Danielle Lauderdale became something of an overnight hit in her town after the
amazing opportunity to perform on the Grand Ole’ Opry in Nashville. Many
opportunities would come afterwards, and Danielle inevitably followed them all the
way from a small town in Florida, to big city Nashville, where she currently resides.
“It was interesting,” she says of growing up in her small community. “It’s a whole lot
different than Nashville... There are elements of Nashville that remind me of a small
town – everyone knows everyone. But it’s still a big city.”
Danielle also thanks her move to Nashville for exposing her to the real world, and for providing her with experiences that turned mere words in songs she knew and wrote, into real life heart break and happiness she can relate to.
“I’ve just spent so much time sitting back and working on my craft and writing, and basically living life,” she shares. “I don’t think I became a true artist, until I lived the things I wrote about.”
She adds, “I have something to say from an honest place when I write... I just wanna write songs and stay true to who I am, and be the therapy that is music to some people that a lot of other artists have been to me.”
With this goal in mind, Danielle recently released her first single ‘Fools Gold’ – a female
anthem which reminds women that not every handsome face behind a generous offer
and charming words is worth their time.
In the song, Lauderdale bounces between several genres – starting with a poppy and
r&b intro before launching into a more country pop sound. Her smooth voice seems to
glide over the reminder that sometimes what glitters is only ‘Fools Gold’.
“I hope this song will open the door for me and help get some of my other music heard,”
she says.
Though ‘Fools Gold’ is Danielle’s first official single, she is constantly working on new
music and has more than enough to flood the music world with, but admits, that’s a part
of the problem.
“I’ve got tons of music that’s just sitting there... Sometimes you just gotta throw
something up against the wall and see if it sticks. I want to see if ‘Fools Gold’ takes off
and opens the door to put out new music.’.” She refuses to publish an official album until
she has a good understanding of her audience and their reception of her single.
“I have so much [music] that I can’t keep up,” she tells us. “I write songs and forget that I
wrote them.” She laughs as she adds. “I have a lot of emotions pent up inside of me!”
Considering the amazing success Danielle has had, one can sense the length and breadth
of her humility in this approach to making and releasing music. She has worked
alongside big names in the industry, like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and plays every
month with the band – Sixwire – which is a part of the Nashville TV show.
Of working with big stars and some of her favorite idols, Danielle says, “It’s the coolest.
It’s a dream. Any time you ever get in a situation where your talent is recognized along
with people you look up to, and who inspire you musically, it’s like it’s not even real.”
She shares that during these moments she sometimes asks herself, “What am I doing
here? Why am I here? But it’s certainly validating, and it’s really awesome to be
categorized and on the same program as these people… It’s an honor, to say the least.”
Idols of hers that she has not yet worked with include Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Sam
Smith. (Hint hint!) “His album – sooo good!” she gushes of the Grammy and Oscar
winner who suffered some terrible trolling from fans after unknowingly making an
inaccurate statement regarding his win. Like many others, Danielle hopes the singer
comes out of his self-imposed social media hiatus soon.
While she waits patiently, you can find Danielle Lauderdale playing at local venues
around Nashville, or you can check out her single ‘Fools Gold’ on iTunes.
