Rock Monsters Romania

Energy is arguably the most essential attribute in the music industry. From late-night concerts to long journeys and unexpected challenges, you need to possess it all and handle everything.

Dorina Constantin is the perfect example of pure energy and joy. Whether she’s manning the merch stands at various Overground concerts or serving as the Booking Agent and Operations Planning Manager at Overground Music, it seems like she is everywhere at once, always with a broad smile on her face.

It seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Well, there’s more. Dorina also serves as the manager (or “band mom,” as she likes to say) for Dimitri’s Bats, a rapidly rising alternative band from Bucharest. They had an exceptional 2023, featuring a new album and an opening show for The 1975 in Bucharest, as well as concerts at showcases in Estonia, Poland, and Hungary.

She is also the Project Coordinator of Women in Music Romania mentorship program, an initiative by Carina Sava and supported by Raw Music, Watermelon Agency, and Overground Music, a program that helps girls and women step forward in the music industry. Additionaly, she manages the social media pages for a Montessori Kindergarten based in Bucharest, where she previously worked as a teacher assistant.

I met Dorina in 2022 at Mastering the Music Business, and since then, I’ve been eager to uncover her secret to pure energy, joy, and a vibrant life through her clothing. Simultaneously, I’m impressed by her professionalism and experience in the music industry and I strongly believe Dorina is the perfect example of how a woman can thrive in this industry. After 2 years, she continues to surprise and inspire me with her stories about her life and how she has overcome any difficulty she faced or how she handles any situation.

We attempted to learn more about her, her role models, and what motivates her every day in a special interview.

What are the things people should know about you before reading this interview?

Hi there, I’m Dorina and that’s already a difficult question. 😊) I’ve studied Japanese and worked for 5 years as a kindergarten teacher. Now I’m a booker at Overground Music, band mom at Dimitri’s Bats, social media manager at Montessori Kindergarten of Bucharest, and, of course, doing my best at Women in Music Romania & Mastering the Music Business.

I’ve been living in a botanical garden since 2019, when I discovered that a plant a day keeps sadness away. I constantly have 2828772 tabs open in my mind and I don’t know where the music is coming from.

Which woman inspired you from the beginning? What have you learned from her as a model?

In every stage of my professional career (and not only) I’ve met women who have inspired me: through their attitude and way of acting in certain situations, through their perspective they chose to look from at moments that felt like the end of the world, through their moments of vulnerability and strength, through the way they manage their work-life balance, or the way they set boundaries.

Indeed, the constant sources of inspiration and support are my colleagues at Women in Music, my best friends and last, but not least, my mother, who is the best model of resilience and strength I know.

Why have you chosen the music industry? Where does your passion come from?

Working in the music industry was just a natural continuation of what I did in “Brigada de Voluntari”, an NGO that deals with organizing events, that I joined in 2014. I was the kind of volunteer who was the first to arrive and the last to leave. I loved what I was doing and attended as many events as my time (and my energy) allowed.

With them I volunteered at festivals and concerts, Summer Well, Untold, Rock the City, Robbie Williams, until one day, I ended up volunteering at a concert organized by Overground Music. At the same time, besides volunteering I was also constantly going to live concerts of our local bands.
But my passion for music goes way back – with the 3 Sud Est book I received from Santa Claus in ‘98, with all the concerts I used to perform using the living room table as my stage, with the stacks of posters from magazines like Popcorn or Bravo.

Later, I discovered the power of live concerts, how music is a perfect temporary band-aid, and, with the risk of being cheesy, I can say that music held me in its arms through grief, anxiety, and breakups.

Was there a moment when another woman warned you about the challenges you might face in the music industry because you’re a woman? What was your reaction?

I don’t remember this kind of warning coming from a woman, but from a man in the music industry whom I was working with at the time. He told me ‘You don’t have enough b#lls for working in this industry – they will eat you alive.’ and I have felt in his tone that, ironically, he was both protecting and bullying me, as if he wanted to say, ‘you won’t make it, you’d better give up’. In the moment, it was quite hard and discouraging to hear this, but with the most casual smile I could force I answered, ‘Then I’ll grow some’.

Have you faced any challenges that could only happen to women in this industry? Can you give us some examples and explain how you overcame them?

There were some situations when I felt that maybe I would have had more authority in front of the male interlocutor, If I were a man.

I could mention this phone call with a venue owner – I was trying to discuss the conditions for the artist who was going to play in his venue and as soon as I started verbalizing them, he started yelling on the phone. Among HOW DARE YOU?!, YOU DON’T KNOW WHO I AM!! and WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?, and other nice words spelled in a soft voice, only at the end of the “discussion” (which was more of a monologue), I realized how his voice actually sounded like, because until then it had been a constant howl. During the whole conversation I tried to answer calmly, bringing fair arguments, but I must admit, deep down, I wanted to scream so badly. 😊

I wouldn’t say this was a situation that could have happened exclusively to women, but let’s just say that we are more “prone” to be treated this way.

Have you ever felt pressured to present yourself in a certain way because of your gender?

I can’t remember a specific moment, but I think that in general, I feel the need to prove more, to achieve goals through a lot of work – if I were to achieve a goal with less effort, my first reaction would probably be that I don’t deserve it. I know that this doesn’t necessarily come from a gender difference, but talking to several women about it, I realize that maybe we are more prone to the impostor syndrome.

What changes would you like to see in the industry to make it more inclusive and welcoming for women?

I believe that our activity at Women in Music Romania is a good example of being more inclusive for women in this industry. We have the mentorship program in which ten successful women from the music industry guide ten women at the beginning of their careers. We organise #HerStory, a series of interviews in which powerful women who usually sit in the shadows share their stories and inspire others. And we also organize free workshops which are open to everyone.
I also think this feeling of inclusion is also in small gestures – in encouraging other women, in helping them, in appreciating another woman’s successes and praising their achievements.

How optimistic are you about the future of the music industry in terms of gender equality?

Looking back at the beginnings of the Women in Music community and at what we have managed to build so far, I can say I’m very optimistic. I realize though that we are still just a drop in an ocean. But drop by drop, I am sure we will make waves. 😀

Can you share a memorable experience or achievement in your career that you’re particularly proud of?

I’ve started as a fan of most of the bands with whom I ended up working with later, so the first emails or interactions with them felt like huge milestones in my career, haha.
Jokes aside, some memorable and kind of recent experiences are two Dimitri’s Bats concerts – the one in Poland in December 2022, when they shared the stage with one of the biggest Polish artists, Daria Zawiałow, and also the concert at Romexpo, in Bucharest, when they opened for The 1975.
Another moment that made me feel super proud was the coordination of a team of 40 volunteers at a festival.

Are there any projects or collaborations you’re currently working on that you’re excited about and would like to share with our audience?

I am super happy that Dimitri’s Bats are one of the 3 Romanian artists in the HEMI Music Awards program. Also, we are currently preparing for a new single release at Club Control, on March 7th.
Otherwise, I can tell you to save the date, 21st of May, for a new Women in Music Romania project.

Looking back on your career journey so far, what are some valuable lessons or insights you’ve gained that you wish you knew when you were starting out?

I am still learning a lot and still working on many aspects. But during my career journey so far, I have learned that perspective is very important (and in general, in life). In the beginning, being very passionate about what I was doing (don’t get me wrong, I still am), it was difficult for me not to take things personally, and that came with a lot of energy consumption.

Meanwhile, I learned to be more solution oriented and sometimes I do this exercise where I ask myself (after a lot of overwhelming overthinking, of course, haha) – Will this matter in 5 years?, and if the answer is ‘No’ (and it usually is), I take a step back and handle the situation with less pressure on myself.

I am also working on being clearer with my boundaries and, another thing that I must mention is that I sometimes tend to postpone emails or phone calls that give me anxiety, and this only makes things worse, so yeah, I totally don’t recommend it.
Oh, and another thing I’ve learned quite late is that sleep is REALLY important.

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to pursue a career in music? But to the ones that are reading this interview?

For those who want a career in the music industry, I encourage them to apply for the Women in Music Romania mentorship program, to attend our events, to try to be as present as possible at the various events in this industry – networking is essential. 😀

And for anyone reading this interview (regardless of gender), I’m just going to leave one of my favourite quotes: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you don’t know about.

PS: Thaaank you so much for this interview, Rock Monsters team, you are doing a great job!

If you’re seeking to witness her energy and perhaps discover a new role model for everything from time management to social media, you can find Dorina on her Instagram account. There, she shares updates about her projects and posts entertaining reels to brighten your day!

Regarding this series, keep an eye on our accounts tomorrow to meet another influential woman who is shaping our music industry.

Text by Radu Mihai

Interview by Ionela Pleșan and Radu Mihai