hello everybody. i hope i find you in good health and happiness. i want the absolute best for you and in all that you do.
this is my annual pre-christmas personal update, where i get to answer the questions posed to me in dms and emails that come in across the year. thank you to everybody who shows such kindness and interest.
firstly, 2021 has been a year of tremendous challenges for me. all of which i have patiently and calmly navigated thanks to the wonderful skills and resilience i have developed. therapy has been great for me to overcome the challenges i have faced and understand mental health more than ever before. and yes, i am aware that i have lost a lot of body fat too. i am fine. but thank you for caring. i have been addressing my physical wellbeing for a while now. i am very healthy, and i am going to be okay :)
i released two singles this year and the first of the two, ‘more than you love me’, has really done the rounds and i have been completely delighted and overwhelmed at the reception and love this song has had. the second single is also enjoying some love from music fans and i am utterly pleased with how my new songs and songwriting style have been received. it was important for me to go in a new direction but maintain the emotion and soul at the center of what i write, and why i write. i guess now is probably a good time to say that 2022 does have surprises in store for you all and if you liked my 2021 output, brace yourselves.
i want to thank written media, podcasters, radio stations, playlisters and pr companies for helping 2021 be the year that my music reached more peoples ears, and hopefully hearts, than ever before. without that effort and appreciation for music, people would never be able to discover such delights. it is how i discover superb little music acts, and to feel like i am now on that level of discovery, is both exciting and nerving in equal measure.
2021 also saw a whole other side of my creative heart, in several new movie soundtracks announced. i want to thank firstly sadie duarte for allowing me to make music for her film, ‘the lights of dawn’. the film has been rightfully praised at short film/indie film award ceremonies across the world, and this opportunity has given me the honour and privelidge to become an multi-award-winning music artist for the first time since i began making music over 15 years ago. i loved making music for sadies great short film, and this opportunity then led to me being so kindly asked to write a full music score and soundtrack for a new film coming in 2022 called mr earth. mr earth is an emotionally charged sci-fi feature movie with some very relevant and powerful themes and the chance to write for this film was another dream come true. scott lambson, the brilliant director (just like sadie is) took a chance on giving me such a huge movie to score for, and i was merely relieved when after six weeks of nonstop hard work i handed over the audio files and waited with baited breath to see wether it was good enough for his incredible vision. the joy and humility i felt when i got the email back saying ‘daniel, these are fantastic’ i gently cried. when i had a super secret listening party for the soundtrack with my team, to see the impact this music could have, watching the tears roll down peoples cheeks during one piece of music, it hit me that we really had created something special, for a very big occasion. it was then i realised that i had done something huge, created a good body of sound, for a great body of vision, coming soon to amazon prime video and select theaters in 2022. the film was just announced two days ago(as of writing this) as an official selection at the hugely prestigious utah film festival in america and this is a testament to how great scott lambson’s film making is. i am totally humbled to have made this body of sound work for the film, and i simply cannot wait for all of you to watch the movie in 2022 and listen to the soundtrack. it was an absolute honour to be a part of this project, and i feel like i am floating in a dream. thank you sadie. thank you scott.
2021 also saw me return to the live stage for the first time in over 2 years. i put a lot of hard work into the live show and the first few shows of this long tour have been absolutely fantastic. i am still perfecting the show, but i simply cannot wait to perform the different sets across 2022 for you all. a big part of this has been two things. the donations made by incredible fans through the spotify paypal link. these donations have funded the singles in 2021, the new music you will hear from me in 2022, and the live tour. i recorded a super secret and intimate thank you show for every person that donates through the spotify link on my spotify profile on the phone/tablet app, and if you donate, you will be sent the link to the video through email. thank you to everybody who funded the 2021 journey, rest assured we have worked tirelessly throughout the year to put your donations to some amazing experiences, sounds and visuals in 2021, and 2022. thank you so much. really. thank you.
at this stage i want to write a bunch of thank yous. firstly a big thank you to david emery who helped me produce the soundtrack for mr earth. he was so patient with me and i really wish i could give him much more than he has, for the incredible skills he has. one day i hope i can do that. thank you david. next up is louise, my new tour manager. louise, a project manager with superb abilties and skills, discovered my music in early 2021 and out of the blue asked me if she could become my booking agent for live performances. she has overdelivered and is responsible for me coming to your towns and performing my emotional art for you. she has been a passionate shield bearer for my music since discovering it and has given me the confidence i needed to level up my live show and really give you my all again, after years of being too fragile to do it again. we are back. we are strong. and louise is partly responsible for this. thank you louise. the whole tour team is amazing and this includes the tremendous phay, who gets me to every show safely and comfortably and chronicles special moments through her many cameras. those amazing photos you see after every show? that is phays lens capturing special moments. what an amazing person and soul. thank you phay.
lastly, and in my heart, most importantly, thank you to every single person who played my music in 2021, streamed it, downloaded it, watched the videos, showed their friends, came to a live show, donated through our spotify fundraising campaign, showed interest, filmed me, listened to me, interviewed me, gave your precious precious time to my art, i am so undeniably grateful for your presence and your willing to give me a chance. thank you so much. i will endeavour to continue making new sound and emotional art for you. i will not let you down, because i simply cannot let myself down. this music is an extension of me, and thus comes from an extremely personal place. one that i simply cannot release unless i feel it, just like you.
the world is still fighting a virus, and sometimes it feels like we are winning, and recently it feels again like we need to be a little more careful. i really hope to be able to perform live for you in 2022, if it is safe. but whatever happens in this fight against this terrible virus, i will continue to create, and put those creations out for you, to get through the hardest of times. i love you all, have a warm and gentle christmas, and i am always here if you need to talk. on social media. emails. i try my best to respond, even if its a few weeks or months down the road. stay kind. daniel. xox