfi_XgyH0DVa