He always did all this without the help of a record company, but in early 2010 he signed a contract with EMI Group. This contract resulted in the recording of his debut album Dream Parade in Los Angeles. The first single from this album is the song This Town. With this, 3FM immediately chose him as 3FM Serious Talent. Giel Beelen called him the greatest talent of 2011 on March 10, 2011 during the broadcast of De Wereld Draait Door. His first single This Town was named 3FM Megahit on March 27 and Dotan was a guest at Giel Beelen and De Wereld Draait Door.
His debut album Dream Parade was released on May 20 and was immediately named by CD of the week on 3FM and 3voor12. Dotan received positive reactions for his album in magazines such as OOR, Elsevier, Metro and de Volkskrant. His second single Where we belong was linked to Amnesty International's international campaign, which is why he flew to Nigeria to perform for the slums of Port Harcourt. The accompanying clip grew into a YouTube hit with more than 200,000 views.
In the summer of 2011, Dotan appeared at various festivals and was a guest on the larger radio and television programs. Then Dotan started his "Dream Parade Tour" through the big clubs of the Netherlands. Dotan's debut album will also be released in several other countries, of which Israel is the first.
Dotan's unique voice is often compared to Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody.
Dotan reached a milestone by being the first artist in history to remain on the number 1 spot in the Serious Talent charts for more than 5 months. With this he leaves artists such as Caro Emerald, Go Back To The Zoo and Krystl behind. This chart is based on the popularity on the social media of the artists. A nomination for the Serious Talent Award 2011 followed, but during the presentation at Paaspop 2012 it was announced that he did not win this prize.
Dotan went on tour with Gavin Degraw in February, with whom he played in sold-out venues such as the Melkweg and Oosterpoort. Two months later on April 17, 2012, he provided the opening act for Sinéad O'Connor in the main hall of the Paradiso.
In April 2018, after several months of research, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant revealed that Dotan had enlisted the aid of at least 140 troll accounts to boost his online reputation and following. These accounts disparaged other musicians and made up feel-good stories about chance encounters with fans. de Volkskrant also revealed that Dotan's management had repeatedly tried to alter Dotan's Dutch Wikipedia page. The singer later confirmed the existence of these accounts, apologised, and terminated all his social media activities.
Ghost
Dotan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold on so tight
When you crawl through these moments
With that fear locked inside
Waving off the tracks
As life passes by
I'm a ghost of my life
Passing my homeland
Felt all the emptiness
In the palm of your hands
Oh boy
Keep sailing right into the evening skies
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
I'm a ghost
So cold
Living in my shadow
Into the night
Into the night of gold
All these memories unknown
Leaving before these breakdowns
Into the light
Into the light of gold
Blinding shadows
Blinding lights
Climbing that safety rope
Until it blinds your sight
Growing and growing till the beast comes alive
I'm a ghost of my life
The cold wind is blowing
Upon the deep
Buried away under
These hands of memories
Saving what is left of scarred paradise
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
I'm a ghost
So cold
Living in my shadow
Into the night
Into the night of gold
All these memories unknown
Leaving before these breakdowns
Into the light
Into the light of gold
The lyrics of Dotan's song "Ghost" seem to talk about feelings of emptiness and disconnection from one's self and surroundings. The opening lines encourage holding onto the positive moments in life, but it is clear that there is a struggle with fear and a sense of being lost. The singer describes themselves as a "ghost of my life," which implies a sense of detachment and feeling like they are just going through the motions.
The middle section of the song takes on a more hopeful tone, with the singer encouraging themselves to keep moving forward despite the challenges. However, there is still a recognition of the unknown and uncertain, as the memories are described as "unknown" and the breakdowns are looming in the distance. The final lines of the song provide a sense of closure, with the singer acknowledging the difficult but necessary journey towards the light.
Overall, the lyrics of "Ghost" convey a sense of struggle with inner demons and the need to face them head-on in order to move forward. It is a poignant reflection on the complexities of the human experience and the importance of resilience and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold on to mornings
Try to hold on to the good moments, the brighter mornings in life
Hold on so tight
Hold on tightly to those moments, because they are fleeting
When you crawl through these moments
When you struggle through these difficult moments in life
With that fear locked inside
With that feeling of anxiety and uncertainty within you
Waving off the tracks
Trying to ignore what is happening around you, as if trying to wave off an oncoming train
As life passes by
As time moves on, and life continues
I'm a ghost of my life
Feeling detached and disconnected from your own life, as if you are just going through the motions
How long I sailed without
How long I traveled without reaching my destination
Passing my homeland
Without being able to return home
Felt all the emptiness
Feeling a deep sense of emptiness within yourself
In the palm of your hands
As if it is something you hold in the palm of your hand, tangible and real
Oh boy
An exclamation of frustration or sadness
Keep sailing right into the evening skies
Keep moving forward, even if it feels like the sun is setting on your life
I'm a ghost
Feeling like you are not truly present in your own life, as if you are just a ghost of yourself
So cold
Feeling emotionally frozen and disconnected
Living in my shadow
Feeling overshadowed by your own struggles and issues
Into the night
Moving forward even when it is dark and difficult
Into the night of gold
Though the night may be dark, there is still something beautiful in the midst of it
All these memories unknown
All of the experiences you have had that you don't fully understand or comprehend
Leaving before these breakdowns
Trying to escape before things fall apart completely
Into the light
Moving toward something brighter and better in life
Into the light of gold
Moving toward something beautiful and wonderful in life, something like the golden light of morning
Blinding shadows
The things in life that are dark and hard to see through
Blinding lights
The things in life that are too bright and painful to look at
Climbing that safety rope
Trying to find something safe and stable to hold on to in the midst of chaos
Until it blinds your sight
Until the safety you've found actually blinds you to what is going on around you
Growing and growing till the beast comes alive
Allowing something negative to fester and grow until it becomes a monstrous force in your life
The cold wind is blowing
Feeling a cold, harsh wind blowing through your life
Upon the deep
In the depths of your soul and being
Buried away under
Hidden deep inside, buried beneath the surface
These hands of memories
All of the memories that you carry with you
Saving what is left of scarred paradise
Trying to cling to the good that is left, even in the midst of pain and struggle
It's alright
Things will be okay, even if they don't feel okay right now
I'm a ghost
Feeling lost and disconnected from your own life, as if you are not really there
So cold
Feeling emotionally frozen and lonely
Living in my shadow
Feeling overshadowed by your own struggles and pain
Into the night
Moving forward, even in the midst of darkness
Into the night of gold
Finding beauty and light even in the midst of darkness
All these memories unknown
All the experiences you have had that you don't fully understand or comprehend
Leaving before these breakdowns
Trying to escape before things fall apart completely
Into the light
Moving toward something brighter and better in life
Into the light of gold
Moving toward something beautiful and wonderful, like the golden light of morning
Contributed by Addison N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Priya Mahtani
I could listen to this track (and album) over and over.. and then some. Simply beautiful. Thank you so much xo
Patate
Showering listening to his album was the best move of my day. 😚
Христина Візничак
it's just a great song!
rvo
Love it.. hidden gem..yay
Willemijn Hummelink
pure emoties
Fleur van Felius
goede song dotan :)
Floor Janssen
Fleur van Felius Hey Daryl Dixon!
zof zof
i wish i've found this in 2014
Meloncholy Chill 🍉
If you like this song I recomend to listen "Wash Away" by Joe Purdy as well ❤️
Alka Singh
i may make music video for this and if he uploads that would be great