Dove\u2019s commitment to her visuals shone during a 3 a.m. video shoot inside a U-Haul, where fake rain poured onto Dove in the cold weather, Morev said. Despite the temperature, Morev said Dove was able to get the shot in one take. He added that the music video for \u201cCotard\u2019s Delusion,\u201d released in 2026, was filmed in a prop warehouse and was completed in about an hour. The video features Dove running around the warehouse, playing with different props. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show off the props and show off this idea, like you can say whatever you want, but that doesn\u2019t hold the same kind of weight as actually showing up,\u201d Dove said. \u201cI could hold a telephone and be talking to somebody, but it doesn\u2019t work.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ae.dove_.B.courtesy.jpg\")
The alumnus sits on the floor wearing a black T-shirt, shorts and boots. The singer-songwriter is involved in every step of the creative process and makes some of her own props and costumes, including a dress constructed with safety pins and a disco-tiled table. (Courtesy of Garrison Morev)<\/p>\n
But Dove\u2019s visuals are not the only innovative thing about her work. Skye Abrams, Dove\u2019s friend and producer, said Dove is a musical risk-taker, consistently pushing to improve upon her previous projects or weave in new influences across genres.<\/p>\n
\u201cDina is truly a fan of these niche styles of music, and she lives it and breathes it,\u201d Abrams said. \u201cWhenever she makes a pop record or a dance record, she tends to always want to push boundaries of that style in some way.\u201d <\/p>\n
Abrams added that by incorporating these unexpected elements in a pop song, like influences from shoegaze and dungeon synth music, Dove creates songs that people can listen and relate to in different settings. These moments are attention-grabbing for listeners, Abrams said, encouraging them to approach Dove\u2019s work from new angles. <\/p>\n
\u201cI love to record music because I get to try new things and experiment with my voice,\u201d Dove said. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to have that ability to write whatever you want and use your voice in a bunch of different ways.\u201d <\/p>\n
This DIY attitude seeped into Dove\u2019s experience at UCLA, where she was one of the first students to go through the entire music history and industry program, she said. <\/p>\n
Between studying the history of punk music and the business of music production, Dove said she took an independent study course where her main project was to grow a TikTok account from zero followers. After a steady stream of covers, singing challenges and rewriting lyrics from different perspectives, Dove said she grew the account to about 17,000 followers. Though the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Dove\u2019s undergraduate experience, she said it gave her the opportunity to take classes in multiple states, from her hometown in Ohio to Nashville, Tennessee. <\/p>\n
When in-person classes resumed in her final year of school, Dove said she came back to Westwood, where she filmed the \u201cLove It.\u201d music video in her apartment on Ophir Drive. <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ae.dove_.C.courtesy.jpg\")
The singer\/songwriter sits around cords in a concrete space. Whether it\u2019s drawing inspiration from medieval documentaries or interpersonal relationships, Dove tells heartfelt stories with a danceable beat. (Courtesy of Garrison Morev)<\/p>\n
Dove\u2019s homemade strategy for songwriting grew with her since childhood, the artist said. Early influences like The Clash and the \u201cBarbie\u201d film series made her fall in love with music as a form of expression, and Taylor Swift inspired her use of metaphors in her songwriting, Dove added. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery old home video of me always has music in the background,\u201d Dove said. \u201cI was always exposed to music, and I was never told not to listen to something. If I wanted to listen to screamo to go to bed, I could do that.\u201d <\/p>\n
After experimenting with vocal lessons and classical training throughout high school, Dove said she decided to pivot and learn more about the music industry. She added that she sought to create her own genre \u2013 including influences from rock, grunge, shoegaze, hyperpop and dance music. <\/p>\n