Daniela Brooker :: My Summer Love Lingers into Fall
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Emerging pop singer/songwriter Daniela Brooker is onto something. "I don’t take things all that seriously," the British/Venezuelan beauty casually and playfully reveals all the while sporting a coquettishly whimsy grin across her young face. "It’s a fun, little pop track that is reflective of a true story." She is referring to her debut single "Summer Love", an infectious and perfect introductory track for this rising ingénue.
"Summer Love" chronicles her own romantic misadventures in the midst of teenage angst. "I usually write about something that has happened to me," she tells me, "so that it’s truthful and honest." It’s no surprise then that she’s already winning hearts (read: breaking hearts) and gaining momentum all over the globe, and easily gaining a following among the gay scene. Culturally she’s existed in a generation where gays have always been prominent and part of the world community. "I’ve known gay people all my life." So Brooker has been enjoying the attention she’s getting having headlined at several Pride festivals all across the planet.
Hailing from the London suburb of Wimbledon, Brooker sports her father’s British edge which is equally and glamorously heightened by her Venezuelan mother’s spirit, making for an undeniably attractive and compelling concoction. She easily shifts between her British rhapsody of an accent and into her very proper Spanish. "I don’t feel like it’s learned," she says of her bicultural/bilingual heritage. "I’ve just always known it."
Another thing this girl has always known...she can really sing. It’s a rarity among today’s emerging pop talent. Daniela Brooker could have easily competed on "X-Factor", "Idol" or "The Voice" and blown the other contestants out of the water. Instead she threw herself into perfecting her genuine skills as both a songwriter and performer and immediately set out to conquer pop music the old-fashioned way...she got on the stage.
True Talent...Keeping It Real.
"I was writing songs and I got to the point where I just had to start performing live," she says. "I always wanted to work with a live band. It’s so exciting - I love being on stage." Brooker has enjoyed the collaborative feel her band mates inspire. "They’ve really helped me to not get too caught up in making my songs sound commercial." With her soulful vocal range and ear for lyrical hooks, it won’t be long before her voice is a mainstay on pop radio.
And although she enjoys toting the line between pop and rock -- she recalled recently attending a concert with her father to witness rock legends AC/DC doing what they do best -- her heart is in creating catchy beats and making music that moves her audience. Brooker is comfortably carving her own path and is neither fixated nor expecting to achieve the pop-culture relevancy that Gaga or Madonna has attained.
"I don’t see myself as Madonna," although Brooker admits the icon is among her idols, "I don’t see myself as that kind of an artist." And although inherently a songwriter, Brooker is by all definition a performer having found her passion for the stage early in her life. She fancies one day having an opportunity to work with superstar producers like Ron Fair who shaped the careers of more than one of her idols.
"Christina Aguilera is probably one of my favorites of all time - she just has one of the most incredible female voices." And although inspired by the growing success of female recording stars, Daniela is all about putting on a show -- she is a showbiz baby by nature. "When it comes down to the music and the shows, I don’t really let anyone dictate my creative side - if it’s not coming from me - it’s not real."
On the Road...Turning It Up!
Very much in step with her youthful exuberance, Brooker lets her experience influence her music and not have it downplay her skills as a vocalist. "I love Britney and Beyoncé and upbeat tempos. I’m young and I love to go out and have fun - and I love the intimacy in song: to hear its voice and its meaning."
As her star continues to rise and she prepares for the promising release of her upcoming full-length album, a second season "Turn It Up" is going to have club crawlers raising the roof. Brooker was chosen as a headliner in Hard Rock’s International Pinktober campaign which draws awareness to breast cancer. A portion of the proceeds from each concert will be donated to research undoubtedly necessary in the continuing fight on cancer.
Daniela Brooker will be on a national tour coming to a city near you, just as she sets herself to hit the West Coast for the Palm Springs Pride Festival in November. Check out the itinerary below for live dates in your home town.
• Monday, October 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Hard Rock Café
• Wednesday, October 18 - Tampa, FL @ Hard Rock Casino Hotel
• Thursday, October 20 - Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Café
• Thursday, October 20 - Miami, FL @ Score Night Club
• Friday, October 21 - New York, NY @ CMJ Showcase, Rockwood Music Hall
• Saturday, October 22 - Nashville, TN @ Play Night Club
• Monday, October 24 - Nashville, TN @ 12th & Porter
• Wednesday, October 26 - Houston, TX @ JR’s Night Club
• Friday, October 28 - St. Louis, MO @ Hard Rock Café
• Wednesday, November 2 - San Francisco, CA @ Hard Rock Café
• Thursday, November 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café
Daniela Brooker’s "Summer Love" continues this fall. Goto Daniela Brooker’s Homepage for additional appearances and more new music info. Check out the super hot and the super gorgeous video to "Summer Love" that is charting on MTV and LOGO alike...
• A version of this interview originally appeared in the premiere September issue of the EDGE Digital Magazine available in the EDGE app for iPad. Download and check it out.
