“Dennis Lloyd” is actually an Israeli musician who was born Nir Tibor. He says he changed his name because he wanted something “catchy,” but it had another benefit. Because “Dennis Lloyd” is such a generic name, he says, his music has been able to travel to countries where Israeli artists aren’t usually heard.
“I got a lot of messages [from fans] from countries [where] their radio would not support me if they knew that I’m Israeli,” he tells ABC Radio. He laughs, “Like, I got messages from Qatar, y’know? This is crazy!”
“But eventually you see that music is way stronger than politics,” he adds. “I get messages from Palestinians and from Iranians….everyone is, like, the same.”
Stage name aside, “Nevermind” has a hypnotic, danceable groove, though the lyrics are somewhat vague.
“I was living in Bangkok and I had a girlfriend during this time, she was traveling and I was jealous,” Dennis explains. “Y’know, I thought she might meet someone, might do something, and I was just worried, and I went and I wrote ‘Nevermind.'”
As Dennis explains, the song is actually an imaginary conversation between himself and his girlfriend.
“There are the verses, where I said, ‘I’m ready now,’ — I was ready to have a serious relationship,” he explains. “And the chorus is her singing, ‘[What if I left and it made no sense].'”
But, Dennis laughs, “Eventually, I was the one who left, and it made no sense. I don’t think she likes the song anymore…and now it’s everywhere!”
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.