Meet Daniel Blake

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Blake.

Daniel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up around music. My dad plays guitar and sings, and so did my grandpa. Early on, I was introduced to great music like Van Morrison, The Beatles, Carole King, and James Taylor. Over time I learned to play guitar and drums; however, singing came later.

Although music was always a part of my life, I put it on the back burner for many years until about two years ago. I began writing songs and felt like it was time to put myself out there and share them. I first played at an open mic night in Claremont, and after that, I played wherever I could. Perusing music took a back seat for so long because I felt it was too unreasonable to do what I loved and be happy. I wanted to do music for as long as I can remember and thought I just needed to try and get it out of my system then I could move on with my life. However, This was not the case. Once I started it only made my drive and passion stronger. Deep down I knew I would have to try it one day and I’m so thankful I did.

Through playing out in LA, I met someone who introduced me to a music producer who ended up helping me create my debut Ep Circle Mountain. Since that EP came out (November 2018) I have been playing where I can in LA.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an Independent artist for me means learning as you go. Literally, everyday of this journey has been a learning process. There are not cut paths for you, and no two paths will be the same or even similar in this industry. I think this road has been as smooth as it probably could have been. Finding balance with my time is essential but very hard. Like many singer songwriters I also have a full time job that takes up a lot of my time but is necessary to pay the bills and support the music. In my experience songwriting is a field of work with many avenues and until you try them out you won’t know how you feel about it. It’s tricky because you don’t know what the end result will be or even what you want the end result to be.There are many careers that appear to have a clear path or steps you have to take to accomplish them. Being a singer songwriter is not one of those careers. I don’t think you really know when you are on a path and even then it constantly changes. I do know that you have to find ways to recognize the tiny milestones along the way. Everything I do gets me one step closer to where I want to be, even though I’m still not sure where that is. I have a long way to go and a lot to learn but starting out in music as someone no one knows or cares about is definitely hard. I’m extremely grateful the L.A music community has embraced me this far and I’ve made some great friends along the way.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
As a singer-songwriter I am always looking for inspiration. Which can be tricky because sometimes the inspiration comes after I’ve already started. I think you are a songwriter before you are a singer, at least for me. I’m not a great singer but I’m always in a songwriter environment or state of mind. My mind is always open to the next idea but every person’s process is different. That’s what makes songwriting so great. The more I write the more I realize the songwriter side never sleeps.

I feel as if I have two different types of songwriting styles. Active and passive. Ironically active songwriting can be more difficult. Passive songwriting is that great idea that just pops up and I constantly think about it until one day it clicks and becomes a song.

Both active and passive styles have their strengths and obstacles. As for what I have going on now; my debut EP titled Circle Mountain is currently out and I hope to have a new Ep out next year.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe that luck only presents itself from the work you have already put in.  I can’t count on luck but there have been times where I recognize something that resembles it or at least  what I think luck is. At times when I’m working on a song  it can feel like luck that makes the song more then what I originally thought it could be. Like the arrangement of lyrics that can fall into place. It’s easier for me to recognize  luck when I’m looking back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmiQQEUMEIbiguILD929yaw
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielblakemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielblakemusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/daniel_blake__
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/18gQyw6wiofO2h9SLSktcW

Image Credit:
Tammie Valer, Tent Media, Chris Camargo and Dominique Wilson

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