From cover songs to K-pop hits: S'porean writes for Itzy, Twice

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

- Sherlyn Sim

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.

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.