Am I scared? Yep. Big time. Excited? HECK YES!!!! I live for this! Hi! My name is Dani Strong. Legitimately. My Dad is Joe Strong. (Thanks for the cool name pops). I am a wife to my drummer (Grant Taylor), a mother of two wonderful kids and a hopeless dreamer who is terrified of certainty. The one and only thing I accept as a certain is that God put me on this Earth to create, make and share music. I have tried many times to quit music and get a stable, consistent and reliable career (Barf!!) but… Music is in me, for better or worse, so it would seem.
If you have never heard us… Feel free to check out some of my existing stuff out there: YOUTUBE , SPOTIFY, APPLE
(Here is a cute little picture of Grant and I from our first Album Release party)
OUTSIDE THE BOX: I am a songwriter first and foremost. I write all my own songs and with the help of my friend and producer, Dan Brodbeck, I bring my songs to life in the recording studio. My first (and only) record, Time To Breathe, released in 2016 was my first attempt at “breaking out” as an artist in the industry. I tailored that first record to fit decently well into the “box” of the country music world. Country music is my first love and the family I am so blessed to belong to. BUT, on this next record I will be releasing some songs that don’t necessarily “fit” into a box. As a songwriter I am a very emotional and “feel-ly” type of writer. So it all depends on what inspired my songs or what mood I was in as I wrote it. Dan and I made a firm decision that we would produce/mix this collection of songs for what best suits THE SONG instead of tailoring to a genre. I am SO EXCITED for you to hear the new sounds!! Don’t worry, there is still lots of country coming! :)
BOTTOM LINE: It’s a REALLY tough time to make music for any artist right now, let alone as an independent artist with no label, agent or company providing support. We recognize that we are in no position to take out another loan and sacrifice our home (that’s what we did the first time) and stability for our children so that I can selfishly make another record. We already have a GIANT debt started for this next record and I’m realizing, without help this time… we just might not be able to make it happen. I don’t want to give up. I see so many artists throwing in the towel on their gift and giving up on music. I won’t do that. So , if you like hearing new, unique music that please consider giving to this campaign. In return, I promise to give you a collection of songs that mean something to me. Each and every single one of them have a story. NO FILLER. I will then be touring Canada for a radio/solo performance tour in the first half of 2020. Starting in June of 2020 the Band and I will be hitting the road for a summer tour!
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: 1. If you are satisfied so far and trust that I will not misuse the financial gifts given to me, then you can stop reading now, scroll to the top and click “BACK THIS PROJECT” to help us! Thank you SO SO SO MUCH! 2. If you would like a little more backstory on me and our current situation financially before you decide to back this project, then keep on reading. I totally understand, and thank you so so much for considering to support this project!
FULL DISCLOSURE: Here is the bold truth. In 2016 Grant and I took out a home equity loan to pay for our first record. I was also fortunate enough to have been awarded a FACTOR grant. BOTH the loan and the grant did not cover the album making, promotion and tour process. We spent well over $50,000 on that first record. The return has been (to this day) roughly $16,000. But you know what… I DO NOT REGRET A THING! :) If my parents are reading this, they are probably going into shock. I left out all the financial details when talking about the last record with them. … oops!
I am a currently working 3 jobs, music lessons, digital marketing and my personal music career. Grant (my Hubby) outside of being a ridiculously talented drummer, is working a day job at a glass company. My husband and I work really hard to keep our simple little home warm and food on the table. Crazy as that sounds, that is literally ALL we are able to do right now. I do have a truck as well! In the spirit of being 100% transparent, I bought a new truck last year because my crappy station wagon wouldn’t pass the out of province inspection. So I ended up getting a 2018 truck (because it was the only thing with 0% financing). I drive A LOT for music, literally about to cross this entire country TWICE in 2020 for the 4th time in 2 years. So, I need a good vehicle and I’m happy I have one. I just don’t want you to think I’m trying to pull the wool over your eyes on this journey. Well… there it is, my little life in full view for you. Hope that helps. :)
THANK YOU!!!! To everyone who has supported us from the beginning and to all those who are new to our journey. We literally could not be doing this without out. THANK YOU a million times over.
Love, Dani
Risks?… Other than hoping I don’t hit a moose while on tour, or getting electrocuted on stage while singing in the rain I can’t think of any major risks. Challenges??… HA HA! Where do I begin? So many. There always are challenges. I suppose the biggest challenges for me will be in the area of “success” in promoting these new songs. There are SO MANY Canadian artists creating and releasing music these days (such a beautiful thing)… BUT the CRTC only mandates that 35% of the music played on radio needs to be Canadian. SO… if you factor all the music that is being released by all the talented Canadian artists, many of them big name label artists, it makes it tough for any little independent artists to get adds on radio. BUT… I know this, so thankfully I will not be expecting many adds. I’m still going to invest in a radio tour and put my best foot forward… but, I’m not a silly goose that is blind to the reality of how radio works. Another big challenge will be getting some good solid festival dates. I do not have a booking agent. That means I book all my shows and tours on my own. It’s a lot of work. out of 100 emails sent and phone calls made I might see 3 or 4 viable responses. I am grateful to already have a couple decent shows lined up for July (that I am not allowed to announce yet) so I am hoping that I can get some traction on other stuff with those bookings. IF YOU KNOW OF A GREAT TOWN / VENUE / FESTIVAL THAT WE SHOULD BE PLAYING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. dani@danistrong.com :)