Between the lines (and lyrics) with Dot

The first thing I jot down when I get on a call with Dot. is: “Gives off very theatre-kid-who-reads-Nietzsche-for-fun energy.” 

She snorts when I read it back to her. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I get it. My mom was in the theatre, though,” she retorts. 

With a mom in theatre and a rockstar dad (Amit Saigal), you could say Dot. (for anything public)—and Aditi, to her friends—was always destined for the arts. She started playing the keys at six and trained in classical piano for several years. She later earned a degree in music and creative writing from the University of Bangor in Wales. “What ended up being the coolest part of university—aside from the lecturers—was that I met so many great musicians and played in bands with them,” she recalls. 

Dot. is refreshingly self-aware about her music and the persona that comes with it. “Weirdly enough, I think my quote-unquote brand has always been authentic. The more I stray from it, the worse my music tends to do,” she tells me. “I feel the best when my brain, my art, and my public image are all aligned.” 

What follows is a peek inside that brain.

Cosmopolitan India: Your songwriting comes from a really personal space, and you write the way you talk. Have you ever had a moment where you’ve thought, “Oh no, did I reveal too much?” 

Dot.: Not really—not in my songs. If anything, I feel that way more with social media. I do try to write music that sounds natural, but I think there’s enough layering to mask the details— unless I choose to explain them afterward. On the other hand, the overexposure on social media is what makes me feel more afraid of losing myself in the public eye, if that makes sense. 

C: From 'Everybody Dances to Techno' to your upcoming album Sea Creature on the Sofa, do you think your sound has evolved with you—or is it a moving target? 

D: It’s definitely a moving target. Every year, I try to explore something new. My upcoming album is quite different in that I’ve learnt what I like in the studio, it’s almost like I’m doing my first album again, but in a more professional kind of updated way. After this one, I’m looking forward to experimenting even more and seeing where that takes me. 

C: What’s the story behind Sea Creature on the Sofa? 

D: I had a five-year relationship that ended a year-and-a-half ago. The title came from a poem I wrote the day after the break-up. It was about feeling stuck in a weird in-between space. We had this broken up but we were sitting in the living room because we couldn’t do anything else other than spend the next few hours in the room together and play video games because of whatever practical reasons, like the cab hadn’t come. At that point, I had this image pop into my head: The windows crashing in, seawater flooding the room, sea creatures floating around us. A giant squid—or octopus—sat next to me and my ex on the couch and picked up a controller to play with us. It became a metaphor for that liminal, surreal space between past and future. That theme runs through the entire album. 

C: Do you think you have to be miserable to make good art? 

D: Honestly, that break-up felt more like liberation. I was the one who initiated it. And I actually can’t write when I’m really sad. When my dad passed away, I was much younger, and everyone expected me to write music about it. But for 10 years, I couldn’t write a thing—everything came out sounding cheesy. Sadness makes my writing overly dramatic. It pulls me into wallowing, and that’s just not where good songs come from for me.

C: What’s your favourite song you’ve written? Or is that like choosing a favourite child (we all know it’s the firstborn)? 

D: It’s more like whatever’s newest is my current favourite. I tend to fall in love with the most recent thing I’ve written. The older a song gets, the less I like it—because I’ve played it to death and I’m bored of it. 

C: Who were your musical inspirations growing up? 

D: I started out listening to what my parents—especially my mom—liked. A lot of old vocal jazz: Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday. Then I became a teenager and was very anti-mainstream, which I now realise was super pretentious—but back then, I thought I was the coolest. These days, I’m open to pretty much everything. My ears are wide open to different genres.

C: How would you say your life has changed since 'Everybody Dances to Techno' went viral when you were 18? Did you expect it to blow up? 

D: Not at all—it really shocked me. Then I had to figure out how to deal with that shock. I feel more centred now, more like the best version of myself. I still love my college self—I have a soft spot for that girl—but these days I’m calmer and more measured. My emotions aren’t all over the place like they used to be. My career oscillates between making meaningful art and worrying about financial stability. But I’m developing a quiet self-assurance that I think will only grow. My mom always says your 30s are the best, so I’m looking forward to that too.

C: What do your day-offs look like?

D: I’m either bed rotting, or doing some kind of activity, like puzzles, gardening, cooking, cycling, crocheting, and knitting. I’m also learning how to sew. I have many hobbies and I’m not so good at every one of them, but they bring me a lot of joy. 

C: Tell us more about your next movie Decibel. 

D: We just wrapped filming, and it was such a fun experience—very different from Archie’s. It’s sci-fi, but at its core, it’s a very personal story. I find that contrast really interesting.

Editor: Pratishtha Dobhal (@pratishtha_dobhal)
Digital Editor: Sonal Ved (@sonalved)
Interview: Ananya Rai (@anniiiiiiiee)
Photographer: Sarang Gupta (@saranggupta)
Stylist: Surbhi Shukla (@surbhishukla)
Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Makeup Artist: Richelle Fernandes (@makeupbyriiiiii)
Hair Artist: Bhakti Lakhani (@bhaktilakhani)
Set Design: Janhavi Patwardhan (@theartnut_j)
Assistant Stylist: Lehan Devadhia (@lehandevadhiaa)
Assistant Hair Artist: Isha Kothari (@makeupbyishakothari)
Assistant Makeup Artist: Rutu Pathak (@rutu1203)

On Dot.: Co-ord set, Bodements (@bodements_), earrings, Radhika Agrawal (@radhikaagrawalstudio); Wendy Espadrille woven shoes in black, HEYDUDE (@heydude_india)