Born on October 26, 1986 in Jerusalem, but raised in Amsterdam. He wrote an… Read Full Bio ↴Born on October 26, 1986 in Jerusalem, but raised in Amsterdam. He wrote an email to world-renowned producers Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek, asking if they could help him with his music career. Less than a week later, Dotan was allowed to go to London to work with producers, who previously worked on albums by Adele, Coldplay and James Morrison, among others.

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.

Tonight
Dotan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lost
In the dark
Follow the shadows of broken love
Where's your light
Oh it's caught
In a fight
Keep it open

Tonight
The walls are breaking down for love
Tonight
Our souls are eating us alive
Tonight
The calm came in while the storm came out like
Owhoahohoahohohohoa
Owhoahohoaho oh-oah

Our bones
Made of stone
Cracks
Came along while it's breaking out
Of this world
Oh it moves
While the earth keeps shaking

Tonight
The wall are breaking down for love
Tonight
Our souls are eating us alive
Tonight
The calm came in while the storm came out like
Owhoahohoahohohoa
Owhoahohoawhoaoh-oah

We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoah
We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoaho
We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoah
We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoaho

Far
So far from this old dark place
There's a light
It's shining your way

Nothing
Nothing but peace in our minds
It's glowing
Out of the day

Far
So far from this old dark place
There's a light
It's shining your way

Nothing
Nothing but peace in our minds
It's glowing
Out of the day

We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoah
We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoaho
We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoah
We're walking tonight
Owhoahohohoaho

Far
So far from this old dark place

There's a light
It's shining your way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dotan's song, "Tonight," describe a journey of finding oneself and breaking free from the shadows of past hurt or heartbreak. The song speaks of being lost in the dark, following shadows of broken love, and searching for a light that seems to be caught in a fight. The lines "Keep it open" and "Our bones made of stone, cracks came along while it's breaking out of this world" could be interpreted as a message to keep one's heart open despite past pain, and to allow oneself to break free from the past and move forward. The chorus, "Tonight, the walls are breaking down for love, tonight, our souls are eating us alive," speaks to the healing power of love and the potential for it to break through barriers and walls that keep us trapped. The repetition of "Owhoahohoahohohoa" and "Owhoahohoaho oh-oah" throughout the song adds a hypnotic quality, emphasizing the feeling of being lost in the darkness but still moving forward.

The second half of the song brings a sense of hope and renewal, describing a journey from darkness to light. The lines "Far, so far from this old dark place, there's a light, it's shining your way, nothing but peace in our minds, it's glowing, out of the day" suggest a new beginning and a sense of peace after breaking free from past hurts. The repetition of "We're walking tonight" emphasizes the sense of movement and progress towards a new chapter.

Overall, "Tonight" is a song that speaks to the struggles of the heart and the journey of self-discovery, but offers a message of hope and renewal.

Line by Line Meaning

Lost
Feeling directionless and confused

In the dark
Being in a place of darkness without any light

Follow the shadows of broken love
Being drawn towards the remnants of a love that has already ended

Where's your light
Asking where the source of hope and happiness is

Oh it's caught
Realizing that the source of light is being held back or trapped

In a fight
Being in conflict with something or someone that is preventing the source of light from shining through

Keep it open
Encouraging the light to shine through despite the obstacles

Tonight
Referring to a specific moment in time

The walls are breaking down for love
Alluding to the emotional barriers that have been erected breaking down in the name of love

Our souls are eating us alive
Describing the emotional turmoil that is being experienced

The calm came in while the storm came out like Owhoahohoahohohoa Owhoahohoaho oh-oah
Contrasting the inner turmoil with outward calmness and using an onomatopoeic sound to represent the storm and calm respectively

Our bones
Referring to what we are made of

Made of stone
Describing something that is seemingly invulnerable

Cracks
Alluding to the reality that even seemingly invulnerable things can have weaknesses and show signs of damage

Came along while it's breaking out
Indicating that the cracks happened during or as a result of something breaking out

Of this world
Relating the idea of breaking out to the concept of being free from the constraints of this world

Oh it moves
Suggesting that something that was thought to be solid and unchanging is actually in motion and changing

While the earth keeps shaking
Using a metaphor to describe the upheaval and instability of life

We're walking tonight Owhoahohohoah We're walking tonight Owhoahohohoaho
Imagery of physically moving forward and continuing despite the challenges

Far
A great distance away

So far from this old dark place
Being far removed from the dark, hopeless place previously described

There's a light
Alluding again to the source of hope and happiness

It's shining your way
Indicating that this light is specifically calling to the person and guiding them out of their darkness