Dounia Tazi Opens Up About Her Music And Instagram Fame
Dounia Tazi didn’t mean to get so popular, but once she did, she’s had no problem staying that way on her own terms. The 19-year-old Queens native is an aspiring young producer whose personal account blew up, and has since made waves due to her good looks and outspoken opinions on body positivity. She’s grateful for Instagram as a platform to engage with her peers and community, but makes a point of staying smart about it.
“Do you do anything specifically to maintain your Instagram?” I asked her during some downtime at her photoshoot with Amber Asaly last week. “Do you think about what you post?”
“No, not really,” she laughed. “I’ve always just posted things that I like, or photos that I think are cool, and then it just happens that people are into them.”
I wondered if it’s become difficult for Instagram-famous girls to transition their notoriety into a career that feels like a place they want to be.
“I can see how that’s a problem, and I think it’s important that girls are able to portray themselves in a number of ways. Like I can have an Instagram where I’m posting about makeup, or I can operate outside of that, and talk about my music, or politics. Both of those should be okay for people.”
Dounia is easygoing, chill, and happy to talk about anything. Which is also something she makes a point of maintaining.
“I’m just interested in starting a dialogue,” she said. “People can approach me about anything, and I’m happy to engage in a discussion. That’s more important for me than anything else.”
“So what are you on about this year? What are some goals you’re working towards?”
“I’m just working on my mixtape, which I’m really excited about,” she said. “That’s pretty much what I’m focused on right now. I’m really just trying to make music that I would listen to, and that sounds good to me.”
Dounia grew up playing guitar, started writing music in high school, and has been working both solo and with producers to create the sounds she’s looking for.
“While sitting in my high school class, I’d just start writing lyrics down on paper, usually something about a boy I liked. Around then was kind of the time I realized that music was my favorite way of expressing myself.”
Did Dounia have some tips for girls navigating Instagram, and their own music careers? She proclaimed emphatically that it was important to be unafraid of whatever reception might come of it.
“Just don’t be afraid to put whatever you’re doing out into the world. Seriously, I had no idea that people would listen to my music, or be interested in my Instagram. When I first put my music on Soundcloud, there was nobody listening to any of my tracks. So if I can do it, you can too.”
Photos by Amber Asaly
