Leah Daniels: What It Feels Like, Sit Down Interview

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the lovely and talented Leah Daniels last week at The Gibson Guitar Lounge where we caught up and chatted about her album “What it Feels Like”. Let’s get right to it!

TC: Hi Leah, it’s so good to see you!

LD: Hi! It’s so good to see you too!

TC: Let’s start by talking about the new album and crowd funding. There are so many options. You went with Pledge Music, can you tell us why?

LD: I researched all of them and there are ones that take less of a percentage but Pledge Music was special because it’s specifically for artists. I was a little bit nervous at first, just doing a crowd funding thing because it feels like I’m asking people for money, but no! No, they’re actually getting cool stuff but the other cool thing about Pledge is that all of the money also counts towards Soundscan (Soundscan tracks the sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada).

I feel like Pledge have an existing fan base, people that follow Pledge that do pre-order. I saw people coming in from all over the world.

TC: You’re not the only artist I’ve supported through Pledge. There’s something about how they do it that appeals to all of us.

LD: So as a consumer, you’ve done it more than once. Wow… that’s cool to hear. It was a big decision and I’m really glad I went with Pledge.

TC: Did you worry that it wouldn’t happen and how did it feel as the support started coming in?

LD: Oh of course! You launch and think… okay, here we go. It wasn’t long after that orders started coming in. It was an incredible thing. What was most surprising for me was that most of my orders came in from outside of Canada. That was something I didn’t expect. I expected the majority of orders to be from friends and family and people that I know but the majority was people that I didn’t know. That was the most suprising thing. I’m not sure if that was because of the YouTube stuff that I’ve done, social media and now I’m finally seeing those people. That was really cool to think about!

TC: Was there a spot in particular that stood out that you think maybe you should go play some shows?

LD: There was a lot of support from The UK. A lot of stuff in Australia, I know they have a big country scene there as well but even places like Brazil and countries I’d never heard of before. Very cool.

TC: You just had your CD Release Party in your hometown of Uxbridge. How was that to be able to do that at home?

LD: It was the best feeling ever. That’s where it all started for me, especially that venue, The Uxbridge Music Hall. The first shows that I ever did, as a girl, 7 years old were in that hall. It was a pretty special thing to be back and be doing my own music, with my own band, in front of all these people who’ve supported me for years. There were old teachers there and of course lots of friends and family and new fans that had travelled quite a distance to come. It was a very nice evening.

TC: You made the front page of the Uxbridge Cosmos, how weird was that?

LD: I got a text and it was a photo of the front page. I knew they were at the event but I had no idea that it was going to be a front page thing. That was pretty cool but it goes to show, the support of the people from Uxbridge is just so amazing. I’m so thankful that I was able to grow up in such a lovely community like that. There are so many people that help out. There are lots of volunteers who just want to make things better for kids. Music and hockey, I can’t think of a better place to grow up. I’m blessed to have grown up there.

TC: And it’s close enough to Toronto to make it easy to access all the city has to offer.

LD: Yes! The difference that it makes to be able to drive in and take advantage of opportunities happening in Toronto, it’s great.

TC: The last time I saw you was at The CMAO’s and you won the Rising Star Award, I have to ask, has that opened doors for you?

LD: Absolutely. Having recognition like that it definitely helps. People notice. It’s another fact in your bio and it stands out. It’s definitely helped opened doors with the shows and it’s an amazing feeling to have that kind of recognition, especially with something like that where it’s the industry that chooses those. It’s not the fan, but your peers.

TC: I wanted to touch on VIP access.

LD: That was one of the things we offered through Pledge, but it’s the first time I’ve done it. We did it for the Uxbridge show. It was a lot of fun. I did a couple of songs and then we did a meet and greet. Everybody got posters and I signed them.

TC: That’s a relatively new thing, less than 5 years I’m going to say.

LD: When I created the option on Pledge I wasn’t even sure if anyone would buy this. But I’ve had people asking. The demand is there, people are into it. So I’m going to try to continue to do that. People want it.

TC: It gives people a chance to get up close and personal. People who’ve been following you on social media.

LD: It is… even this past summer, you get to know people. People who come out to show after show and you build a relationship there. It’s really nice.

TC: How would you describe your relationship with Beverley Mahood?

LD: She’s a very close friend and we’ve gone through a lot together. We write together, a lot of the stuff on the new record, we wrote together. And… she’s a mentor to me. She’s offered me so much advice of the past couple of years. She’s so giving and she’s been there every step of the way. It’s quite a special relationship to have. She’s had a lot of success and to have her support is amazing. Not just music but as a host and actress, she does it all.

TC: How did that happen?

LD: We have the same manager. Being a girl in the industry is tricky and to have someone like Beverley who’s been through it and really knows the industry, we can talk about those things and those challenges. It’s awesome to be supporting each other. We’re at each others video shoots, we fix each others hair, it’s such a wonderful thing. I never want to lose that. She so popular but she’s so down to earth.

TC: Can we talk about Tim (Tim Deegan)? Who seems to be everywhere, he’s working on this video and he did the last video. Can we talk a little about his role in your career.

LD: He’s done a lot of music videos for me. We work together so well. I love making music but I also love being creative visually, bringing the song to life as well. Tim his background is being a host on MuchMusic but he’s grown to love behind behind the camera and being a videographer. When we combine forces, it’s pretty cool. I’m still an indepedent artist and that can be a challenge but the fact that I can still make videos is so wonderful. We’re both of the same mindframe and if something needs to be done, let’s do it, we can make it happen. Let’s draw upon our resources and I’m really proud of the videos that we’ve done.

We just did the “Old Piano” video this past week and I’m really excited for this one. It’s very different from “Dream Without You” and “Where Do I Go”. “Old Piano”, the storyline is an old piano in a family home over 30 years and all the action that happens around it. For me, our piano in our house was always the central place at family get togethers. Everyone around, me, practicing and writing songs from a young girl to now. It’s a cool story and we had a lot of fun making it. I’m excited! We’re editing it right now and we’re trying to get that out soon. as possible.

TC: I didn’t see any tour dates listed on the website, will you be touring to support the album?

LD: Yes! In the new year. I’m heading out West to do a radio promo tour next week and there are a couple of shows but I haven’t posted them yet. But I will be touring in the new year. I’m looking forward to it, that’s really my favourite part, performing. That’s why I fell in love with this career.

Thanks to Leah for taking time out of her busy schedule to sit down and chat with us. Here’s the brand new video for “Old Piano”.

We’re giving away a copy of “What It Feels Like” on our Facebook page. Contest closes November 22nd at 9:00PM EST. While your entering… why not like our page?

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Trish Cassling

Writer/Photographer/Editor

Toronto Music Blogger