Conversations with Dakota Hodge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dakota Hodge.

Hi Dakota, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in small town in Southern Oregon. I started playing drums when I was 3 years old and even played in a local band called, Chaos Theory, when I was 10-14 years old! I was really inspired by Rock and Hardcore music growing up. Bands like Switchoot, Underoath, and Bring Me The Horizon. When I turned 14 I moved to Nashville and started to get plugged in to the music scene there. I did some session work at Belmont and some touring as well. When I was 18 I started producing my own music and singing as well. This is where the 2nd era of my music career was born. I wasn’t just a drummer anymore, I knew I wanted to be a music producer. I moved to LA when I was 20 and started working toward that goal. I started releasing solo music and my first album, Wasting Time, gained over 1 million streams on Spotify! In 2025 I went on tour as a Drummer and Music Director for Zach Hood. My favorite experience from that was playing the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Shortly after tour I began writing music with Zach Hood and had two credits released in the summer of 2025. “Middle of Nowhere” and “Another Summer Night” both by Zach Hood. In early 2026 I signed a publishing deal with Cutcraft Music Group. Since then I’ve been able to continue producing and writing music.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been lots of ups and downs. I spent one morning a couple years ago crying in my kitchen because I thought it might be time to call it quits on music. I think it’s really important to remember that music should be fun no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you make money or get signed or work with the biggest artist ever. If you’re making music to be successful then you’re not gonna have a very good time doing it. That’s what pulled me through those moments of doubt. Just knowing that no matter what happens, I still get to make music and that’s a blessing.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a music producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Drums being my main instrument. My favorite of these is music production. I don’t think there’s anything quite like taking a session from nothing to a fully produced song that didn’t exist maybe just hours earlier. It’s such a special feeling to create something like that. I’m most proud of my song “Really Really Bad”. It’s a song that sat on my hard drive for a couple years and I didn’t think it was very good to be honest. Then I randomly asked my friend, James Ricker, if he wanted to sing on it and suddenly the song changed forever. It was one of those moments where you realize how great the community of music is. A song I hated became my favorite song, mostly because I got to share it with someone else. I think that is also what sets me apart from others. I’m not one to treat making music or a recording session like work. Music is fun and it should feel like that when you make it.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory was getting me first drum kit. I remember my arms were too short to reach the cymbals so I had to set them really low, a habit I still have to this day. I would sit and play drums for hours and hours each day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cutcraftmusicgroup.com/artists/dakota-hodge
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kotahodge?exln=MW5xeTFxaTlsam50OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Mike Anderson – MSA Studios
Orchees Sorker
James Ricker