Just like Taylor Swift, Lennon Stella, Halsey, and countless other inspirations, singer-songwriter Dani Kristina knows how to write songs. Through the process of writing over 600 songs as a teenager, and training as a classical pianist and vocalist, she’s found her niche. She has just released a new single and music video, titled “One Night Stand”, produced by Grammy-nominated, Juno-winning Trevor James Anderson and co-written with guitarist Andrew Sporcic! Dani is a confident, mature, creative, and open-minded artist we had the pleasure of speaking to.
Thank you for agreeing to this interview with Occhi Magazine. For the benefit of our readers, please tell us how you got into the arts and entertainment industry?
I got into the industry at a really young age. I come from an extremely artistic family, and since starting piano lessons shortly after my sister was a child, I immediately began writing music and performing. It all sort of came about very organically. I fell in love with writing music, and after my first song, I continued working on my own music. I was constantly inspired by my own experiences and emotions, as well as my family and other influences, such as Regina Spektor and Taylor Swift. At the age of five, I won my first award for writing music. Since then, I went on to perform my music both locally and internationally.
Who have been your industry influences and why?
I’ve always been inspired by so many different artists. The thing I love about the music industry is the different ways that artists achieve certain milestones and results. My own influences do vary, depending on the phase of my life I’m in or the specific music I’m working on, but Regina Spektor, Taylor Swift, and Ben Howard are three artists that inspire me to create on days when I might not be as motivated. I also listen to a lot of music from the 1970s, and my favorite thing is discovering new industry influences as I continue in this line of work.
You’ve written over 600 songs as a teenager and trained as a classical pianist and vocalist. Where do find your inspiration to write and improve as an artist?
Songwriting, for me, is such an intuitive process. I don’t necessarily plan on writing music most of the time, but I often find myself sitting at the piano with a pencil in my hand wondering, how did I get here? Writing is an outlet for my emotions, and I’ve always been able to make sense of my life experiences that way. That being said, I’ve also been intrinsically driven to make my songwriting better as years have gone by. Being surrounded by more mature experiences as I’ve grown up has definitely motivated me to create songs that can accurately reflect my life. Discovering music by other artists that write about similar things has also been inspiring.
What has been your biggest challenge as an artist and how did you overcome it?
The hardest thing about being an artist is looking at statistics. Strangely enough, the art, the performing, and the vulnerability come so naturally, but the modern age of streaming statistics and social media likes and follows is probably the hardest part. Seeing how a song performs online is both a blessing and a curse, but early on I found myself really fixated on the numbers and the typical “success” that I was told I was supposed to be seeing. When I wouldn’t hit a certain landmark I’d be devastated, but I’ve learned to accept that I am creating good, authentic music. At the end of the day, that’s what I hope my audience takes away, no matter what the numbers are.
Your latest single is the”One Night Stand’ Please tell us more about the track and working with Grammy-nominated, Juno-winning Trevor James Anderson and guitarist Andrew Sporcic.
One Night Stand is a really special song. It’s probably my most vulnerable track to date, and I’m really proud of the track I created with my team. I began writing the song with Andrew Sporcic when I heard him playing the chord progression on his guitar. I remember coming up to him and asking if we could turn it into something, just because the melodies he was playing really reminded me of the emotion I wanted to convey in the song that became “One Night Stand”. Andrew is extremely talented, and he really knew how to capture the emotion of the song in the music.
Once we moved the track into the studio, Trevor James Anderson, another extremely talented friend of mine that I met when I first started releasing music, turned the song into something so special. He knew exactly how to capture the song’s vulnerability, but also add a layer of relatability to the production. We decided to make it a “scream it in the car” type of song, and I think that’s exactly what we achieved.
As an ambitious and talented artist, are there goals you’ve set yourself you care to share?
My biggest goal is to be able to dedicate myself completely to my music and make it into a passion that I can live from. I’m not particularly interested in fame or followers, I just want to be able to wake up every morning and create art I’m proud of, without having to plan for a second career. Currently, I find that life and other work tend to subconsciously spill into my creative time, and my biggest goal is to be able to create in a way that is minimally limited by other responsibilities. While I know life consistently has hurdles, I hope to achieve this at least in the broadest sense.
Can you share any information on other projects in the pipeline?
Yes! I have a lot of new music I’m working on, including some other collaborations. The story I’ve been telling through my past releases, such as “Gambler” and “One Night Stand” will continue to expand through another single called “Habit”, and I am so excited to share more of myself through my music!
Where can our readers find out more about you and your projects? ( Please share social media links)
You can always find me on Instagram @itsdanikristina (https://www.instagram.com/itsdanikristina), Twitter @itsdanikristina (https://www.twitter.com/itsdanikristina), Facebook @DaniKristinaMusic (https://www.facebook.com/DaniKristinaMusic) and on TikTok @itsdanikristina (https://www.tiktok.com/@itsdanikristina)
I love connecting with new people, so feel free to reach out!
Images from One Night Stand Music Video (Shot by Julijana Hajdinjak)
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