Born on the 7th of June 1988 in Geneva, Boris Reimao aka Dorian Reland grew up developing an early taste for music. « There was always a song in my head, playing in the back of my mind. It was like that when I was a kid and it is still like that now. People find it annoying how I can sing while talking to them ».
He started to practice his vocals by singing along to his favorite Sony Cassette player. Although he never had proper singing lessons, Dorian grew to become a better singer as years pass...

Born on the 7th of June 1988 in Geneva, Boris Reimao aka Dorian Reland grew up developing an early taste for music. « There was always a song in my head, playing in the back of my mind. It was like that when I was a kid and it is still like that now. People find it annoying how I can sing while talking to them ».
He started to practice his vocals by singing along to his favorite Sony Cassette player. Although he never had proper singing lessons, Dorian grew to become a better singer as years passed. His grandmother introduced him to music, being a passionate clarinetist and music lover. She introduced him to the piano and the recorder and when in London to visit his grandparents, Dorian would often accompany his grandmother on the piano or recorder, when she would play at the local church on Sundays.

He was educated mainly in Switzerland but also lived at times in Portugal (where his father is from), Mauritius (his mother's origin), England and France. Being exposed to this diverse culture has shaped Dorian’s personality and made him opened and interested in others. Later, he would find that this also influenced his music in a way. Dorian speaks English and French fluently.

In High School, being a smart student, Dorian could still easily find time to give hours to music and regularly practised at home singing to his favourite band of the time, « Evanescence », which inspired his early music, moody ballads whilst entirely accompanying himself on the piano.

Obese as a child and teenager, the dark feeling that came with it was often depicted in his early songs. At age 18, he took a decision that would forever change his life. After undergoing a particular diet for 6 months and starting to work out, he lost 40 kilos and finally found himself at peace. « It never bothered me growing up. But there are some things that get taken away from you when you are like this. Dating is made really difficult and socializing with new people, not used to your condition, becomes harder and harder. The pressure coming from what is expected from you, reflected by movies, music and any form of entertainment can become unbearable. » Once in shape, songwriting became easier and lighter songs such as first single « Euphoria » could be written. « I truly felt happy like never before ».

Strong from overcoming many obstacles, other than his obesity, Dorian looked up to another icon, Lady Gaga, as a source of inspiration. « She is amazing. She has fought tooth and claw for her position in the industry right now. Nobody believed in her but herself. She had this huge belief in her capacities, sometimes disguised as overconfidence. It’s inspiring, because no matter how good you are, there are always moments when you will doubt. However, you will have to project this confidence, because if you don’t believe, nobody will. Like her, I am not the typical Hollywood boy and it’s alright. I have my own thing ». Dorian’s stage name comes from the main character from his favourite book « The Picture of Dorian Gray » by Oscar Wilde. « It’s the story of a young man who sells his soul to the devil for youth and beauty. It’s the story about the death of innocence and a perfect mirror of the very nature of mankind ». The last name, Reland, is taken from in beloved memory of his late grandfather, André De Réland, who passed away on the 24th of December 2011. « I’ll never forget the most important man in my life and that’s why I want to keep his name, what I feel is my true name, alive ».

Academics are very important and Dorian has completed a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Strategic Management at the University of Geneva. « The dream is to be able to live from my music and give 100% to it. That’s what I want to do, however I am also realistic and I completed my syllabus in order to have a safety net, something to lean on in case things don’t go my way in the arts.

After writing and recording early demos, and releasing a first video for debut indie single « Wasting My Time », Dorian wanted to take things up to the next level. « I had people coming in and telling me how awesome the video was and how professional it looked. The director, Darryl O’Donovan who is a really talented friend of mine and myself were surprised by such a reception. It made me think I could take one step further. People thought I had already a foot in the industry when I hadn’t met anyone yet ! They helped me believe a little more in what I could do ».

Second single « Euphoria » was written in a pure moment of adrenaline. « This rhythmic line from the chorus was in my head after leaving the gym one afternoon. It was crazy… it just hit me like that and I came home and recorded the crappiest demo ever on Garageband. However, I always knew the song was special. » Euphoria is meant to embody the feeling of pure joy. « I wanted to distil the feeling of euphoria into a song. It had to make people smile and want to dance, without it being a dance or electronic club song ».
After many demos for the song, producer Chris Bennett finally got involved in the project and turned the song in what it was supposed to be all along. A video for the single has been produced and is yet to be released. Dorian is hoping for a distribution deal for the single « I already did everything. The song is recorded, the video is shot, and it’s really fun. The cover has been designed too. I am very driven and I want Euphoria to have the best chances possible as I feel it could be big. Never be afraid to dream high is my motto. »

Dorian is currently working on an LP of about 12 songs. Most of them are written and waiting to go into production. The sound of the album would encompass slow and powerful ballads as well as catchy uptempoes ranging from Dance music, Pop Rock, RnB, Gospel or Jazz influenced songs. « It’s always hard for me to tell what genre one of my songs is, because I write with a feeling for the groove of it… It’s a very organic process and my voice is my best writing tool. I need to feel a song in order to become passionate about it . »