Dorothy

About Dorothy

Dorothy is one of those artists who arrived with the kind of voice that makes you stop scrolling. Born Dorothy Martin in Budapest but raised in Rolling Hills, California, she spent years bouncing between the American indie scene and writing sessions in Europe before landing on the blues-rock sound that would define her debut.

The project started taking shape around 2014 when Martin linked up with producer Mark Jackson. They built Dorothy as a full band operation, but make no mistake—Martin's vocal presence is the entire center of gravity here. Her voice has that rare quality of sounding both vintage and immediate, pulling from Janis Joplin and Grace Slick without feeling like a nostalgia exercise.

"Raise Hell," the lead single from their 2016 self-titled debut album, became the calling card. It got synced into everything from commercials to sports broadcasts, which is how a lot of people first encountered that massive chorus and Martin's raspy howl. The album, released through Roc Nation, leaned into a retro-rock aesthetic that could have easily felt gimmicky in 2016, but Martin's delivery sold it. Tracks like "After Midnight" and "Wicked Ones" had enough swagger to avoid feeling like a throwback costume party.

The follow-up, "28 Days in the Valley," came out in 2018 and found Dorothy digging into darker territory. Martin has been open about her struggles with addiction and mental health, and the album reflects that without turning into a therapy session. "Flawless" is the standout—a defiant middle finger wrapped in a blues riff that somehow sounds both raw and polished. The record didn't reinvent what Dorothy does, but it deepened it.

By 2020's "Gifts from the Holy Ghost," the band had essentially become Martin's solo vehicle in all but name. The lineup had shifted, and the sound leaned heavier into straight-ahead rock with less of the blues garnish. "Black Sheep" and "Big Guns" showed Martin comfortable in her lane, even if the album didn't generate the same attention as the earlier work.

These days, Dorothy exists in that middle space a lot of rock acts occupy—not quite mainstream, not quite underground. Martin continues to tour and release music, pulling solid crowds in mid-sized venues and maintaining a dedicated fanbase that values the fact that she's not trying to pivot to pop or soften the edges. She's still doing the same thing she started with: loud guitars, big vocals, and songs about darkness and defiance. It's not revolutionary, but it's honest, and in a genre that often feels overcrowded with either legacy acts or bands trying too hard to revive something, Dorothy just does the work.

Dorothy's shows are physical and sweaty. The crowd gets loud but it's not a mosh pit festival vibe—people are there to watch the band play heavy rock, and Dorothy matches that intensity. Sets feel tight and no-nonsense.

Known for Missile, Rest in Peace, Flawless, Missile (Acoustic), Missile (Live)

See Dorothy Live