I first learned about 26-year-old Daniel Seavey from my TikTok For You Page. During a live performance, he asked an audience member what song they wanted him to play (not one of his). An audience member shouted out “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon. He played the song briefly on his phone before running around the stage, looping several instruments from bass, drums, keyboard, lead guitar, and then finally his vocals. The sound coming together live was extremely impressive to watch, and he did a great job. Plus, the crowd was obsessed.
After that, I was curious to learn more about who this musical genius was, so I figured, why not share the wealth of knowledge I learned when I was supposed to be working on my finals?
Daniel Seavey first became well-known when he was a contestant on American Idol in 2015, when he was just 15 years old himself! He made it to the Top 9 before being voted off the show. His audition was in San Francisco, and he played “Hallelujah” on the piano. His last performance on the show was “You Make My Dreams” by Daryl Hall and John Oates.
Shortly after his participation on the show, Seavey joined a pop boy band called Why Don’t We in 2016. The band, alongside Seavey, consists of Jack Avery, Corbyn Besson, Zach Herron, and Jonah Marais. The band was supposed to tour in 2022 for their “Good Times Tour,” but there were complications with their production company, so the tour was cancelled. The band also had a few controversies, though a lawsuit was the main cause of their demise. Their song “Fallin’ (Adrenaline)” is a big hit of theirs and actually samples the beginning of Kanye West’s song “Black Skinhead” throughout.
Now, it doesn’t seem the band is active anymore, though they’ve still got over 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. One of the band’s big songs is “I Don’t Belong In This Club” with Macklemore. Some of the band’s top songs are “8 Letters,” “What Am I,” and “Big Plans.”
Seavey just released his newest album, Second Wind, on March 7, 2025. This album features summer tunes to jam alongside, with “Waves” so far being the main standout to me. But other songs on the album, like “Sleeping With The Lights On,” “Lose Me Like You Mean It,” “Second Wind,” and “The Older You Get,” are, IMO easy-listening tunes to add to your summer playlists.
The song “Gateway Drug” that is on the album was also originally released as a single in 2024. With the catchy chorus “I’ll be your everything, your nicotine / Don’t call the plug, baby, I got what you need / I’ll be your Adderall, your morphine / Just face it, baby, I’ll get you addicted to me” the play on addiction here is lighthearted and effective. This song also features an upbeat tempo in comparison to some of the slower tracks Seavey has released.
I know that I will be adding Seavey’s music to my summer playlists this year. He has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that number go up with this new album of his. But for now, while he’s still on tour, I’m curious to see what Seavey decides to cover onstage next! I’ll be sure to keep my FYP refreshing, and he’ll show up on yours too!