IN CONVERSATION WITH DONNA DAFI

interview by JANA LETONJA

Donna Dafi is emerging as one of the most distinctive new voices in contemporary pop, blending emotional vulnerability, sharp visual identity, and global musical influences into a sound entirely her own. Entering her self-described “Primadonna Era”, the German-born artist is unveiling a new creative chapter through singles and visuals including Primadonna, Touch Me Like That, ManGo and Goddess. Drawing deeply from her Nigerian and Albanian heritage, she weaves together pop, R&B, and internationally inspired rhythms with striking honesty and self-expression. Beyond music, Donna brings a uniquely multidisciplinary perspective to her artistry, holding a master’s degree in architecture and independently running her own label, Record17, giving her full creative control over every aspect of her work. As the face of ESCADA Fragrances 2025/26, Donna continues to position herself at the intersection of music, fashion, design, and culture, building a world that feels intentional, cinematic, and deeply personal.

You're entering what you've called your "Primadonna Era". What was the emotional starting point for this new chapter?
I think the starting point was emotional honesty. I was going through a period where everything felt very intense. Love, ambition, loneliness, confidence, all at once and music became the place where I could finally translate those feelings into something beautiful.

I didn’t want the album to feel overly polished emotionally. I wanted it to feel sensual, cinematic, vulnerable but still empowering. Like dancing through heartbreak with glitter on your skin.

How would you describe the world you're building through your "Primadonna Era"?
It feels like late-night neon lights, intimacy, movement, freedom, softness and chaos all living together.

I wanted the album to feel immersive, like stepping into a dream where every detail has emotion attached to it. There’s glamour in it but also rawness. Confidence but also fragility. I love contrasts.

Your music blends pop, R&B, and globally influenced rhythms very naturally. How has your Nigerian and Albanian heritage shaped your sound?
Completely. Rhythm has always been part of my life. Nigerian music carries so much energy, soul and movement, while Albanian culture has this emotional depth and intensity that naturally lives inside my songwriting.

I think growing up between cultures taught me not to see music through one lens. I never wanted to limit myself creatively. I love blending sounds that feel global, emotional, rhythmic and feminine all at once.

What does authenticity mean to you as an artist right now?
Authenticity means trusting yourself enough to create from instinct instead of expectation. I think people connect most when something feels lived-in and emotionally real. I never want to make music just because something is trending. I want everything I release to feel connected to who I actually am in that moment.

How has your relationship with vulnerability evolved through songwriting?
I used to see vulnerability as something fragile but now I see it as power. The songs that scared me the most emotionally usually became the songs people connected to the deepest. That changed everything for me. It made me realize honesty is magnetic.

Songwriting became a space where I could stop performing and just feel.

You independently run your own label, Record17. Why was creative independence so important for you
Because my artistry is deeply personal to me. I’m involved in every part of the process. The visuals, the sound, the storytelling, every creative decision. Having my own label gives me the freedom to build slowly and intentionally without compromising the bigger vision.

I never wanted to just release songs, I wanted to create a world people could fully step into. Independence allowed me to protect that vision and grow on my own terms, while still staying open to future collaborations that feel creatively aligned and can help take my vision to an even bigger global level.

Your background in architecture is fascinating. How does studying architecture influence your music and visual storytelling?

Architecture taught me how emotion can exist inside structure. I think about music visually all the time. Atmosphere, tension, balance, movement, light, space. Even when I sequence songs, I think spatially.

Studying architecture made me obsessed with world-building and detail. I approach projects almost like designing emotional spaces people can step into.

Fashion plays a major role in your artistic identity. How connected are style and music for you creatively?
They’re completely connected. Fashion creates energy before you even say a word. Sometimes a look communicates the emotion of a song instantly.

I love using fashion as part of storytelling because it expands the fantasy and emotional universe around the music. Style, for me, is never separate from art.

What has it been like becoming the face of ESCADA Fragrances?
Honestly, it’s felt very natural in the best way. I actually remember years ago walking through the city with my dad and seeing Rita Ora, another Kosovan-Albanian artist, as the face of ESCADA. We both stopped and looked at the campaign and I remember saying to him, “One day that’s going to be me.”

So the fact that it actually happened still feels unreal sometimes. It really made me believe even more in manifestation and in trusting your vision before anyone else can see it.

What makes it even more special is that ESCADA already represents so many things that naturally exist inside my world, like confidence, femininity, sensuality, individuality. And I’ve always loved fragrance because it’s invisible but it leaves a memory behind. Music works the exact same way.

What conversations around womanhood or identity were important for you to explore on this project?
I really wanted to embrace contradiction. Women are expected to simplify themselves constantly. To be soft but not too emotional, ambitious but not intimidating, confident but still digestible. I think growing up with a Nigerian-German mother and being surrounded by so many strong women shaped the way I see femininity and identity deeply. I’ve always had women around me who carried strength, elegance, resilience, softness and ambition all at once and that inspired me a lot creatively and personally.

This project allows all versions of me to exist together. Sensuality, independence, vulnerability, ambition, all of it. I didn’t want to reduce myself to one dimension. I wanted the era to feel like a celebration of complexity.

Modern pop culture moves so quickly. How do you stay grounded in your own artistic voice?
By protecting my inner world. I think constantly consuming trends can disconnect you from yourself creatively. I try to stay inspired by real life. My friends and family, films, travel, design, conversations, emotions, memories, things that genuinely move me as a person, not just as an artist.

I also think it’s important to disconnect sometimes and just live. The best inspiration usually comes when you’re fully present in your own life instead of constantly looking around at what everyone else is doing. At the end of the day, longevity comes from identity, not imitation. People connect most when something feels real.

What excites you most about this next phase of your career?
To keep evolving and sharing my world with more people and building something global and impactful. I honestly feel like I’m only just getting started creatively. Music is at the heart of everything I do, but I love how naturally it connects with fashion, visuals, film and storytelling. It all feels like part of the same world to me.

I want to keep building something timeless and global, headline shows around the world and create music that feels empowering, emotional, confident and fun all at once. More than anything, I want to connect with people through my music and make them smile. Seeing other people happy because of something I created genuinely makes me happy too.

What excites me most is evolving without fear, pushing myself creatively and continuing to surprise people while staying completely true to who I am.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent DONNA DAFI
B&W photographer THOMAS VAN CAM
photographer ANDRES LEON
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA