Transcript
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Kwame
Hey, everybody. Welcome to today’s episode of Beyond Influence. I am Kwame. I'm here with my co-host Scott, and we are here with a very special guest.
You know what? I'm not going to do a current intro. I’m going to do a… I mean, I'm a big believer in self-fulfilling prophecy, in manifestation. So I'm going to give you here… an intro five years from now. Okay?
Dani
Okay.
Kwame
So today we have with us a recording artist who at one point was on The Voice, but just recently finished her tour with Adele. She’s a multi-platinum recording artist, currently sitting in the top ten in Spotify listens globally. We have Dani Stacy.
Dani
I love that. Thank you so much.
Kwame
You are so welcome. Thanks for joining us, Dani. How are you doing today?
Dani
I'm doing great. How are you guys?
Scott
I'm doing great. It’s… with the last bit of summer in the Pacific Northwest, we got some sunshine. My wife's birthday is tomorrow. I'm going to take the day, and, yeah. It’s great. I have no complaints.
Kwame
Dani, so we have an interesting question we like to ask to start off the day. You’re obviously a very creatively minded person. You have a lot of color and vibrance on your page. Do you like shoes at all?
Dani
I love shoes.
Kwame
Do you love shoes? Okay, so our question of the day is, as you can see… Look, I’ve got a couple of kicks in my backdrop. Always do. Scott’s been trying to incorporate some of this as well. I'd love to know, look, either with your fit or with your personality for the day, what kind of shoes are you rocking?
Dani
So I’m not wearing any shoes right now, but I love Crocs, and I love, like, boots or slip-ons. I take my shoes off as often as possible, but I do have a lot of them.
Scott
I love that this is the third recording in a row where Crocs have been brought out. I just… I just love it so much. They’re the best. He’s expecting, like, “Oh, these awesome sneakers, whatever.” It’s like we had Crocs, Hey Dudes, and like every form of dad shoe. And I just… I’m here for it. I love it.
Kwame
Basically, in the last three conversations, we’ve realized that I'm basically already prepped to be a dad influencer because all the brands that I work with are basically dad slip-on shoes.
Dani
Oh yeah.
Scott
Can we just get a quick shout-out for the Jurassic Park mug? This is, like, the best thing.
Kwame
Yes. Do you love it? We love it. Well, good. You know, Dani, thanks again for joining us. You know, I'd love to just kind of kick things off with just… you are different from most other creators that we've had, practically every other creator that we’ve ever had. You are an artist, so I'd love to just open up on your origin story. Tell us a little bit about how music became part of your life.
Dani
Yeah. I am different from your other guests because I'm looking at what you guys talk about, and it’s like, “How much money do you make? What are the collaborations?” And I’m like, “Wow!”
Anyway, I grew up around music. My dad was a musician growing up, and I, for some reason, was, like, too nervous to play music in front of him because the standard was so high, right? So I would write songs in my bedroom by myself, and then I would post some pretty cringe videos on YouTube. Oh my gosh.
And I moved to Southern California and just kind of, you know, came into my own person. I was in a reggae band for a little bit, like, I did it all. And I moved to LA, eventually moved to Nashville, started co-writing a lot more, and then got reached out to go on The Voice, which was just, like, a huge…
I just didn’t expect that coming. I had tried out years before, and then I hit 31. I was like, I'm too old. I'm too old for these shows. So yeah, it was really great. It was awesome.
Scott
When you originally tried out for The Voice, what was that process like? And you know, I know it didn’t come for a while, but I'm curious, like, we talk a lot about, like, getting cast for this show or that show or how that process goes. I'm curious what that was like for you.
Dani
So when I initially auditioned, like, oh gosh, eight, ten years ago, I don’t even know, probably like eight years ago, it was all in person. So there were just hundreds of people at this, you know, place, and you go in a room and you sing for 30 seconds, and no one’s looking at you, and they’re writing stuff down, and they're probably looking up your social media or your YouTube or your followers or whatever. Didn’t hear back.
And then this, this last time, one of the talent scouts DM’d me on Instagram, which had happened to me before, and it didn’t go through. So I didn’t have any expectations. And I sent in a couple of videos. I was sick at the time, but I had to meet the deadline, so maybe it worked to my advantage. Maybe I was a little raspy, or they were like, “Oh, she’s got some rasp.” Send in some videos and, you know, it’s a long process. It really is.
People think you just walk in, and you’re on those shows, but it’s a long process of videos and interviews, just like, you know, Love Is Blind and all those other shows. Personality and story are important. And, like, yes, The Voice is about singing, but I know they want someone who’s comfortable on camera and who has a good story.
Kwame
Yeah, I love to hear that, and I cosign that as well. Like, it is quite the process to get on TV. I remember going through the initial kind of psychological screening that they had. Long, long. It took me a good… like, Chelsea, my wife, said that it took her like six to seven hours to do. It took me about three to four, literally just sitting in my living room, just click, click, click. It was just oh my goodness. So yeah, I know the feeling of that.
And I think one thing I should have brought up in the beginning of this was how we actually encountered, right? Because social media brings us together, and it’s beautiful. So the way that Dani and I connected originally was, you know, as the wannabe musician that I am, you know, I put up, you know, picked up a guitar on Love Is Blind and I played a song, which, honestly, I’m very proud of because I freestyled that song, and I just shot it.
Dani
You should be.
Kwame
Thank you, you know what I’m saying? I'm just out of thin air. So I, you know, do the song. It goes on, it comes on TV. And then one day, somebody tags me in something or sends something to me, and I’m like, oh yeah. And I’m like, “Oh, this is funny. Let me check it out.” I see a guitar, and I see, you know, in the description, the name of the song. And I’m like, “Well, that’s interesting.” So I click on it, and it’s Dani doing a cover of the song that I sang, which actually is… on this that accompanies me like the lyrics. It’s really cool.
So she did a cover of “The Real Thing,” and it was amazing. And I thought to myself, “If I ever decide that I want to record this or do something real with this, I have to work with Dani.” And I was like, “I’m gonna follow her. We’re gonna figure something out.”
Dani
We still have to do that. I know, and I guess I feel so bad because your guitar was so out of tune, and…
Kwame
Haha.
Dani
And so I’m, like, putting the tuner on in the video, and now I’m like, oh man.
Kwame
Didn’t think he was gonna see it.
Dani
It’s a catchy song, though. It’s catchy. I was singing it. “Dani’s not the real thing.” It’s catchy.
Kwame
Right here. This is it. This is the trio. Scott, now we’ve recruited you. You’re going to play the piano. Dani’s going to bring the guitar, and I’m going to do a little rap in the back. Boom! Multi-platinum, recorded, all the way to the top song.
Dani
And we’re going on tour with Adele.
Scott
Yeah, this whole business and podcast thing does. And now we’re going out of the treehouse. Kwame original. Kwame original songs. I mean, it worked out for me, so the joke’s on us here. So he got… he got the prize. But…
Kwame
Yeah, you know how it goes. So, you know, obviously, within your experience on The Voice, I’d love to dive in a little bit deeper into that. How was that? How was it being on Team Chance?
Dani
Yes.
Kwame
And, you know what? If you had any artist in history, future, present, or past that you would have loved to have there to be your coach, who would it have been?
Dani
Oh my gosh. You know who I just love is Jojo. Not Jojo Siwa, the original Jojo. I love Joo. Miley Cyrus was a coach there. She would have been great. But yeah, I mean, it’s crazy because I look back on that, and my friends are in the season right now, so I’m watching it with them. And you meet these, like, celebrities. But in my mind, I’m like, that wasn’t real. Like, I didn’t actually meet them. Like, it was like a hologram or something crazy. It was crazy, but it was awesome. It was awesome.
Scott
Jojo is so talented, by the way. Like, I think it’s always funny because it’s funny talking about the out-of-tune guitar, I have such a hard time going to karaoke or anything where I just, like… I can’t stand super off-pitch, crazy, terrible music. And it’s funny because I’m like, I’m like, can that person really sing? Do they actually have those chops? And, like, Miley is one where, like, you hear her just cold, and she’s great, like, got great tone, got great musicality. But Jojo, like, I think she was on an MTV show, and you just… she would just bust these runs. You’re just like, yeah, that’s a gift. She’s incredible.
Dani
Incredible, and got, like, screwed over by the industry for so long, and is, like, finally able to put out her own music. She’s so good.
Scott
It’s crazy because I was thinking about the judges in your season, and like… I mean, I just can’t imagine being on the other side of things like John Legend and Reba. I’m like, come on.
Dani
It was wild. I mean, you know, they edit the show, but I was standing there for a while, and I really wish they could have sent me, like, the raw footage, because I kind of blacked out, like, I kind of forgot. But my dad… I mean, my dad and my boyfriend were there, and my dad was like, that was the best day of my life. John said this… I know he did. John Legend was very, very complimentary. He was so nice. And, gosh, yeah, they all were like… I felt… I felt so seen. Like, I often have times we all have that imposter syndrome, you know? But I remember watching American Idol when I was younger, and they would have, like, bad people audition. And I was like, what if I’m one of those people?
Kwame
Who thinks they’re good?
Dani
So honestly, that was like finally like, okay, that was the validation I needed. I… I may… I may move forward with music.
Scott
Now that is so funny. That would be 100% what I would think if anyone reached out for anything. It’s like, “We saw you on social media.” I was like, “This is cool.” I am the cringe person that they’re going to be like, “Here’s the contrast for all of the… you know, the…”
Dani
I mean, I don’t think they really do that anymore. It’s so mean.
Kwame
You know what I mean? Like, let’s be honest with ourselves, right? We love the talent that stepped into American Idol, but we all watched for those moments. You know what I mean? We did. We did. We did. The good, the theatrical. Everybody’s laughing at it. And you know what? Out of all that, William Hung got a Grammy’s contract.
Scott
That’s right. I don’t know how that happened.
Kwame
Shebang.
Scott
So you go on… you said you blacked out at that moment. I’m curious, like, as you were kind of going through, you know, that initial performance and, you know, walking away, Team Chance, you know, how did that process go for you? And, you know, we always talk about, you know, whether it’s reality TV, The Voice, other kind of moments like this, when did, like, the reality set in that things were different? When did this kind of, you know, a big change in social, when did all that kind of start becoming real for you?
Dani
I'm not supposed to say exact timelines, but we filmed quite a ways before our season aired, and we’re prepping for, like, six weeks just for that first audition, which is not even a full song. So you’re there for six weeks, rehearsing with the band, wardrobe, and vocal coach, which I had a vocal coach for the first time. So I kind of had this mindset of like, I’m going to… whatever happens, I’m going to enjoy this experience.
You know, getting to see a stylist, getting to work with a vocal coach. So I had to wait a long time to see what would come of it. Finally, the audition airs, and that’s when, like, the followers started going up, and I was ready for it. So because I had so much time, I… I recorded the cover of my blind audition song, “I Will Survive,” by Dani Stacy. I put it on Spotify. I had… I had content just, like, loaded and ready to go.
Kwame
Yes, there’s… and there’s no such thing as a shameless plug here. Like, plug, plug, or play. You know what I’m saying? Like, hey, we need y’all to go to Spotify right now, and we… originals. Yeah. You know, so, like, it’s… it’s really cool seeing these things come to fruition, especially when you’ve been looking at it, seeing it come down the way. And obviously, you know, you’ve grown a lot in the social world after The Voice. But, you know, as you’ve gone through your journey, I know that you’ve been active on social media, you’ve followed some trends, and you’ve done some things, like how big of a role has social played in your music career?
Dani
I mean, I think it’s huge, and it’s… it’s annoying sometimes. I mean, I have to be honest with you. I’ve recently had to place some restrictions on myself. I mean, you were DM’ing earlier, and I was like, “Hey, my phone’s going to lock me out.” I got this app that locks me out until like 7 p.m. or whatever, because, you know, I want to use it as a tool, but I don’t want to get stuck on there comparing myself to other people. And even though I’m not one of those people who looks at it and is like, “Oh man, I’m not as good as them,” I think subconsciously it does that to people. I do think it’s important. It shows… I look at my Instagram as, you know, a mobile business card. It’s my EPK. It’s… this is what I sound like live. This is the energy I bring to life. These are the people that can come. So I do think it’s… it’s pretty important.
Scott
It’s interesting. I think about, you know, there’s… there’s so many different paths for musicians and recording artists, and, you know, coming out of The Voice, I’m curious about the transition of, you know, how much support did you get going out and kind of going out on your own and starting to kind of accelerate your career and grow your name, your brand? And like, what… What was the transition? Because, like, clearly, there’s so much horsepower behind the show. And I’m just curious, like, you know, how much that carried on or, you know, how you carried that momentum forward.
Dani
I think just saying that you were on the show is a stamp of approval for venues… to pay you more or to actually book you, whether they watch it or not. It’s just like that little stamp of approval. I also think it’s a combination of, yes, the show gave me that, you know, boost in the algorithm or whatever, but I also think it gave me that confidence, and it just lit a fire under my butt, honestly. And it made me think, okay, I can do this. Like, if I can do it under that much pressure, like, I can do this anywhere.
My hometown was so supportive, like, in a way I didn’t even realize. You know, there’s… I think a lot of people… like, I always say, it’s like you need to tell your friends, like, “I love you and I’m proud of you.” It’s so often the people that we’re closest to that we forget to tell them how proud we are of them, because we think, “Oh, they know they’re good. They know they’re good,” but they need to hear it. And I was hearing that, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, you guys, like, this means so much to me.” So I forgot what the question was.
Scott
No, it’s all good. It was just talking about transitioning your career and, you know, kind of going out on your own post-show. And I think it… you know, it’s interesting because we… We talk a lot about different breaks or asking for what you want or, you know, not being afraid to leverage what you do have as a way to go out and, you know, help build your audience, and connect with individuals, throughout your career. And so, you know, I think it’s cool to hear how you were able to leverage that experience into going out and transitioning into your career. I’m curious, like, on the… like, on the harder side, you know, it’s got to be difficult to, like, because you’re coming off this high, and I just feel like, you know, the good and the bad, there’s, like, I had this really big moment, I was selected, I was on this team, I had these celebrities around me, I had so much production-wise, coaches. And then you come off, and you still have a lot of attention, but then there’s a void of some of these things. I’m like, what… how did that… like, I can’t even imagine, like, the emotional rollercoaster and…
Dani
I mean…
Scott
…the drain that that would cause.
Dani
100%. And… and I experienced it twice, right? I experienced when I… they… they treat you like you’re amazing. You’re the best thing in the world. And then you’re off the show, and they don’t talk to you anymore, you know unless they need you to sign something like a re-release or whatever. And I mentally prepared myself for that as much as I could.
My expectations going in were as low as they could be, while also trying to believe in myself. You know, you talk about affirmations. I had written affirmations all over my wall, but I also had to tell myself, you know, “This… this doesn’t define… this doesn’t define you,” right? So when I got kicked off the show, I… it was like a delayed reaction. I would say, like, a week or two later, I was like, “Oh man, I’m sad.” But also like, my friends are still there, like, they’re still filming. Like, I’m missing out on all this fun.
And then six months later, the show airs, and I have people messaging me like, “Oh man, that was messed up.” And they’re trying to make you feel good, but in a way, I’m just like, “This isn’t helping.” Like, tell me I’m still going to be okay, you know? Yeah, there are a lot of highs and a lot of lows. And you just gotta keep… keep moving. I just try to keep… I have to always have, like, something to look forward to. Otherwise, I’ll lose my mind.
Scott
So I think that’s a great segue. What are you excited about? What… is kind of the most inspiring thing at the moment? Like, what keeps you… Keep you going?
Dani
I have been writing a lot of songs. I have a lot of songs already written that I was planning to record, and then, like, accidentally went on tour. Just the shows kept coming, and so I was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” So right now, I’m just trying to shift and record these songs, get them out, plan some shows for 2025, and try to be a little bit more strategic. I’m not great at that, but I’m working on it.
Kwame
You know, when you think about the support that you got from, you know, the outpour from people that you know, from your family, from your community, from your, you know, hometown, was there anybody that DM’d or commented or something that had you, like, kind of just, you know, that… that moment, right? Because I know, like, for me, going through my experience, I definitely… I had some DMs from people that I was like, “Oh my gosh, this person’s talking to me,” you know what I’m saying? And, you know, I think being active and being in that, you know, music community and being in the artist community, I feel like The Voice is a pretty big deal, right? And so did you have anybody reach out to you that was like, wow?
Dani
I… I don’t know why I almost forgot, but this is… this is my… my biggest flex ever. Jennifer Coolidge followed me. Jennifer Coolidge! Yeah. You know what I’m talking about. Makes you want a hot dog really bad. And I was like…
Kwame
Yeah, she’s touring. I’m like…
Scott
White Lotus.
Dani
Right, White Lotus? Yeah. I mean, oh my gosh. And I love her, and I… I was like, I’m going to… I’m going to DM her. And I was just like, “Hey, love you.” And she said… she said I… she said something like, “You’re so talented. You make a…” I just heard it in her voice. “You make an already good song even better.” And I was like, “Oh my gosh.” And I just left it there. I was like, I’m never going to message her again. I’m not going to… I’m just going to frame… I need to frame it. I told myself I needed to print it out and frame it because she’s a legend. I love her.
Kwame
That’s… yeah, that’s freaking awesome. And so now I think, you know, we can get to a little bit more of the social side of things. You know, it’s… it’s funny like you said, we’ve talked to a lot of very, very social media-focused people. But, you know, your… your audience is growing now. And so I’d love to dive into a little bit of how that’s impacting you. And, you know, if you’ve gotten an opportunity to do anything cool through social media, whether somebody sent you something cool or, you know, you’ve made a little bit of money on it, like anything within that direction, how has social media impacted you in terms of, like, your… your daily life?
Dani
I think the biggest thing is my music not falling on deaf ears is a great feeling. It’s a great feeling. I had some people… like, mostly just gifts, like, people from my hometown, like, the Yarn Lady. She sent me some gifts, so, like, some packages like that. I work for this company called Song Finch, and they…
Scott
Have you heard of it?
Dani
They…
Scott
It’s like custom songs, and they’re like… right? I… it’s funny, I have, like, the one from the ad, and it’s like, “We met, and like, you’re…” I used your dad’s ring and… yeah, it’s really cute.
Dani
Yeah, like, people order custom songs. And I worked for them for a long time, and… I mean, they’re the reason that I was able to quit my serving job. It was a great income for me. And it’ll be my birthday. Or sometimes it’s an engagement, sometimes it’s a funeral. So it’s like, you know, it’s important. But they flew me out to Chicago to do some content with them. So I would say that was kind of a collaboration, and it was amazing. And I love them so much. Like, I have worked for them for years, and to finally meet the people behind it, it was so much fun. That’s really the only… that’s a collaboration. Oh, Song House. I’ve done videos with Song House, which have been so awesome. Just a couple more… more views, more people getting to know my music.
Kwame
Yeah.
Scott
I think it’s super cool, especially that Song Finch collaboration. It’s funny. So I’m gonna put myself out there, but I have, like, a funny thing, like, if I’m going to, like, a family wedding or a funeral or something, like where I process some things is through music, and I’ll just feel like I’m around the guitar, and I’ve written a whole bunch of songs for random things, and I never play them for anyone. But it’s, like, a way I’m always like, “I wonder if I played this song for them, like, would it be meaningful?” Like, for my sister-in-law’s wedding. And they’re, like, they’re… they’re crazy. They went out in the middle of the woods. They’re living on the side of a mountain together. They, like, went on this crazy journey. They did life. They’re, like, building a whole future. You can imagine that song, right?
Dani
Yeah.
Scott
Like a whole love story. And, like, the song is easy with the help of ChatGPT, but nonetheless… but I had this, like, whole song, and I’m like, “I should play for them.” I’m like, “Nah, it’s their day. I don’t want to do it.” But it’s, like… it’s also a way for you to, like, process that moment. But I love, like, you writing those songs for others who maybe, like, don’t have that. But people connect through music, and they want to tell their story. They want to be able to share their affection through music. And it’s, like, those are the things where, like, sometimes services, social media products, like, they just hit different, and they’re able to connect with people on a very different level. So I imagine for you, beyond the income, like, it is pretty cool to be a part of someone’s story, like, whether it’s a proposal or processing loss or whatever. It’s… it’s a pretty cool mission. That’s also, you know, pretty compelling business.
Dani
I mean, I know. It’s a great idea. Yeah. First off, you should… you should play those songs. It’s… it’s meaningful to people. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had songs, and I think I’m not going to share them. And then I do, and I’m so glad that I did. I mean, it means a lot to people that you wrote about, you know, their experience. But yeah, it feels good to be doing something that is not… and no hate on serving. I may have to go back at some point, but it’s not bringing someone, like, a side of fries. It’s, like, actually impacting someone in a meaningful way. Like, it feels good.
Scott
That’s also… I feel like my photo album or video album is going to be like an Emily Dickinson thing where they’re like, “Oh, he wrote all these songs,” and it’s, like, locked up in some random video recording. But they’ll all be trash. Emily Dickinson was an amazing poet, but nonetheless, I digress.
Dani
Far away. I’m sure they’re not trash.
Kwame
You know, it’s… it’s funny. Like, back… back in the day, so not a lot of people know this, but back in the day, my old college roommate, who is, you know, one of my closest friends now, his name’s Matt, we had a two-man band, right, called Miller Hall, because Miller Hall was the hall that we lived in.
Dani
I like that.
Kwame
Yeah, right? Isn’t that a suave name? Is it a good name? It’s a good name. Yeah, we got to, like… I got to, like, trademark it. Never let it go. But we used to play the guitar in, like, our style, our, you know, stairwell, and record a bunch of stuff and put it on Facebook back in the day. And so, throughout that time, like, we were so sure we were going to make it, you know? Like, we wrote this song. So speaking of music that was written and may never see the world or may see the world, this is the one song that I have on iTunes somewhere. The song is called Hollywood Dreaming. It’s… it’s…
Scott
You know, I’m finding that.
Kwame
Play it. Play it.
Scott
Oh, man. I’m going to find that.
Kwame
So that’s the one… that’s my one little musical thing. It may never be seen… you know, I mean, it’s out there, but I wonder how many people have actually found it. But all in all, obviously, music draws a lot of inspiration and creativity, you know? Do you have any artists that you would say, like, inspire you the most? Who’s… who’s your idol?
Dani
I don’t have just one. Oh my gosh. I’ll tell you who I like and who I’m inspired by. I love Allen Stone dearly. So good, so good. And, like, is my music like his? Not… not really. Have I tried? Sure. I love James Taylor. I love James Taylor and Chris Stapleton. And growing up, I listened to a lot of, like, Destiny’s Child. I love Musiq Soulchild and Dixie Chicks. It’s all over the place. I don’t have just one. I’m trying to think.
Kwame
Yeah, well, this is the thing. How about this? We have a question that we will ask you later about brands that you want to collaborate with, but use this as the moment for you, right? We will post this on our later social channels. So there’s an off chance that this person might see it. If someone were to reach out to you right now and say, “Hey, I want to do a cover or a collaboration song with you,” what artist would that be?
Dani
Allen Stone. I’ve honestly… I’ve had…
Scott
What song would you… What would you want to do with Allen?
Dani
We’re writing an original, a brand-new one. Or Unaware, it’s obviously so good. Or Give You Blue. Yeah. I… he does a cover of Sex and Candy, and I just totally ripped it off, and I played it at every show. I just… I just love him. I think he would be great. I’ve actually had “open for him” on my whiteboard for years. I also… I also had Coachella, and then COVID happened.
Kwame
God.
Dani
And God was like, “If you can’t do Coachella…”
Kwame
No one can.
Scott
We’re going to get a Dani, Marcy Playground, Allen Stone, like, festival and… track.
Dani
You.
Scott
I got… recently into this. I don’t know if you know Daniel Caesar. He’s got the song, like, Best Part, and then Allen Stone covers it. I just have it… oh, so freaking good. And then Jacob plays it with him. It’s…
Dani
It’s good. It’s… oh, I need to check that out. It’s a game for my battle on The Voice. We… We sang Best Part. And so it’s just…
Scott
I love that tune. It’s so…
Dani
Yeah, it’s so good.
Kwame
Okay. Karaoke song, right now. I want to know both of you. You know, I’ll give you some time to think. Dani, Scott, what’s your karaoke song?
Scott
It’s funny because there’s, like, what you want to sing or what you should sing because, like, what I want to sing is, like, not going to get the crowd… or, like, not the crowd, but, like, there’s a vibe at, like, a bar. You want to keep it high-energy. And I’m like… At home, I like putting on YouTube karaoke. I’m singing, like, Ordinary People by John Legend or Best Part or Chris Stapleton or something. But I’m like, that’s one… I’m not going to do Chris Stapleton runs in public because that’s just asking for love. And then, like, who wants to sing Ordinary People at a bar when you’re, like, trying to, yeah… like, that’s not it.
Dani
I think it will hit. I think it will hit.
Scott
So Uncle Kracker’s version of, like, Give Me the Beat Boys… I don’t even know what that song is, but it’s like the, like, Southern, soulful, gravelly voice. People can get behind it, a sing-along kind of tune. I had, like, a moment where we went through, like, this whole thing, an Usher, and yeah, but I probably shouldn’t. I can’t hang in that category. So something classic rock I love.
Kwame
Okay, Dani?
Dani
I will 100% kill the vibe at karaoke, and I will do I Can’t Make You Love Me, or I’ll do Creep. Or if I’m super drunk, I will do Goodbye Earl by Dixie Chicks.
Kwame
All right, I can dig that. Yeah, definitely, the mood does definitely, you know, set off. I’m at a piano bar. I don’t care about the mood. I’m doing Ordinary People.
Dani
It’s for you. It’s for you. And you’re like, yes.
Kwame
That’s like… when I was in college, anytime we would do a karaoke night, that was a song that I would sing. But, you know, if there was a vibe entailed, and maybe we’re at a bar… it’s more of a dive, we’ve got beers in our hands or, follow for Lokos, who knows? I would probably say either I Write Sins, Not Tragedies…
Dani
Oh, so good.
Kwame
…incredible song, or Sugar, We’re Going Down Swinging.
Dani
Oh, those are… those are good ones. And that’s good. Yeah. And everybody is on it.
Kwame
Yeah, so I… hey, I’m calling it. Look, whether we make a top-charting song or we just hit up a karaoke night, we got to meet. We got to make the trio.
Scott
It’s funny, I feel like we’re very musically aligned. Like, I have an unhealthy love of I Can’t Make You Love Me, and it’s funny because whether it’s, like, Bonnie Raitt, Teddy Swims, Bon Iver, like, give me every version, and I’m here for it. It’s such a good tune.
Dani
It’s… it’s, I think, maybe like, the best song ever written. Like, it’s so beautiful. It’s so good.
Kwame
Yeah. That… that’s awesome. You know? So as we get closer to the tail end of this conversation, we’ve had such beautiful talks about music, and I love that so much. You know, I think when you combine, you know, your music and your voice and your ability to reach the world, it’s just a beautiful trifecta, much like us. But I would say, you know, when you think about the possibilities and the partnerships that you may land at some point, you’ve done some cool musical partnerships, but you have to have, you know, maybe an aspirational brand out there that you think to yourself, like, wow, I use this all the time, or like, I think it’s the coolest. Do you have an aspirational brand that if they approached you and they said, “Hey, we love your Instagram, and we want to work with you,” who would that be?
Dani
Obviously, like, some music gear, some recording gear. I need some in-ears. I need some nice in-ears. But I love Hipcamp. Have you guys heard of Hipcamp?
Scott
I have heard.
Dani
It’s like Airbnb, but it’s for camping, and it’s either, like, a campsite, or you pop up a tent or… with the trailer. So when I filmed The Voice, me and my boyfriend took our trailer all the way from Tennessee to California, and we stayed at Hipcamp locations. And it’s people who rent out their property, and sometimes it has hookups, sometimes it doesn’t. You know, it’s… the price is based on what they offer, but it’s the most beautiful places, like, right on the water sometimes. And it’s, like, quite often like you are the only person there, or maybe there’s, like, a couple of others. So Hipcamp I would love. I did email them, so maybe they’ll get back to us.
Scott
That’s so funny. I feel like I’m going to go down a Hipcamp rabbit hole this weekend, like, looking at… oh yeah, that sounds like such a cool idea.
Dani
It’s great.
Kwame
Imagine all the apps out there that we don’t know of, like, this… this is so new to me. And this sounds like such a cool idea.
Scott
I’m like, we need to get some influencers promoting Hipcamp.
Dani
Yes, yes, yes.
Kwame
Right. Hipcamp, hit us up. Okay. We need everybody to know about Hipcamp. Oh, man. But with that being said, you know, obviously a brand that you want to work with, an aspirational brand in terms of the way that you look at your content, you know, promoting your music, and it is who you are, and it is your voice, you know, no pun intended. But, you know, if you had a message that you wanted to share with the world through the content that they see or through the music that you put out into the world, what do you… what do you think that is? That reflection of your soul?
Dani
Believe in yourself. And isn’t that profound? Has anyone ever said that before?
Scott
I think this is the first time.
Dani
I worked really hard for a really long time, and it’s really hard to see that it’s worth it. And it wasn’t until this last year or two that I thought, “Okay, I was prepared for the opportunities that were given to me because of all the hard work that I put in.” So pay your dues, man. It… it doesn’t happen overnight.
Scott
I love that. I think it’s a great message for folks to hear. And I think, you know, Kwame and I talk about it all the time, and with a ton of the creators that are on, you know, success doesn’t just happen overnight. And even with, you know, some lucky breaks, a lot of times those come because of hard work. Like you said, I think it's perfect… you… you tried out, you applied, you kept doing your thing, and you didn’t give up. And… and you, you know, came back around, and you had this, kind of, launch pad to help accelerate your career and, you know, get your music out to the world. So I think it’s really positive for folks. And, you know, we talk a lot of the time, the successful are those who don’t give up. And, you know, there’s a lot of smart people who are smart. There are a lot of people who are talented. But I find it’s rare that people who just never give up and for whatever reason, you know, love, passion, pursuit, whatever motivates them. But, yeah, I think more people need to hear that. And it’s interesting because it… it can be contrary to some of the narratives today around balance. And I think it’s really important to, you know, seek a really meaningful life that has all the right elements in it. But also don’t be afraid to go out and work to achieve what your dreams are and go pursue your passion and find people who want to be on that journey with you and are willing to go to a Hipcamp for six weeks while you’re getting ready to go on a TV show.
Dani
Oh my gosh, that poor man. That poor man. Yeah, it’s… it’s true. You need… you need people who support you. And that doesn’t mean you put them through the wringer for you to achieve your dreams. You got to support their dreams, too, you know?
Kwame
Yeah, that’s… well, that’s amazing. Well, you know what? A couple of things that I wanted to mention before we leave is that when I first reached out to Dani… I go, “Oh, no, it’s all good. What do you hear added to the audio?” No, we can’t wait. Okay. Oh, I wish we could, honestly, but what I… what I said to Dani was, you know what? Hopefully, there’s somebody who sees this who is at least partially in charge of Bonnaroo… because he’s… because hopefully, we can get Dani to Bonnaroo, or if not Bonnaroo, then maybe Coachella, right?
Dani
I guess I’m just kidding.
Kwame
But no, Dani, you have an incredible future in front of you. It’s not just because you’re a great musician. I just think you’re an awesome person as well. So thank you so much for joining us today.
Dani
Thank you so much.
Kwame
You have so much positivity to share with the world, and we hope that the world continues to reward you with more positivity right back.
Dani
And to you too. I want to say I appreciate you and just the little things that you’ve done to try and help me. Like, I know that you probably do that for a lot of people in your life, and I think it’s wonderful. And I wish you guys all the success. Thank you.
Scott
Awesome. Well, we really appreciate you coming on. If people want to find you, where’s the best place to find your music and come see you?
Dani
Dani Stacy, Dani Stacy. My Instagram is what I use most, dani_stacy, and I’ll post whenever I’m playing. We got some in the works, so I’ll…
Scott
…let you know if you’re in New York or Nashville. I think you might be able to find Dani. So, go check out a show, go check out her Instagram, go check out her website, and, yeah, keep the love coming. We’re so glad you came on. And until we see you on the next one. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in, and have a good one.
Kwame
Bye-bye.