Dom Dolla Releases ‘Eat Your Man’ With Nelly Furtado And Talks Losing His Hearing

When it comes to low-end club music slated to hook audiences around the globe, Dom Dolla is the one to turn to. The producer and deejay, legally known as Dominic Matheson, boats a signature style of house music, one that is full of explosive energy that gets people grooving on the dancefloor. On Friday, June 2, the tastemaker released “Eat Your Man” in collaboration with Nelly Furtado.

Catchy lyrics, pounding basslines, swirling synths and more are heard on the track, showcasing his ability to create house heaters. The artist brought a dance music and rave side to Furtado, which she hasn’t explored before. Matheson says he was working with Furtado on new music for her project, and she expressed that she’s into his club records and would like to be featured on one of them. According to Matheson, he has been a fan of Furtado since he was young. He says that the inspiration behind “Eat Your Man” was to pay homage to her lyrics and sound but with a club spin on it. In addition, the artwork for the record is notable as it features an illustration of a snake hand-drawn on a napkin.

“I think the Dom Dolla brand will always have a foot in the club world—that’s how I see myself as a house music producer and a deejay,” Matheson says. “But my ear for melody and hooks I feel lends itself quite easily to pop records, so I really enjoy helping [Furtado] with her pop songs. [It] has been a lot of fun for me as well. I’m looking forward to doing more of it, stepping outside of the Dom Dolla world and helping other people with their music as opposed to just focusing on my own.”

At one point, the producer had an ear infection, one that was so bad that he lost his hearing in his right ear. While he eventually got it back, he is left with permanent tinnitus in both ears since tinnitus is a neurological condition. The artist says it was the scariest week of his life. While he took medication to heal from the ear infection, damage was done to the hairs in the cochlear of his inner ear. Now, the producer says he is a strong advocate for hearing protection.

“The hearing you’ve got now is the best hearing you’ll have for your entire life,” he says.

Matheson is known to change up his production style depending on what is exciting him in house music at the time. The Manilla-born and Melbourne-bred artist says he tends to get bored in the studio easily, so he tries to expand his production horizons and create whatever he finds interesting at the time.

“The benefits are that I can take a break from production and then come back and sort of refresh my sound after having some time off,” he says. “I think the con is the audience doesn’t really know what to expect—they can get a bit thrown if I take a bit of a left turn production-wise. But it’s exciting. I feel like it’ll mean that my career lasts for a long time because I’m sort of flexible studio wise and I love writing all sorts of music.”

The sound designer takes the time with each show to deliver something special, creating a distinctive experience. Matheson says he aims to create takeaway moments for the audiences as he feels that while audiences have an expectation to hear his records when he performs, he tries to make the set interesting by including edits and remixes that haven’t been heard before—making a standout performance. He adds that doing this is commonly seen in the modern-day house and techno culture, but he creates a bigger manifestation of it.

When it comes to his philosophy when making music, the artist says he believes that “the really memorable songs are written where someone can describe the song to somebody else without playing it.” He cites his track “Miracle Maker” as an example since it can be explained as a big ‘90s rave song or a tune with a weird, quirky pitched-up vocal. He notes that he’s inspired by unforgettable tunes, and he says that the number of songs uploaded to Spotify each day shows that the scene has become more competitive, further motivating him to create memorable hits.

Matheson says that his favorite song he has ever made at the time of this interview (May 9, 2023) is “Miracle Maker” because the elated track made his “hair stand up” when he was creating it. He adds that another favored track is “Eat Your Man” as it is a “full-blown pop song for [Furtado].”

Aside from losing his hearing and having permanent tinnitus, Matheson says the biggest hurdle he has faced in life is being a world-touring deejay. The Australian producer says it is difficult being about 20 hours of travel from his friends and family. He notes that Australian producers rarely move overseas because of this since they have to sacrifice everything and start a new life to follow their dream. He adds that there is solitude in being a touring Australian artist.

“I’ve lived in Airbnbs since 2016, except for covid when I was back home in Australia,” Matheson says. “Not having a fixed address, I’m really feeling quite lost. [You’re] not really sure where you sit or where you are at any given moment, and everyone else is having a fixed routine…It’s difficult to maintain relationships [while] constantly traveling. You’re literally a nomad as an Australian. [As] an international touring artist, you’re literally a nomad until you decide to sort of lay down roots. I actually moved to [Los Angeles] and rented a house, so I finally have somewhere to keep my stuff, but I’ve been living out of a carry-on suitcase and a backpack since 2016.”