It seems that anyone can achieve celebrity status nowadays. The YouTube craze has allowed some pretty ridiculous people to go viral, but it has also uncovered some truly talented individuals. I recently had the exciting opportunity to chat with one of those talented artists: Daniela Andrade.
When Daniela’s rendition of Radiohead’s debut hit song started playing on my Pandora station, I was astonished. Her voice–buttery, soulful, and clear–immediately spoke to my soul; This was the best cover of Creep I had ever heard. Ever since, I’ve listened to several of Daniela’s covers each day, which I found on her YouTube channel, “Daniela Sings,” and sixtyone.com (where you can download and listen to a selection of her songs for free). As a newbie guitar player (or as my teacher likes to call me, “a folkie girl”), Daniela, a 19-year-old guitar-playing vocalist, is my ultimate “folkie girl” role model. I’ve really enjoyed Daniela’s song choices, such as Angus and Julia Stone’s Big Jet Plane, the XX’s Islands, and Daughter’s Youth. Daniela’s music is perfect for someone looking for an alternative to the top 20 hits, and her beautiful voice can be appreciated by everyone.
HCK: Gaga or Perry?
Daniela: Katy Perry!
HCK: When and why did you start playing guitar?
Daniela: I started playing the guitar at about 13. My dad was always playing the guitar for us since I was a little kid, and that’s where my interest in guitar first started to bud. I finally got around to asking my dad to teach me three basic chords, and ran with it. I learned “Wish you were here” by Pink Floyd as my first song from a tutorial on YouTube and the rest is history.
HCK: Tell us more about your family background. Were they musical?
Daniela:
Yes, very much so. I have two older sisters and one older brother and they all sing really wonderfully. My dad sings as well, and he plays the guitar. My mom doesn’t sing very much but she tries! Growing up surrounded by so many singers was really great; my dad used to be a choir director and taught me how to sing harmonies at a very young age. I think I was very lucky in that respect, having so much inspiration around me as a kid musically.
HCK: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
Daniela: My fondest would have to be my dad serenading my sisters and myself when I was small with romantic Spanish love songs, I grew up listening to a lot of Jose Luis Perales, a very popular Spanish artist, and a lot of Mariachi-feel songs, so when my dad would sing to us as kids it was very special and meaningful.
HCK: Which instruments do you play?
Daniela: The instrument I know best is acoustic guitar. I’ve tried my hand at electric, and I play the ukulele a bit more now (but I actually have no idea what chords I’m playing when I play it, I just kind of try my hand and see what sounds good). My parents tried putting me into piano lessons quite a few times when I was in elementary school, but for some reason I just couldn’t sit through them (I was such an impatient child…perhaps adult as well! But I’ve improved, I promise!). I feel like I learn things better by ear, so I do tinker with my keyboard at home as well. I occasionally breathe into a melodica, which is such an easy and fun instrument to play! All instruments intrigue me, but as of late I’m itching to get my hands on a nice accordion.
HCK: Did you have any life-changing experiences that put you on the path that led you to be doing what you’re doing today? Tell me about them.
Daniela: I think that what led me to what I’m doing today would have to be those horrible, unpredictable, incredible and awkward early teenage years. Those were very defining years for me as a person, it sounds very cliché but I most definitely did not fit into any group of people for many years as a kid and as a teen, and that led to a lot of time to myself and unfortunately a large amount of bullying. At around thirteen going on fourteen, music became a kind of refuge for me, a way to express myself freely and begin to understand what exactly I was feeling inside. I struggled with self-image, as I’m sure a lot of young teens do, and was very hard on myself for a very long time. Music was consistently there for me to get lost in and take me to a better elsewhere. I think that once I felt what I did with music, I never let it go, and I knew very early into my teens that it was going to be a part of my life forever. I just didn’t think it would turn out to be my actual career choice, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I absolutely love music.
HCK: Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
Daniela: I have performed in public a few times; it’s been a really great experience. I’d been doing the Internet thing for so long, and the idea of singing in front of people in an actual physical state petrified me, but once it was said and done it was one of the best feelings. I love meeting people that support my music and getting to thank them personally. I like how live performances are just about sharing a good time together and getting to know each other. So far I’ve only done coffee shops and bar scenes, but hopefully someday soon I’ll be on TV or radio, that’d be really exciting!
HCK: What inspired you to start uploading covers to YouTube?
Daniela: Discovering a community of singers and songwriters on YouTube was what inspired me, it was such a new and exciting idea to upload and share videos that people could give opinions on and build an audience of listeners. Of course initially I had absolutely no idea what kind of response I’d get, and I wasn’t uploading to really get anywhere, I just did it for fun and to share with my family but the reception was so nice and unexpected.
HCK: When did you start uploading?
Daniela: I started uploading fall of 2008.
HCK: Who are your artistic inspirations?
Daniela:
Feist, Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, Damien Rice, Jeff Pianki, The Staves, Ella Fitzgerald, and Etta James. The list literally goes on and on. I listen to a large range of music, and love how creative music is getting now a days. Very recent inspirations are Lucy Rose, Daughter, The XX, Boy, and Kings of Convenience.
HCK: What kind of music do you cover?
Daniela: I cover whatever I like, I feel. If it’s a song I genuinely enjoy or relate to, it doesn’t matter what genre it is, I like sharing my version of it and putting it out there.
HCK: What kind of music do you like?
Daniela: All kinds. I enjoy Folk, R&B, Country (sometimes), Electronic, Rap, Jazz, and Blues. I like hearing a bit of everything; inspiration comes from all sorts of different genres.
HCK: Who would you want to do a tour/concert with?
Daniela: Leslie Feist. I think I’d probably go comatose from excitement though.
HCK: I recently saw that you have an EP on ITunes! Congratulations. Can you tell us about that?
Daniela: Thank you!!
My Debut EP “Things We’ve Said” was recorded and produced by Jesse Barrera, we actually met through YouTube when I was just getting started uploading videos. I entered for a contest summer of 2011 by Tricyclen-lo called “Who Inspires you?” in which you had to make a video about who inspired you and why to win 10,000 dollars. I chose to speak about my dad and how he inspired me to get started with my music, how he was generous enough to buy me my first guitar, and how he’s just such a hardworking person all around. I ended up winning this contest thanks to the amazing support of my followers on Facebook/YouTube/twitter and that got me to be able to fly to San Diego, meet Jesse, and record in his home studio! The EP is a collection of seven songs I wrote over a few years talking about different aspects of love. Some of the songs reflect on the positive sides, and some on the negative. Esther Lee, another friend I made through YouTube did the artwork for the cover and for merchandise as well. So as you can see, this project was very dear to my heart, involving people I really admire and involving songs that I was so happy I could share in great quality with all my amazing supporters. I was the happiest gal when it came out last March.
HCK: What is your favorite song you’ve covered?
Daniela:
I really enjoyed covering “Falling” by The Civil Wars, it’s a great song to play on the guitar and the vocal dynamics of those two are so awesome. I love The Civil Wars.
HCK: What are your songs about?
Daniela: My songs are mostly about heartbreak, with the more than occasional happy song as well! I don’t know why it’s easier to write about things that frustrate you, but I find that when my mind is out of sorts, and I’ve been hurt or angered by something a song usually follows. It’s a curious thing.
HCK: Why do you want to record and release your own music to the world?
Daniela:
I want to share music that people can relate to, just like a shelf full of books you love that transport you to another reality for a minute or two, I’d hope that my music can do that for people in some way. I want my music to enable people to pick up where they left off and can feel just as comforted by it as they did the first time. It’s nice to have something that reminds you you’re not alone in your situation, or that it’s going to be alright. I believe music has the ability to do that, and it’s a wonderful thing I want to be a part of.
I highly recommend Daniela’s music! Be sure to check out her esteemed cover of Radiohead’s Creep, the XX’s Islands, and Daughter’s Youth.