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Interview with
DANIELLE TODD

(13th March 2022)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Tell us about your new single ‘Heat Of The Moment’?
I have been so excited to release this single. I wrote it four years ago with my friend Brooke Lynn in Nashville. We wanted to capture the feeling of nostalgia in a 2 minute song. The first verse is actually a very vivid memory I have when I was in high school. A group of friends and I spent a week, carefree up in Wahwashkesh Lake in Canada and it was such a happy moment in time. The song as a whole is all about living your life to the fullest, appreciating the moment that you’re in and trying to find the “good” in things. So often we can get caught up in the negatives, and I think this song is a gentle reminder that life can turn on a dime. 
The song itself is upbeat, pop-country and makes you want to bob your head and sing along in the car.

How would you describe your music?
My whole life as a lover of music, I have always focused on words and how important it is to tell a story and connect with an audience. I would say that lyrics are so important to me. I really want to say something meaningful in my music, and connect with people on an emotional level. The pop-country production is an added bonus, but I always think the most important thing are the lyrics and melody. Before the song is put into a “genre” box, I always want to make sure it can stand up on its own without any help of production. I am lucky because my husband is my producer and he really makes a point to put the lyrics and vocals forefront. 

What motivates you most when writing music?
When I first moved to Nashville I felt a lot of pressure to write constantly. I always met people who would say, “I write a song a day!” Or “you are my second writing session today,” and I would feel pressure to write 14 songs a week. It actually made me not want to write at all. Once I stopped putting the pressure on myself to come up with a “radio hit” every day, I found I gladly would sit down at the piano and play for fun, or grab the guitar and write a verse and say “I’ll come back to this another day,” and I felt no guilt. Now, when I am writing, I write a song that I am proud of and that I want people to hear. If it doesn’t end up on radio, or on the charts, I am just happy to have written something that is meaningful to me, and hopefully resonates with my fans.

What are your longer-term aspirations? 
Musically I just want to be able to release really great music. It doesn’t have to be any one genre, or fit a certain mould. I want to release music that when people hear it they think, “Wow! She did it again!” When it comes to long term goals, one of my dreams has always been to open some sort of mental health charity or company that helps individuals deal with mental health illnesses through the arts. I’d like to have different outlets available to people, wether it be music therapy, writing, visual arts, botany, or any sort of artistic release. I want to provide a safe place for people to get help, and for people to express themselves. 

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? 
I absolutely love connecting with fans. There is nothing quite like writing a song where the purpose is to evoke some sort of emotion from the crowd, then when I perform it and look out to the audience and see their expressions showing that emotion, I have done my job. It is a pretty magical feeling.

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You performed at Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2020. Do you have any plans to return and tour Australia?
I did! Holy smokes you guys are hardcore when it comes to throwing a festival! 14 days in Tamworth. It was amazing. I also saw my very first sand storm that year! Haha I loved it and I am truly hoping to come back to perform at either Tamworth, or some other festivals/venues very soon.

Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?
Each song that I write has a different purpose. I hope that overall, my music can connect with each person in a way that makes them feel like they aren’t alone in their thoughts. Wether it be a song about a breakup, or losing a loved one, or living your life to the fullest, whichever one reaches an audience member so they think to themselves “okay, I get it, I’m not alone in this world.” That makes me feel like my whole musical purpose has been accomplished.

Which music artists are you currently listening to?
My catalog is all over the place right now! When I pull up my Apple Music the new Adele, Patrick Droney and Ed Sheehan record are downloaded, but so is Rachel Yamagata’s “Be Be your love,” Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet’s “Love for Sale,” and Taking Back Sunday’s “Tell All Your Friends.” I am so all over the map!

What is your favourite part of becoming a music artist?
I would have to circle back to connecting with my fans. When I write a song that is supposed to pull on peoples heart strings, and I see fans crying in the crowd when I sing it, it is a really, really special feeling. There is nothing quite like that.

Do you prefer performing live or recording?
Singing live is the ultimate.

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You have taken some time off music over the pandemic.  How did you fill in that time and was it easy to find your creative spark to start writing again?
At the beginning of the pandemic I hit the ground running with Facebook lives and that sort of thing. After that, I “quit” music altogether. I say that meaning that I didn’t learn any new songs, I didn’t do any Facebook lives, I didn’t write and I didn’t even really listen to a lot of music either. I really took a huge break from it. When I did that, I also took a major break from the social media world. When I went back to work, (I work downtown Nashville) I switched the bar that I worked for to a company that was more supportive of my music, I gave up singing with a band and chose to perform acoustically alone, and I chose way less shifts than what I was working before. The break and the shift in my daily singing job made a huge impact on my new music. A lot happened during the pandemic personally as well. I lost one of my closest friends and that took a while to heal from. It made me see the world in a different way, and write in a different way. I also got engaged, bought a house and got married. I did so much growing during the pandemic that I feel it changed who I am as a person and an artist. I truly am proud of all that I accomplished in that time, even though I was pretty quiet about it in the social media world. I truly think that the pandemic was a break that I needed because I have never felt this excited to release music!

You are a Canadian artist based in Nashville and have been living there for some time now.  Did you find that transition moving from country to country in the music industry an easy one?
I truly love Nashville and it will always be a place where I learned so much about music, love, loss and life in general. I call Tennessee my home, but deep down, I am Canadian and I miss Canada a lot. It is where I am from and it is something that I am very proud of. I also love the country music that has been coming from Canada lately. Ultimately, I feel lucky that I am a part of both countries. I also feel lucky that Australia has accepted me with open arms. I feel like I have three homes, and I am honest when I say that. Who wouldn’t want to travel the world, anyways?

What’s next for you in 2022?
There will be a lot coming up for me in 2022. Again, even though it truly feels like we are nearing the end of the pandemic, I don’t want to set anything in stone until it happens. I will say though, that I can’t wait for everyone to hear the music that I have written during the pandemic.

Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you start writing music?
I think there was a brief moment in time where I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was like 4 or 5. Other than that, yes, music is all I’ve ever wanted to do! I wrote my first song when I was in high school and some of the songs I wrote in high school I still love today.

Which music did you grow up listening to? How has it influenced your current style? 
I had every single Mariah Carey CD when I was a kid. I absolutely loved her. I also had all the Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Dixie Chicks albums. I was a huge female country music fan in the 90s. Also, let’s not forget the Spice Girls. Girl Power! 

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Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I really try to write lyrics that are thoughts and feelings that I’ve experienced in hopes that other people have experienced as well. I also have learned from some of the best writers in the world. I grew up listening to country music and paid attention to all of their stories. That was how I studied!

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
This one is always so tough. Firstly, I absolutely adore Keith Urban. He is so talented, such a wonderful man and one of my favourite country artists of all time. I would love to write and perform alongside him. Also, I am a huge Lady Gaga fan. Not only do I love her music, but we are very aligned in the belief of bringing mental health illnesses to the forefront and shinning a light on them. She has the Born This Way Foundation, helping to support young people and their mental health. I would love to work alongside her in that world, and the music world. With that being said, if I could bring back someone from the dead, I would bring back John Lennon just to have a conversation with him about the world, mental health and peace.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Cam – The Otherside 
Artist – Ambre McLean – A Canadian friend of mine.
Movie – Going to have to go old school and say Titanic. Just can’t be beat.
Place to visit – Australia – of course!
Venue to play – The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville
Food –  I am on a Pasta kick, but I am also venturing into a lot of vegan food lately.
Drink – Soda/Sparkling water with lime
Person in History –  This is so tough – I would have to say John Lennon. 
Tattoo – I don’t think I would ever get one, but if I did it would be something meaningful to do with family.

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Follow DANIELLE TODD
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Spotify

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Press Release 11th February 2022 (below)

Rising Nashville based
Canadian Country singer-songwriter
DANIELLE TODD
releases new single
‘HEAT OF THE MOMENT’

Canadian Nashville based singer-songwriter Danielle Todd announces the worldwide February 11th release of her new single ‘Heat of the Moment’.  The energetic pop-country track (co-written with US based singer-songwriter Brooke Lynn) is Todd’s first release since the 2020 release of her high-impact single ‘Backburner’, which made Top 20 on the KIX Country Charts and #23 on the Music Network Hottest 50 Charts.   Her preceding single, ‘Crazy’ made similar strides with a Top 20 seat on the KIX Country Charts, additionally reaching #37 on the Music Network Hottest 50 Charts.

‘Heat of the Moment’ is an up-tempo, pop country song that sums up what it means to be young and carefree, caught up in the joys of living. With lyrics about seizing the moment and staying wild, Danielle Todd’s latest single begins introspective and nostalgic before picking up momentum. The track is an energetic and uplifting summertime jam, sure to have you reminiscing about your own glory days.

Following such wonderful support from country radio stations across the whole of Australia, Todd looks forward to showing how far she has come in the last two years.  Danielle also performed at Tamworth Country Music Festival 2020 on the main stage of Toyota Park as part of the International Showcase.

Danielle Todd’s new single ‘Heat of the Moment’ is out at Australian radio on 7th February and on digitals 11th February.

Distributed to radio via Checked Label Services.

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AMNPLIFY – DB