Daena is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. She started experimenting with music at a very young age, and then discovered her passion for it and pursued a music career. Currently, she is working on exploring her music and creating original songs. She recently released a new single called Just the Girl. Her ultimate goal in music is to connect with people through music that is honest and genuine.
How did you start making music?
I’ve played the piano since I was a little kid, and around 14 I started writing songs and playing the guitar. With writing songs, I got serious about music. So, I went to college in Nashville and pursued a music career, where I finally discovered that I have a strong passion for music and that I want to do music for the rest of my life.
What genres do you play?
I always have a hard time labeling my genre. I think it’s because I have so many different influences from so many artists and because I want to keep it open to explore, and just do what I’m excited about. I have so many influences from different things! Some of my favorite songwriters are the classics, such as Carole King, and I’m strongly influenced by them songwriting-wise. Then, a lot of pop artists such as Conan Grey and Maggie Rogers also have a big influence on my music. So, it’s kind of all over the map. I take influences from everywhere and just come out with this kind of blend of music.
You’re a songwriter, do you also like making covers?
Yeah, that’s actually how I started experimenting with music during high school, and that’s how I taught myself how to play the guitar. That was what interested me at the time.
How did you find out about Make Music Day?
I think it was a couple of years ago. I remember there were a lot of cool events happening nationally, and I just heard about this one through the grapevine. I just thought it was such a fun cool thing because it was happening everywhere and at the same time, and I just loved that. This year will be my first time participating in Make Music Day!
How would you describe what music means to you?
I’d say, for me, music means self-expression and exploration, because that’s how I got started in music and that’s how I’ve always viewed it. I think when you’re honest in your songwriting and your music exploration, all of that translates to the listeners and makes people relate to songs, which is my ultimate goal in music.
Lately, we’ve seen many artists making content on Tiktok to promote themselves. What do you think about Tiktok as a platform for musicians?
I recently got into Tiktok and it’s all super interesting. It’s crazy, weird, and funny to me. I think a lot of artists feel pressured to promote themselves, but for me, I’ve always loved making videos, even separately from music. In middle school, I was one of those weird kids who had a YouTube channel where I’d put whatever random video I wanted. So, for me, Tiktok is just another place where I can be creative. If my videos blow up that’s awesome, but if not that’s OK because I’m doing them just for fun. I see TikTok just as an added bonus for music promotion. I genuinely love doing videos!
Finally, what would you say is your goal in music?
My number one goal is to be a hundred percent myself, to be genuine, and to connect with people.