Today we’d like to introduce you to Daisy Draper.
Hi Daisy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is pretty all over the place, but I’ll talk about the pivotal experiences that lead me to merge wellness, spirituality and music together to create what I call “spiritual pop.”
I’m from Elkhart, a small town in northern Indiana. I always wanted to be a musician as early as I can remember and took voice lessons starting at six years old and guitar lessons at 8. As a kid, I just wanted to be an artist – to make music, paint, draw and take photographs. As I approached high school, I soon realized the harsh reality that my family did not have extra funds (or any, really, we grew up pretty poor) to pursue an education in the arts. That lead me to join the United States Army at 17 so I could fund an education and pursue my dreams
A few years into college and the Army, my life took another complicated and unexpected turn. To provide context, I grew up with a myriad of illnesses and health complications, but they started to really manifest during my second year of college. I was similar to any standard American – just eating whatever without regard to what it did to my physical and emotional wellbeing, was a heavy partier and alcohol drinker, and was on and off prescription meds. My body couldn’t take much more and it began to shut down. Doctor after doctor, and nobody could tell me what was wrong. It wasn’t until I saw a naturopathic doctor that changed my entire life in 2016.
Long story short, I found that not only what I consumed (dietary, environmental, relational, informational) directly affected my physical health, but my EMOTIONS and unresolved trauma were at the root of ALL dis-ease. This was the motivator to learn as much as I possibly could about the human body, emotional healing, trauma recovery and spirituality to help others that were also suffering.
The Army didn’t really vibe with that – nor did anyone really in northern Indiana – but I stayed true to it despite the backlash I received. After graduation, I decided to leave the Army (and the midwest, a dismal place for an aspiring artist) to start a new life in Los Angeles. I moved to LA with less than $200 to my name and two suitcases. I was homeless for about 6-8 months, sleeping on floors, bunk beds and hotels until I finally got my shit together. My boundary with the Universe was that I wouldn’t move to LA and become a starving artist. That the starving artist narrative was outdated and honestly – just not fucking true. So I held out until I found a job that could provide me the security I needed to establish myself in my own place.
Fast forward to today – I eventually found the friends, musical collaborators, and writers that have helped me bring my vision to life, and I’m just getting started! I’m secure, comfortable, happy and most importantly, creating a career merging wellness with music to be of service for others. Sometimes it’s surreal to reflect on how far I’ve come. I released my first EP titled “Earth Angel” on all streaming platforms on April 15th and completed my Earth Angel School right afterwards (a workshop series collaborating with different healers in my community, teaching people various aspects of healing and spirituality). So much more is on the way and I’m excited to see what transpires!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So many challenges. At this point, I just see challenges as tests from the Universe to see if we will settle for less than we deserve. Challenges are essentially opportunities to heal in real-time. After spending six years in the Army, healing an autoimmune disease and overcoming homelessness, my relationship with hardships have shown me that life is neutral, and it is up to us to decide to pick ourselves up and move forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a spiritual pop musician and teacher! I teach people how to heal in order to become their most authentic selves. Right now, I utilize Tik Tok to educate my community, now at 35K followers which is pretty cool. I merge these concepts with my music and release songs that touch on topics such as shadow work, inner child healing, and vulnerability.
I also host workshops and collaborate with other healers that I find inspiring! Most recently, I completed a workshop series called Earth Angel School. With every single release, there was a workshop that covered different aspects of the “spiritual journey,” or in other words, coming into who you really are.
What sets me apart from other musicians is I teach AND entertain. I’m passionate about helping people radically heal their lives so they can create a life that feels authentic and aligned.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’ve had so may wonderful people help me on this journey! But I can shout out a few that have been monumental for my growth in self-actualization and self-worth.
Chelsea Hayden is one of my best friend’s that really pushed me to keep going. Without her unconditional love, empathy and mentorship I would not be the woman I am today. She held space for me in my lowest moments and never gave up on me. Her radical love and undying belief in me has been transformative in my healing process.
Austin Danson is not only my producer but also my dear friend. I honestly have no idea why he decided to work with me, but I’m so glad he did. Austin is the first person that taught me how to trust my inner voice as an artist. I’ve had a lot of people not be very nice to me in the past, which made me a chronic self doubter. Austin has helped me push past these limiting beliefs – which has contributed to my evolution as an artist.
The list goes on and on, but I’ll name drop as many as I can remember – Danielle McCord, Lea Cappelli, Maritza Ponciano, Ariana Savci, Jay Hizny, Amber Olsen, Andrew Kumar, Brandon Weaver and so many more amazing and wonderful people.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.daisydraper.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamdaisydraper
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DaisyDraper
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamdaisy__
Image Credits:
Danielle McCord Kevin Erickson
