Kat Harlton
Originally from the hills and valleys of rural BC, Danielle Ryan fell in love with music as a child, beginning her journey at the age of just 13, teaching herself to play guitar and write her own music. With a desire to break into the country music industry, Danielle began taking inspiration from some of her favourite artists such as Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Johnny Cash.
Danielle’s down-home work ethic allowed her to dive headfirst into the world of country, drawing from personal experiences new and old, and developing her craft, earning her national media coverage, a Top-6 spot in the 2016 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Discovery Program, and winning Country Music Television (CMT)’s Chevy from the Tailgate Contest. Holding herself to a high standard, Danielle’s priority is to do more than just sing songs, and to create music that really means something.
We had the opportunity to chat with Danielle about her latest single “Weather Man“, her creative process and future plans.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “Weather Man”?
Danielle: Living on the farm we make hay every summer. The weather report would be like- “sun all week!” and within the day they would be calling for rain. I took that concept and related it to a relationship at the time.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Danielle: I think a lot of people can relate to the concept of being let down. Someone making hollow promises and not following thru. I hope people sing this at the top of their lungs driving home from the beach ‘cause it started raining.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Danielle: Sitting down and taking the time to focus is always hard for me. Life gets so busy and sometimes things like song writing gets put on the backburner. Once I sit down and come up with something I like it’s usually smooth sailing from there. I also do a lot of my writing with my Brother- so having someone that I vibe with and can bounce ideas off makes the process a lot more fun.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Danielle: Getting to record all the songs that I’ve spent years working on. I recorded Weather Man with Brian Howes (Simple Plan, Keith Urban) and he really brought my vision to life. Having the opportunity to work with him was super cool and I learned lots from that guy about the industry- and I taught him lots about Instagram.
Kat: What’s next?
Danielle: We’re shooting a music video this week for Weather Man which I’m super excited about! Also excited to attend the CCMA’s in the Fall and get to see everyone… maybe we will head to NYC afterwards if everything is opened up *fingers crossed*
For more on Danielle visit: www.danielleryan.ca