Gen Z S’porean Quit Her Full-Time Job… Now She Writes For Twice & Itzy

Is it truly possible to build a career around one’s hobbies and passions, or is the 'sensible' path to settle for a stable nine-to-five job? While the best scenario is to make a living doing what you love, in today’s economy, many might question whether that goal is truly realistic or just wishful thinking.

For 26-year-old Gen Z Singaporean Daina Ariffin (Dainasaurs), she has successfully turned her passion for music into a thriving career.

In the latest episode of Gen Z Crash Course, Daina meets host Chen Qijia to open up about her songwriting journey and the choices that shaped where she is today.

“It was a passion of mine, and I didn’t think it would actually come true," says Daina. "Growing up I loved music, I joined a singing competition in primary school and I won, and I also joined a songwriting competition on Suria.”

Daina used to feel shy about her hobby and kept it from her parents. “There’s a stigma that doing music full-time is not stable financially,” she explains. 

“I followed the safe Singaporean route, I studied mass communication in poly and uni, and worked a full-time marketing job for three years,” she adds. 

When the pandemic hit, Daina reflected on what she truly wanted from life and what made her fulfilled. 

Her online song covers caught the attention of producers, leading to demo recordings and eventually songwriting camps to hone her craft.

Daina went on to work on nearly 200 songs before landing her big K-pop breakthrough, co-writing ‘Mirage’, a track for Sana of girl group Twice’s sub-unit Misamo.

“I wrote some original songs in the years before, as I was in my full-time marketing job. There’s a lot of anxiety as well ‘cos you don’t know when the artiste will pick up the song, and if they do, they might hold it for a while before eventually dropping it,” she reveals. 

Daina adds: “It was Twice that encouraged me to quit my job and pursue songwriting full time. I was flown to Tokyo Dome to see Misamo perform my song for the first time. I could physically see the impact the song had on people, and it was crazy for me.”

She decided to take a leap of faith, and went on to create other popular tracks, including Itzy’s ‘Rock & Roll’, NiziU’s ‘Love Line’, and Japanese idol group Liella’s ‘Free Flight’.

Career wins aside, Daina still had to do the hardest thing:  tell her parents she was choosing music.

“I was scared for years to tell them about it, but eventually my mum ended up being my driving force and number one supporter. I told her about the earnings and my plans for the future and she finally gave me the go ahead,” says Daina. When asked to disclose her income, she simply chuckles. 

Looking ahead, Daina hopes to focus on her own projects, including creating original music under her Dainasaurs moniker. “And hopefully one day, I hope to write the NDP song, if they will have me,” she adds.

Her advice to aspiring songwriters? “Don’t wait, put yourself out there. Use platforms like TikTok and Instagram, treat them like a global audition tape. You never know what might come of it.”

Photos: Mediacorp

Watch the full episode of Gen Z Crash Course on YouTube, or catch it below.