Exclusive: Getting to Know: Dakota Danielle

Hailing from a small town in Illinois, newcomer Dakota Danielle is already making her mark on country music with her debut single “One Church” released on March 16. A warm, sentimental song about her hometown, “One Church” showcases the 25 year old’s talent for songwriting and her powerful vocals.

We recently caught up with Dakota to find out a little bit more about her musical journey, her influences, and what’s ahead for this budding artist:

CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

DD: I am a small town girl from Teutopolis, IL. It is a town with a population of about 1,600. I am an only child but have a lot of cousins to make up for no siblings 🙂 I grew up playing a lot of tennis in grade school – high school, but when I picked up the guitar music became my number one passion. I spent three years at SIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) and then made the big jump to Tennessee. I finished my degree at MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University) in May of 2016. I have been in Nashville ever since pursuing my dream 🙂

CN: You were inspired to pursue music when you discovered your mother’s old guitar that was stored away in a closet. What was it about finding that guitar that clicked with you to seriously venture into music?

DD: I was at a point in my life where I was looking for a change and when I picked up my mom’s guitar something just clicked. Almost like a light bulb turning on or a gut feeling I should try to learn how to play. There was nothing specific about the guitar that made me want to venture into music. It was more of the gut feeling I got when I held it. It was a feeling like I had found the change I was looking for.

CN: Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin and Chris Stapleton are listed as some of your biggest influences. In what ways have they influenced you, both personally and as an artist?

DD: As an artist, I love to sing from the soul and heart. I want to make the listeners feel what I feel while I sing and Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, and Chris Stapleton are all influences for me towards achieving that. Their songs have helped me through certain times in my life whether it was joy or sadness.

CN: Music has been proven to be a very cathartic tool, and you wrote your first song after the loss of your aunt. How did writing that song help you not only with your heartache during such an emotional time, but also to help you discover the artist inside you?

DD: Writing about my aunt helped me cope with the fact that I never really got to know her. It happened when I was really young and my family said I spent a lot of time with her. I wish I could remember one memory with her, but I don’t. I have seen pictures of me and her together but it would sadden me not remembering. The song helped me cope with that and made me realize how much music can help others and bring people together. When I played the song for my family it was like we all automatically felt the same emotions of missing her and wishing she was here, but yet knowing she is watching over us. It was a sad but great moment. That was when I knew I had to keep pursuing music.

CN: Songwriters sometimes tend to choose either the guitar or piano as their instrument of choice when writing. Since you play both, do you have a preference?

DD: I prefer to play the guitar just because that has been my focus since High School. I played the piano more when I was younger and now I don’t play it as often so I would not feel comfortable playing it out in public. I am working up to that though!

CN: A graduate of MTSU, you earned a degree in Commercial Songwriting. What was your college experience like? Competitive? Supportive? How did majoring in that field help prepare you as a singer/songwriter pursuing a career in Music City?

DD: MTSU was a great experience and I enjoyed every teacher I had. Majoring in this field helped me know common knowledge about the music industry and learn more about songwriting.

CN: Your debut single, “One Church,” was just released on March 16. How exciting is it to have your very first single out?

DD: It is very exciting! Everything I have experienced so far has given me so many great memories.

CN: “One Church” is about your home town of Teutopolis, IL. Can you tell us a little bit about the background of the song, the “one church, three bar town”, and your songwriting process behind the song?

DD: The town I am from has one church and three bars. The one church is St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and the three bars are Ping’s Tavern, Brick Bat Bar and Grille, and Kenter’s Tavern. It also has one main road that runs through it which gave us the lyrics of “One Way In One Way Out” The song is written by stating a lot of common characteristics of any small town but yet there is something unique about this one church 3 bar town. Me and Jessilynn are both from a small town so the lyrics and melody just came out right from the start. We were both on the same page.

CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?

DD: This is a hard question haha One word….strong. I was born 1lb and 11oz. My dad named me Dakota because he thought it sounded strong and my parents growing up have shown me how to be strong with whatever you are dealing with in life. They are two of the most strongest people I know who have been through a lot over the years and I have learned from them how to never give up and stay strong.

CN: Even though your career is just starting to break out, have you had a “WOW” moment that you can’t believe has happened? And in looking forward, is there a moment or possibly an award, that you are setting your sights on achieving?

DD: Yes! Playing on the Today Show in Nashville and 650WSM radio were both a wow moment for me. Looking forward, I dream to play at the Grand Ole Opry one day and to have my music reach and help numerous people.

CN: Do you have a dream collaboration in mind?

DD: If I could write a song with either Carole King, Chris Stapleton, Vince Gill, or Shane McAnally that would be a dream collaboration of mine.

CN: You are currently touring in your home state of Illinois. How is that going? Will you be expanding the tour to other states?

DD: It is going well and I am also playing here in Tennessee! Hopefully I will be scheduled in other states here in the near future.

CN: What else do you have coming up in 2018?

DD: For 2018 I plan on working on more music and playing out as much as possible 🙂

For more information on Dakota Danielle, visit her website at: www.dakotadanielle.com