In this week's TuneCore Q&A with artist, Dannielle DeAndrea, we get an in-depth and witty look into the cultivation, inspiration and everyday life of a passionate songstress who is currently on the road touring. Her dulcet tones portrayed seamlessly in her singing are able to carry over in various genres, and as heard in her more recent jazz records, she can even scat! Take a look to find out where she is currently and what she did to get there.
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- What is your first musical memory?
Well, my mom, mum in Australia, is a dance teacher, so from a very early age I started learning to dance. She was always playing the coolest music, anything from Jackson 5 to Ella Fitzgerald - What was the first concert you ever went to?
The first concert I wanted to go to, but was too young, was ABBA. I loved them, even had ABBA socks and an ABBA pillow! When I was 11, I remember going to see Cher in Australia, it was before she 'could turn back time', more of a cabaret concert, very glam and fabulous! - Since you are currently touring, how do you find touring in terms of time management, missing friends and family, etc?
I actually get quite a bit done on the road. I guess it's all the down time, when you're not on stage, but on the bus sometimes driving for 10 hours, you can get quite a bit done, especially if you have trouble sleeping on the bus, which I do. There is more of a schedule on tour, so you work around it. Of course missing my husband isn't fun and most of my family lives in Australia, so I'm used to not seeing them as often as I'd like. - What or whom do you go to for musical inspiration?
Stevie Wonder has been my biggest musical inspiration. I played his records and cassette tapes when I was young over and over again, so that's how I learned to sing. When I have my music students (mainly kids), one of the first things I teach them (after learning to clap on the 2 and 4) is the tag line of “Master Blaster.” I have 6-year-olds that have it down and it isn't easy! - Without using the words "alternative," "pop,” or "rock," describe your sound.
I have a mixture of sounds and my albums vary in genre. Growing up in Australia and doing lots of gigs and singing sessions, trained me well. I learned many covers, but I always put my own tilt on a song. My next album is a real mix of jazz, soul, funk and blues. Nothing like heartache to make you sing from that place! - What's your dream collaboration?
Stevie Wonder, Oh how I would love to sing with him! Prince that would be unreal, Burt Bacharach, Bonnie Raitt, Jon Brion and the list goes on! - What do you find are the top 2-3 best means of 'getting your music out there'?
Well it's really changed over the years. Back in the days of record deals, I signed with Sony UK and made an album that never got released. I had a damager (ahem manager) but I was too young to really stand up for what I wanted to do. Nowadays, you have more control, as an artist, you can connect with so many people all over the world because of the Internet. I had a French producer fly me over to Grenoble for a 3D movie “Dolphins and Wales” because he found me on MySpace. For me, TuneCore has been AWESOME. It's straight ahead and gets your music out to all the places you want and you keep your royalties. My saying is "From the artist to the store, that's TuneCore." Facebook has started to become a great way to get your music out there too. - How do you discover new music?
I actually have discovered lots of great old music through Youtube and people I didn't know about that were out of this world in the talent department. I discover new music through word of mouth, links that are shared through various sites and the radio, which I always listen to in the car. Oh, and I love a good film soundtrack-many times I'll hear a song that I just love in a movie and have to buy that artist's album!