If you’re looking for a new country artist to love and a hit EP to add to your playlists, then look no further! Award-winning country artist Dan Davidson just released his new EP Six Songs To Midnight and it’s an absolute must-listen.
Davidson is a Canadian born country singer/songwriter who has been taking the industry by storm for the last five years. Since breaking into the scene, Davidson has already earned 6 CCMA nominations, 10 ACMA awards, a gold record, a No. 1 selling Canadian song and record, Top 20 charting numbers and hundreds of performances.
To add on to his already large list of achievements, the “Found” singer just released his new EP Six Songs To Midnight, which is available now on all streaming platforms. When sitting down with Celeb Secrets Country for an exclusive interview, Davidson says that this body of work “marks the beginning of a transition into more of an artist that ‘lets the music do the talking.'”
“In the past I’ve made my mark doing really crazy music videos and almost having a ‘pop punk of country’ kind of vibe, but I decided to put these 6 songs together on this EP because I felt they really represented a very distinct era of my writing and growth as an artist,” he shares.
You can read our full Q&A below, where he touches on his musical journey, the creative process behind Six Songs To Midnight, what’s to come for the rest of the year and more.
Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the EP by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @CS_Country. You can also connect with Dan Davidson by giving him a follow on Instagram at @itsdandavidson.
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Celeb Secrets Country: Hi Dan, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself for our readers who may just be discovering you?
Dan Davidson: “Hey! My pleasure! Thanks so much for giving me the chance to talk about my new record! Sure, I’d love to give you a quick background 🙂 Well, I’m from St. Albert, Alberta – I grew up watching my dad sing and play piano and guitar for fun, I think that’s what got me interested in music. I started loving music from hearing my parents’ records (The Eagles, Queen, Suptertramp, Lyle Lovett, Blue Rodeo, and others). I began playing in punk and hard rock bands in my teens – then went to music school after I graduated. From there, I met 3 guys that I started the rock band Tupelo Honey with. That band had a whirlwind career. Within a year of being together (I was 19) we were on tour with Billy Talent, Metric, Three Days Grace and tonnes of amazing bands. Later we even got to tour with Bon Jovi. After lots of live and radio success as an indie – the rock scene got a little stale and we decided to try some new things. After some soul searching I decided to do a solo career. Being a prairie boy – you can’t help but have a little “country” locked away somewhere. As I started writing for my solo project, I unlocked that door and the first song that came out was “Found” which is nearly platinum in Canada now. That was what got it all started – ever since then my country career has been full steam ahead! In the music industry lightning very rarely strikes twice – I’m one of the lucky ones.”
CSC: You’re a singer, songwriter, producer and artist now, but what made you want to pursue music or do you have a specific memory that inspired you?
DD: “I mean, as a kid, rock stars were ALWAYS the pinnacle of cool. So that’s what made me obsess about bands, albums, songs, and shows. I would say if I had to pinpoint a moment that I knew I had to do this with my life – it was on my 16th birthday. My dad bought me and my buddies a day at a recording studio to make a demo of 3 tunes. Having that experience, passing our demo tape around, and seeing kids respond was the best moment of my teenage years for sure.”
CSC: Congratulations on the release of your new EP “6 Songs To Midnight,” how has that release been for you, and how have you spent the days building up to this release?
DD: “It’s been wild! The record debuted at #1 on the Canadian iTunes country charts – so that’s super validating for me. Over the last few weeks leading up to this release I’ve been spending a lot of time on the phone with Australian radio stations actually! 2 of the tracks on this record have been big singles down there for me – including my first top 10 song there ‘Roll With It’ featuring The Road Hammers. I’ve also been hard at work running contests for fans to win advanced signed physical copies and planning my release party, which is a collaboration with Ferrari of Alberta!”
CSC: How did you decide what tracks made it onto this ep, and can fans expect to hear the songs that maybe didn’t make it onto the project?
DD: “I decided to put these 6 songs together on this EP because I felt they really represented a very distinct era of my writing and growth as an artist. The songs have the classic Dan Davidson ‘get drunk and fall in love’ type song, but there also is this theme of ‘keeping a smile on your face no matter what kind of hell life throws at you’ – which was accidentally a great message for us all during the last couple years!”
CSC: What do you hope that fans and listeners will take from this EP?
DD: “I think with every record, we as artists, just want to make that ‘soundtrack to our lives’ kind of thing. I hope my fans see personality and honesty in these songs. I certainly wasn’t trying to pander or ‘fit in’ anywhere specifically in the scene. This music just felt good to write and felt like it really was honest. My theory is that the artists that have personality and aren’t afraid to show it, connect with fans better and ultimately stick around longer. That’s the goal!”
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CSC: This also marks the start of a new, mature era for you. What made you want to change to a more mature route and what can fans expect from this new era
DD: “Well I think this record sort of marks the beginning of my transition into more of an artist that ‘lets the music do the talking.’ In the past I’ve made my mark doing really crazy music videos and almost having a ‘pop punk of country’ kind of vibe. I just want to do my best to not repeat myself, challenge myself as an artist, and elevate to that international larger than life type act.”
CSC: You’ve accomplished a lot so far in your career, from collaborating with people like Gord Bamford and Tim Hick but you also have 6 CCMA nominations, 10 CMAB awards. What’s next for you, do you have any dreams or goals on a vision board for your future?
DD: “Yes definitely! Well I’m up for 6 CMAB awards this year, and hoping for some love from the CCMAs and the Junos in the near future as well of course – but awards aren’t everything. Awards are kind of funny aren’t they? Like you can’t “win” music… it’s not hockey… but it sure is nice to get recognition for your hard work! My main driver is to keep growing internationally and putting butts in seats. That’s what really determines the value of an artist. I think it all starts with great music and real connection to the fans… all the fun stuff falls into place after that. Coming up – I’m booking up my summer right now with festivals across Canada. I’ve also got a few shows in France, Spain, and the UK coming up! Hopefully later this year I’ll make my way down to Australia as well, which is a place that’s really been receptive to my tunes so far.”
CSC: If you could describe any upcoming projects in three words, what would they be and why?
DD: “International, exciting, and growth! I’ve got the entire NEXT EP written and almost recorded already. I’ve set my sights bigger than ever and my team is slowly getting bigger which makes it feel like this is just the beginning :)”
CSC: Lastly, since we are Celeb Secrets, what is a fact about you or your music that people might not know?
DD: “I once went to a party with Johnny Knoxville and helped him retrieve a girl’s purse from an 8th floor fire escape with a contraption made out of 15 hangers. True story.”
LISTEN TO SIX SONGS TO MIDNIGHT BELOW:
