Dani Kristina
Toronto-based artist Dani Kristina has just released her latest single “I Won’t Know”. It’s been a long time since I last heard a good ballad. “I Won’t Know” is perfectly executed. Kristina brilliantly showcases her warm and incredible vocals. The piano melodies are breathtaking. The captivating harmonies bring depth and intensity to the record.
Dani Kristina delivered something memorable with this new song. It is filled with emotions and honesty, and that’s what makes a good ballad.
“I Won’t Know” is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Oleksandra Terletska
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I’m a singer songwriter from Toronto, Canada, and I’ve been writing music since I was five years old. I trained in classical piano for 15 years, and began writing my own music out of a love for telling stories.
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening to storytellers and artists such as Regina Spektor and Taylor Swift, but was exposed to a lot of different genres because of my parents’ love for music. I listened to a lot of rock music, jazz, and country while also listening to a lot of Croatian traditional music due to my Croatian heritage.
When did you know you could sing?
The running joke in my family is that I actually grew up not being able to sing at all. I remember being really inspired by my sister and other musicians at my music school, learning how to imitate various sounds and eventually coming up with my own sound as a vocalist.
When did you know you had to be an artist and release your original music? What was the biggest challenge when you first started?
I knew I had to release my original music at around the age of 10, just as I started writing more often. My first challenge when I first started was getting over the fear of being judged, as I was sharing my personal experiences and thoughts with people outside my immediate circle.
Who was the first person to ever believe in you?
The first people to ever believe in me were my family. My sister and my parents always believed in my ambitions, and expressions as an artist. They’ve been my support system ever since I began releasing music, and they’re always encouraging me to work towards my goals.
"I Won't Know" is your latest single - what's the story/inspiration behind this single?
This single is inspired by a heartbreak I experienced, and it explores the way I coped with the loss of that love. Dealing with a loss publicly can be difficult, and I used this song to make sense of all the feelings I was feeling.
When did you start working on this song? Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? Who helped you create it?
I started working on this song a couple of months before the release. I was inspired by the album artwork, which was shot by Oleksandra Terletska, a photographer I met when I was in Croatia. The writing and production process was pretty seamless due to the inspiration and imagery that I had, as it reflected my emotions quite well. The track was recorded in-studio with Trevor James Anderson, and the piano was recorded by Julijana Hajdinjak.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I felt a lot of different emotions when writing this song. Mainly, I felt relief and closure. When I was writing this song, I found that I had a lot of sadness, which I then channelled into the creation of this song.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
My favourite thing about this song is its simplicity. I love how this song focuses on the emotion of the lyrics, rather than on complex textures and melodic movement. In my opinion, the beauty of this song is in the stillness. And it feels, to me, much like heartbreak does. Kind of isolated, but full of emotion.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Ukrainian photographer Oleksandra Terletska took the album artwork for this song, and the way she captioned the landscape was so full of emotion, that it actually informed the creative process for this single. The artwork was shot in Rijeka, Croatia, and working with Terletska was such a fulfilling process.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What message do you want to give to women out there?
Being a woman in the music industry is definitely easier than I imagine it was a couple of decades ago. There are so many incredible artists that are women that are being elevated and listened to around the world, and they serve as an inspiration to me—and I think every other artist out there—who is a woman. Being an artist, however, as a woman, does come with some certain considerations in terms of appeal to various audiences. I think that even though many strides have been made, women in my opinion, are still subject to a lot of scrutiny compared to men, and while things have gotten better, I still think that there is a long way to go in terms of improving the perspective on and the treatment of artists equal regardless of gender.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Being an artist in today's industry is incredible, there's so many opportunities for artists to get their name out there because of social media, and there are so many stories of artists who started in their bedrooms making music who are headlining large shows today. That being said, it is extremely difficult for artists to wear so many different hats. Artists need to be experts in many different things besides just art these days, in order to succeed as being artists. This takes away from creating art itself, and I think that if this were to change, it would make the quality of art a larger priority than a social media following.
What advice would you give to artists out there?
My advice to any artist, is just too consistently create. Whether you're in the mood or not, I think it's really important to practice your craft daily, and if not daily at least weekly, in order to continue developing your style. I also think it's really important to take some time to define your vision of success, as I think it is kind of broadly known as fame these days, but it doesn't necessarily have to be so.
What does singing make you feel?
Singing makes me feel at peace. I find that it's a great way for me to release any sort of emotions, whether that be happiness or anger or sadness, I’m always just kind of coming up with weird melodies on the daily singing around the house, just making sense of the world around me. It helps me relax, and it gives me a way to cope with how I’m feeling.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I think the world would be a better place if everyone stepped into each other’s shoes once in a while, I think it's really easy to make snap judgments, but really understanding the root of someone’s actions and emotions could benefit many different situations.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
The biggest life lesson I've learned is that my own happiness is solely dependent on me and my perspective, I cannot rely on anything to support my happiness if I cannot create that happiness myself.
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