Spring is always one of the craziest times of the year when it comes to the music industry, and up and coming pop artist Brit Daniels is no stranger to staying busy. Not only did she recently release the music video for her sassy and empowering new single, “Eulogy,” but already this year, she has dropped three cover videos as well, most recently and notably one for her gorgeous rendition of Katy Perry‘s “Chained to the Rhythm.” With plans to release new original music and plenty more covers soon, Brit Daniels is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We recently caught up with the driven singer to talk about her early start in music, the story behind the new single, “Eulogy” and much more!
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for any readers who might not be familiar?
Absolutely! I’m originally from the DFW area in Texas. I went to grade school in a REALLY small town right outside of Forth Worth. Now that I live in a big city, I’m extremely grateful for my small town upbringing & the community that I had & still do have there. I went to college at the University of North Texas where I studied Radio, TV & Film. I chose this major because it was different from your typical music or music business degree, but it still allowed me to learn so much about the industry! I moved to Nashville after I graduated and am now spending a lot of my time in LA as well! I pretty much do music all the time, but when I have spare moments to do other things, I love to go hiking, try new restaurants, travel to new places, go on scenic drives, play volleyball, go to sporting events, explore whichever city I happen to be in, and watch whatever shows are on my DVR that I haven’t caught up on yet.
You became interested in music at a very young age before eventually going to school and working in the music industry, which lead you to where you are now! When was it that you knew music was something you really wanted to pursue?
Honestly, I can’t think of a time where I just had an epiphany that music was what I wanted to pursue – it was kind of something that I always knew would be a huge part of my life. My mom said she knew I could carry a tune at the age of 2, and she really helped me hone in on the styles I loved to sing. I started recording at age 13 in order to get used to being in the studio (which I’m super thankful for). I’ve been dabbling in writing since I was 15, but seriously writing ever since my dad passed – that’s when I really was able to grasp different emotions in writing. Music has always been a huge constant in my life, and it’s really the only thing I can see myself doing. I’ve been passionate about it for as long as I can remember, and that is something that will never change.
What would you say have been some defining moments for you as a musician and artist?
As strange as this may sound, a defining moment for me would definitely be the loss of my dad. Getting to know myself on new emotional levels through that experience has shaped my writing in ways I can’t even explain. Another really defining moment was the time I was given the opportunity to sing at a Texas Rangers baseball game (my favorite team) in front of 46 thousand people, on live TV, Nationally broadcast sports radio, in front of former President George W. Bush, and all while honoring my dad for being a fallen police officer. It was one of the most weighty, cool moments of my career thus far!
You just released the music video for your massive new song “Eulogy.” Lyrically, the song is really blunt and empowering. Where did the inspiration for the song come from?
What’s funny is I didn’t actually write this song to begin with. One day I went into a random co-write here in Nashville with my friend Phil. We were cowriting a totally different song, and he was like “You have to hear this song I wrote with some friends the other day because it’s so your style”. So we took a break from the song we were writing and he played it for me. I instantly fell in love with it because it was SO relatable to some of my past relationships, and I loved how sassy and forward it was – totally fits my personality. So, he gave me the okay to cut it. It wasn’t until I was in the studio out in LA that Phil and I went back & forth over the phone and through email and actually co-wrote a rewrite of some of the lyrics to make them better fit the direction my producer and I were wanting to go with the song, as well as tailor it a little more to me personally. This song was so relatable to what I’ve been through in my past relationships though, so it was easy to come up with ideas when we started changing things during the rewrite. It was actually a really quick process where we only went back and forth a few times because it was that relatable and easy to write changes to.
I’ve been single for quite some time as I’ve been solely focusing on my music for awhile, but when I was focusing a little more on the dating realm, I felt like every guy that I would date or “talk” to would be wonderful enough to lure me in, and then they’d start playing games. It’s through these experiences that I really learned my worth and to stand up for myself ESPECIALLY when it comes to relationships, so this song fits me to a T.
What would you like listeners to take away from “Eulogy”?
I hope “Eulogy” can be a fun, empowering song for people. It’s really about knowing your worth, knowing what you deserve in a relationship, and being okay with letting that person go if they’re not putting forth the effort to be with you. I also hope that maybe this song can bring closure to some people and situations where closure might not have really been given. It has given me closure on a few situations for sure.
On top of the new song and video, you also just released your stripped down cover of Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm”! What about this song speaks to you?
Aside from the fact that I just love Katy Perry, the second I heard this song I knew I had to do a cover of it. I love this song and how it encourages us to stand up for what we believe in & to not be silent and numb to the things around us. I know that when this song released, it was thrown out there in more of a political way, but I believe that this song can speak to many different aspects and people of our world, not just from a political standpoint…although, it does a great job of that too!
Before “Chained to the Rhythm” you also covered “Scars to Your Beautiful” Alessia Cara and “Issues” by Julia Michaels. Do you plan on releasing any more covers in the future? Are there any songs or artists that you’ve been dying to cover?
I actually do plan on releasing some more here very soon. The people I normally work with on my videos have all been out of town (Spring is a crazy time of year for the music world), but definitely planning on getting some more done soon! I REALLY want to cover the new Zedd/Alessia Cara song ‘Stay’ – saying I’m obsessed with that song would be an understatement.
Could listeners expect to hear any more new original music soon?
They absolutely can! I actually am in the process of working on another single, so keep your eyes and ears peeled to my social media pages for updates on when you can expect that! I think you’ll really like this next one A LOT. I know I do so much already 🙂
Do you have any other big plans for 2017?
As of right now, I’m planning on consistently writing new music, and giving you guys more ear candy. I’ll be traveling to LA for some upcoming things. I also plan on putting out more covers!
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Of course! Thank you guys so much! I’d just like to remind you guys to follow me on my social pages- I have Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter & Youtube! I update them regularly with everything I’m doing, and I always have new stuff going on or coming up that you guys can check out. So, it’s a good way to keep up with what I’m doing and have going on!
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