
The latest single release from Daniel G comes with a very real and positive message that I think a lot of people should be hearing, especially these days and it's all done with a well-curated and balanced demeanor that blends indie pop and hip hop genres together seamlessly.
"The Man In The Mirror" it's a certain sweet spot when it comes to wearing your heart on your sleeves and being very straightforward, upfront, and honest in terms of what you want to say in your songs.
A lot about the song comes through with a graceful and tender approach and it works really well because you end up paying attention to what he's saying and you're able to really think about those concepts properly.
How many of us really stop and pay attention to how much we actually have rather than what we want to have? How many of us realize our own awesomeness and that we're good people? Why do some of us or should I say a lot of us, focus on the negatives instead of the positives about our own life?
See, the thing about a song like this is that it's incredibly relatable, and you sit back and realize that Daniel is absolutely right.
I think this track has a certain Beauty to it because the way that he is so straightforward lyrically his more impactful than coating things in metaphors so that you have to decipher them.
He just comes right out and says it and that makes the song feel good.
Not only that but I think that a lot of us may feel alone in these kinds of thoughts and hearing a song like this just makes us realize that we're not alone which is part of the more impactful side of this message in general.
I think we all need more songs like this and the way that it's built, woven, and put together was very well done in terms of the Sonic approach and how he just wanted to get this off of his chest and the way he knew how was through his music.
This is really what heart is all about if you ask me. Being able to create any art form that doesn't put up walls around the artist is really impressive.
Daniel G is a perfect example of an artist that creates his music purely as a passion project and in doing so he's spreading his message because that's his main goal.
This all works perfectly.
You can also tell that he has a real love for what he does and maybe being in the studios where his heart is at, knowing that he's going to get his message out the way he wants to so people can hear it, understand it, and be affected by it.
Why else would anyone make music unless it's to have it affect someone else?
This was a wonderful single beaming with relatable positivity and a message we all need to hear at one point or another and with its release we wanted to have a sit-down with Daniel to find out what drove him to create this song and what might be coming up next for him.
Here's what happened.
Buzz Slayers: Okay, let's start with "The Man In The Mirror"! This track had a lot of honesty, and it was refreshing! How did this release come about?
Just like with the releases that came out before this one, I dug deep into myself to find out HOW to truly STOP making myself suffer. In the first track I released, which is "Hurt", I specify how I no longer wanted to hurt/suffer from the inside out as it comes from the internal war that is happening between our heart and mind when we CAN'T get them to be COHERENT with each other. Our Heart(the seat of our Soul) guides us by beating in a way we KNOW it's HOW it's SUPPOSED to ALWAYS be beating, which is in a calm, peaceful and joyful manner. Our mind(the tool used to Create what the Heart desires) can be a bit tricky to conquer but by being as HONEST as possible with The Man In The Mirror, we can IDENTIFY what CAUSES us to feel hatred towards ourselves and bring an end to it ALL. Or at least to as much of it as possible.
Wherever it is that the past stays there exists a version of me that HATED the reflection so much I would break the mirror[s] by punching it in the face! But NOW, the ONLY moment that matters, THAT will NEVER EVER happen AGAIN because I have so much LOVE for LIFE that I must PRESERVE as MUCH of it as POSSIBLE.
I daily pray for SERENITY and guidance. Then I meditate to listen to my intuition to discern that guidance. And I am ALWAYS led BACK to my HEART.
Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as an artist?
"I wouldn't know how to be FAKE.
To be an artist, I know I have what it TAKES.
'cause I've had, had many HEARTACHES." -verses from my track "No Breaks", yet to be released-
And that's just it. One day I decided to take the way that I express myself, MAINLY my PAIN, a little further. A level up if you will.
So as I was jotting poems for a book I self-published in 2019, I found myself writing raps as I came to realize that rapping is just Poetry In Motion when the artist learns to let it flow that way. I first sought out someone else to do the rapping for me and came across @kidkenzi. After he read a few of my tracks, he insisted I record myself as they have A-LOT of emotion within them. I honestly doubted myself being able to do such a thing because AGAIN, SUBCONSCIOUSLY I had been programmed to 'think' I was to ONLY BE a certain version of myself my ENTIRE existence while here on Earth. Obviously it has been proven many many times that that DOESN'T have to be the CASE. With enough PRACTICE, ANYTHING can be achieved. Even how to eliminate doubt, self-hate and learn how to be nothing less than GREAT!
Buzz Slayers: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
Real life experiences that have occurred and how they MAKE me FEEL. Making songs is a form of art and one of the REASONS art is CREATED is to make us FEEL some kind of way so we can KEEP moving/growing/ascending. I noticed there AREN'T too many works of art out there in the form of rapping that speak of the beauty of what we hold deep in our hearts/souls. Especially about the transmutation of pain to joy. Of dark to light. And so here we are.
Buzz Slayers: This release has some great approaches to it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
"That it can be done, you and other legends the world you've SHOWN.
Like 50 Cent, Imma get rich or die while I TRY.
Like Tupac said, a thug's heart has the ability to pray and CRY!" -verses from my track "Ode To Em & ME", yet to be released-
Tupac Shakur because he reminded us how the pain we felt was NOT exclusive, that ANYTHING could be achieved and to just look to him to KNOW that even if we were born 'with less' that we are ALL still PRECIOUS and to protect our ESSENCE. He left us with how to SMILE even through all this bullhsh*t!
Nipsey Hussle for continuously reminding us how Pac reminded HIM of the same and that by KNOWING yourself, you CAN'T deceive yourself.
Bob Marley because he said that if the ones that are doing evil acts AREN'T taking a break why should we stop doing good and to NOT worry about a thing and to BE Happy.
Sia because MOST if not ALL of her tracks speak of how to break out of limited thoughts others have of US. And that childhood TRAUMA doesn't have to be carried onto our adulthood.
NF because he is NOT fearful of releasing REAL MUSIC.
Lynrd Skynrd because they taught us how to live like a simple man following his heart that just loves and understands himself.
Eminem credits Tupac many many times as well about giving him motivation to keep going and with that Em shows to have "Guts Over Fear'' and that we can be "Phenomenal" while feeling "Beautiful Pain".
Micheal Jackson mentioned that the ONLY way to bring change to the world is by starting with The Man In The Mirror.
Buzz Slayers: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
Living out LIFE to the FULLEST. No time is to be squandered because we only EVER get to LIVE out TODAY. NO DAY WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN AGAIN. EVER.
I am STILL employed at a small business to make the $$ needed to support my wonderful family(a wife, 4 daughters, 2 cats and a dog) and do that for 40+ hours a week. I spend a few hours commuting to and from that job. And while at home with the family I do my best to be the man of the house. We spend as many moments as possible together. We play board games(I
just taught my 6 year old how to play chess), play outside, watch movies and sit around to just BE at times.
I read A-LOT, I cook, I clean, I mow my grass, and whatever else I can attend to. I have become quite the handyman as well.
Buzz Slayers: Who's in your headphones right now?
Daniel G.
NF
Nipsey Hussle
Tupac Shakur
Linkin Park
Are you doing any live performances right now?
I am not doing live performances yet as I find myself in the early phases of the artist development stages. This link is to the FIRST live show I did to start getting my feet wet about what it would FEEL like to BE up there and I gotta say, THAT DID IT for me! Since then I have steadily been practicing to be the BEST that I can and figuring out WHO I have to be to do just that. As you can see I started by calling myself D Rebel G but quickly moved to Daniel G. with the REBEL part staying within me so I could let it out subtly through my music.
Buzz Slayers: Do you record these at a big studio or do you have a home studio set-up?
My first two tracks "Hurt" and "The Only One" were done at Strictly Dope Studios, shoutout to @blazeontheboards for those opportunities. But since I am the only one who 'brings home the bacon' and the overtime that was offered at the company I work for ended right AFTER I decided to be an artist, I have a limited budget on where I can spend my money. So I have done what I can, where I am, with what I have for the last 3 years which meant producing "Bobblehead", "(E)InMotion" and "BrainStorm" with my iPhone garageband app. The last two tracks I recently released, "Keep It Rolling" and "The Man In The Mirror" vocals were recorded at home but were mixed and mastered elsewhere. Shoutout to Jimmy Connor jconnbeats@gmail.com for working on "Keep It Rolling" and shoutout to Beats By Anj from One Day Productions for the excellent job on "The Man In Mirror". Shoutout to Edoby beats for the dope beats that fit perfectly for my lyrics.
We are in the WONDERFUL age of information and well we must just apply ourselves enough to convert that information into knowledge and then into actions thus yielding us the POWER to do ANYTHING we set ourselves to do.
Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
Having EXPECTATIONS lead to DISAPPOINTMENT. So my fans ought to NOT EXPECT anything from anyone but they CAN rest assured that...
"The ball I won't ever DROP.
Making hits like this..I won't ever STOP.
And if it does FLOP!
Well F*CK IT.
I'll just CHUCK IT!
In the loss BUCKET!
So all you critics..can go SUCK IT!" -verses from my track "The Spotlight", yet to be released-
Basically I'll keep putting in the inner work to let out what I find within my heart because EVERY ME EQUALS WE so I have to keep being the BEST ME possible. On Purpose, With Purpose.
Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
I would like to express my deepest gratitude because being thankful is the best way to have a love for life next to living from the love inside you. I thank you for appreciating, respecting, loving and honoring what I have 'brought to the table'. Know that YOU too can free yourself from whatever limits you have in your SUBCONSCIOUS by visiting your HEART every rising of the Sun BEFORE you even begin your day so you KNOW where it wants YOU to go so you can MAKE it as GREAT a day as you WANT just because YOU CAN. Know that you can live INTENTIONALLY and GRACIOUSLY. One Love.
Respectively,
Daniel G.
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