From cover songs to K-pop hits: Singaporean songwriter writes for Itzy and Twice

SINGAPORE – Before Ms Daina Ariffin quit her marketing job, a million thoughts raced through her mind.

The 25-year-old communications graduate from an Australian university wondered if she had enough savings to sustain her passion, and whether her dream of being a singer-songwriter was realistic at all.

But everything changed when she heard the song Mirage – which she had co-written – performed by Japanese singer Sana from K-pop girl group Twice to about 50,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome in January.

She said: “When I heard my song Mirage performed, I was gobsmacked. It was so surreal watching Sana sing the melodies born out of my room in Singapore. That was the moment I knew I had to take a shot at my dreams. If not now, then when?”

That moment convinced Ms Daina to take a leap of faith. She quit her job in April and committed to writing songs for Asian artistes full-time, under her moniker Dainasaurs.

Her latest works include Rock & Roll by K-pop girl group Itzy, from their second full-length Japanese album Collector released in October. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Oricon chart, a Japanese music popularity chart.

The early notes

Music has long been part of Ms Daina’s life. As a child, she was always humming in class or on the school bus. At nine, she entered a singing competition at the now-closed Hong Kah Primary School on a whim and won the title of Hong Kah Idol.

At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, where she studied mass communication, Ms Daina joined the a cappella club. She received vocal training, performed in various projects and studied artistes such as Little Mix and Britney Spears.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she began posting covers of songs from Conan Gray and Red Velvet on social media, while pursuing a professional communication degree offered by RMIT University and taught at Singapore Institute of Management.

“During the pandemic, I was bored out of my mind and had so much time on my hands. I thought of using this time to hone my singing-songwriting skills and tried putting out my covers,” said Ms Daina, who plays the guitar.

Her talents caught the attention of music makers such as South Korean composer INFX, and they started collaborating on demo songs.

Within about half a year of posting covers, she was invited to take part in online songwriting camps, where producers and writers gather to create new tracks based on specific briefs.

This marked her foray into freelance songwriting, co-writing tracks for Chinese singer Jane Zhang and Thai girl group MXFRUIT.

Still, she was hesitant to tell her loved ones about her desire to pursue music as a career.

“I was scared that my friends and family would not take me seriously. People will say, ‘How far can you go pursuing that in Singapore?’” she said. 

“I didn’t know if my family would accept that, and I would be crushed if they did not.”

Breaking into K-pop

In 2023, South Korean music publisher Jam Factory flew her to Taiwan for her first in-person songwriting camp.

A long-time fan of K-pop boy group NCT, she was excited to try working in the genre. She now regularly shuttles between Singapore and Seoul to collaborate with South Korean songwriters, even though she does not speak or write Korean.

Many songs are first written in English before being translated or adapted for Asian artists.

Her big break came when she was introduced to Los Angeles-based songwriter and producer Sean Alexander, known for his work with K-pop acts Exo, Twice and Girls’ Generation.

Through Zoom sessions, they co-wrote Mirage for Sana – with Mr Alexander producing the track and Ms Daina writing the melodies, lyrics and concept, and singing the demo.

She said: “I was inspired to write a magical, whimsical concept about being put under a spell of love, and that’s how Mirage was born. Inspiration comes from everywhere: from daily life to movies and imagining what it is like living as a different person. There is no limit to creativity, and that’s what I love most about being a songwriter.”

The hard road

The industry, however, is far from easy, Ms Daina said. The K-pop songwriting scene is dominated by American, Swedish and Dutch writers.

“At the time that I started, there was more demand for songwriting skills for K-pop songs from outside of Singapore. I kept working on my craft and wanted to prove myself and make it as a Singaporean creative on the global stage,” she said.

Networking is a crucial part of her job, and “Instagram is like our LinkedIn”, she quipped.

Rejection is constant in her job.

“You need to have thick skin, but at the same time, be self-aware of the quality you put out. You can write dozens of songs before one gets picked. Even then, artistes can drop it later. I’ve learnt to manage my expectations and celebrate the wins,” she said.

Her father and mother, who are self-employed and an administrative assistant respectively, were initially worried about the financial uncertainty.

“None of my family are big music fans so they don’t understand what I do exactly and the gravity when big K-pop acts like Itzy and Sana pick up my songs. I convinced my mum that it was sustainable after showing her what I earned,” she said.

As a freelance songwriter, Ms Daina earns performance royalties, which are typically distributed annually or semi-annually.

Earlier in her career, she sometimes accepted buyouts – the “selling” of one’s stake in a composition – offered by publishers or music labels.

Setting her sights on dream artistes, NDP

Ms Daina hopes to eventually write for her dream artistes – Ariana Grande and K-pop acts Aespa, BTS and Nmixx – and expand her catalogue.

One of her long-term ambitions is to compose a National Day Parade (NDP) song.

“I would love to write an NDP song one day because that was such a huge part of my childhood and it’s something quite special and exclusive to Singapore,” she said.

In 2026, she will be teaching songwriting at K-pop training academy

SM Universe (Singapore)

. It is a subsidiary of SM Entertainment, one of the “Big Four” K-pop agencies.

Besides writing for others, she hopes to write, sing and release her own music.

Ms Daina said she enjoys taking the unconventional path, while many of her peers pursue marketing and advertising careers.

Her job has broadened her worldview, allowing her to collaborate with musicians around the world to put out music on a global scale.

“Don’t be afraid to tell your family and friends about your dreams. It’s okay to feel scared and embarrassed, it’s part of the process,” she said.

“You have to put yourself out there. The only reason I got here is because I wasn’t embarrassed to put myself out there, even though I’m not perfect.

“Don’t wait around, you have to seize the moment.”