From family management and sensitivity to songwriting and the power of collaboration – Australian singer and artist Danni Giddings kindly took part in an interview. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Danni, great to chat – congrats on the new singles! Just to introduce things, how would you describe the music you make?
Hi and thank you so much. That’s a really good question and if you find the answer can you please let me know, ha!
I don’t believe I can contain myself to one particular genre or style of music. The majority of music I write plays like a story with deep and strong emotions yet I also love delving into my dark sexual psyche for inspiration to write ‘animalistic lounge music’ as I like to call it.
I love expressing my sensual side, swaying into an R&B feel, dancing my way into club songs then writing fun and short ditties just for kicks. I don’t feel creative expression can be contained so I will lose myself in any inspiration of music at any given opportunity.
How did Your Opinion – Kiss My Ass come to be – was this a reaction to something in particular?
All the people closest to me will tell you I’m a bit of a sensitive soul. So in saying that, it came as quite a shock for me to have received my very first dislike on one of the songs I had uploaded to my You tube channel, Danni Giddings. The dastardly thumbs down sparked a conversation between myself and my good friend of Brutu Music. I told him after my childish whinge that everything would be fine because I would just write a song about it.
In less than a day he sent me a cheeky little phrase he sung to me ‘You can kiss my ass…’. That was all that was needed to stoke both our creative fires, pull together a great team and create a powerhouse song that forces the listener to hone their own sense of self-love and self-acceptance. I will forever remain grateful to the ‘thumbs down bandit’.
Is the track typical of your style, or do you just go with the flow at any given time?
As mentioned above, anything goes. I am grateful for any opportunity to be able to express myself musically. As well as working with Brutu Music, I have been fortunate enough to have also worked with Will Davidson of Adversa Records to create the song’s Jungle Queen and Ready with another heavy synth dance track soon to come. We are in the process now of working on a couple of songs that have a more ‘band’ feel to them.
I have also been very fortunate to work with Ashek. His beats tap into my R&B, house and pop inspirations. Our first track together Love Flow is a smooth introduction to the style of music we create and we are both very excited for our, soon to be released, Shooting Star which plays like a warm night at the beach, which was in fact our inspiration.
The retro electro-funk flavours work well in this setting, and the latter-half vocal injects a level of unpredictability that furthers the song’s appeal. How do you craft a track as eclectic as this – who does what, and how do you know when it’s ready to be shared?
I can only take credit for the English lyrics really! After writing the naughty little rap and singing it for myself I realised just how much I wanted to hear that specific part sung with a LOT more attitude then I could provide and I am so honoured that Nadi by Nature stepped in and did it perfect justice.
The gorgeous Queen Minerva takes Your Opinion to the next level when she comes in with her hard-hitting Italian rap. Then there is the big man himself – Brutu Music brings every aspect of ‘Bad Ass’ to this song. He is a creative genius!
Tell me about Love Ain’t Free – a different style, mellow and emotive – what’s the story behind this one?
The coming together of Brutu Music and Danni Giddings! Love Ain’t Free is the Frankenstein music child of both our styles. Whenever I hear this song I visualise someone in an old school psychiatric ward, like the ones in scary movies! It sounds slightly askew which sets the tone perfectly. A woman angry at her ex-lover, maybe a little crazy, maybe a little violent, a hospital trying to keep her mellowed out, you get the visual. Then there’s the wonderful cuckoo clock that chimes in.
Do you have to find a different head-space for such varying moods and tracks?
I guess it all depends. If I am writing lyrics and melodies for a track someone else has written, I feel the music is already telling me the story through my feelings and I just have to listen then write it out in words. If I’m sitting at my keyboard, it’s my natural inclination to write highly emotive or highly erotic songs (laughs out loud).
Recently I came (pun every bit intended) across the steamy romance novel Ruining Her by the talented Kylie Kent. Within the first few pages I could feel the inspiration building inside me, I sat at my keyboard and let the inspiration flow. Within an hour I had the starts of the song I titled Ruining Me which just so happened to get a mention in Kylie Kent’s second book in the McKinley Ranch Duet, Ruining Him. For that I am truly grateful to Kylie Kent.
Inspiration is everywhere. In everything. I am truly grateful I get to express all my emotions in such a fun and creative way.
How did you come to connect with Brutu Music, and what has this collaboration brought out in your sound?
Brutu Music found me after I had posted the song Love Ain’t Free on a social media site. It was at the time just my keyboard and myself. Little did I realise the amazing journey to come.
Through Brutu Music I have been fortunate enough to connect with and be a part of the great team at Universal Flow Records, an incredibly fast paced, forward moving record company that’s electric music continues to bring out my untapped creativity. I am eternally grateful that UFR has welcomed me with open arms and made me one of their own.
Brutu Music has not only opened up many more opportunities for different styles and sounds of music that I create but he has taught me so much about the music industry along the way. I am forever grateful I get the opportunity to work with Brutu music and excited for our many more future musical endeavours together.
What’s next for you?
It’s a bit of a wild ride at the moment. A juggling act, looking after my two young children, a household and the many more personas of the modern woman but I do have a couple of songs soon to be released and many more in the making.
I am fortunate enough to have an incredible support team to keep me on track including my good friend Rachael Houghton who managers so much of my music life and keeps me going on days I think I can’t. She remains behind the scenes yet is so integral to keeping this journey going and I am forever grateful to her and so blessed that we not only work together but are such close friends too.
And my biggest support comes from my best friend and husband, Anthony Giddings. I wouldn’t be anywhere without him. I am so grateful that we get to live this adventure together. I am especially grateful for all the inspiration he happily provides me for all my ‘animalistic lounge music’. May the inspiration never stop flowing (laugh out loud).
Thank you.
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Check out Danni Giddings on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram or visit her Website.
