Rock Monsters Romania

DWMT La Conac, the only arts and music festival in southern Romania, organized by Diud in collaboration with Point, returns in September for its second edition with a line-up full of well-known artists, but also names for the future.

One of the big names is Dora Gaitanovici, who is set to make her return after a spectacular performance at the festival’s inaugural edition last year.

Dora has experienced a remarkable rise in recent years, becoming one of Romania’s most popular rock artists. In 2018, she reached the final of The Voice of Romania, finishing in second place, and also competed at Golden Stag Festival (Cerbul de Aur), making a huge impact on the Romanian music industry. Her talent was showcased once again less than four years later at Eurovision Romania, where she secured third place in the final with her song “Ana.” The song was also featured on her debut album, Descântec, which was praised by Romanian critics as one of the best releases of 2022.

2024 has been a standout year for Dora, with the release of her EP Pas cu Pas, a Romanian tour, and performances at some of the country’s biggest festivals, solidifying her position as one of the leading new-generation voices in Romanian rock.

Her next stop is at DWMT La Conac, where she is preparing many surprises. We had an exclusive interview with her to learn more.

Can you describe in one word what being in the DWMT La Conac lineup this year means to you? Can you also explain why you chose that word?

Antureală. It’s a Romanian word for “being along people that you love”. At least that’s what it means for us.

2024 has been another great year for you, with three releases so far. Which one is your favourite, and should we anticipate even more?

“AUĂ” is our favourite. It sets the tone for what’s coming next. We are very excited!

What should people anticipate from your show at DWMT La Conac this year?

It will be wild! We prepared a special automated light show thanks to our lighting engineer Nichita. This is something new for us and we are obsessed with it. We can’t wait to rock this awesome festival!

You were also in the lineup for the first edition last year. What was a special moment from your set that you hope to recreate this year?

During our set last year we really felt the energy of the public. It was like a lot of loving people gathered in front of us to listen to our music. We are pretty sure that this year is going to be even cooler, so to all of you that are going to be there, enjoy every moment of this festival, it is truly unique.

What bands and artists from this year’s lineup do you recommend to those who are reading this interview?

I can happily recommend just a few of them: Anna Haus, Diana Caldararu, Elven Bird, Jazz Quarters Trio, Luna Maar, Paul Tihan, Andra Andriuca, Simona Delegeanu, Andrew Dum, Hardplay, Aim + Wall, Prima Dragoste, Delta Pe Obraz, Musspell, Alex Purje and Minthegap Trio, The Kryptonite Sparks, Kadjavsi, Dimitri’s Bats, Dora Gaitanovici, HVNDS, Mihail, Satoshi, Om La Luna, Kerala Dust. Hope the other ones don’t mind. Also I heard that there are gonna be some surprises. XOXO

Text and Interview by Radu Mihai