Photo by Oceanna Colgan
Nashville indie artist daena identifies as queer and has written perhaps the best Pride song ever. But she’s also written some amazing rock and R&B songs that are among this decade’s finest.
daena’s new single “Oversharing” has arguably the best Killer Chorus of the summer, even better than the rousing chorus of Maggie Rogers’ “That’s Where I Am.” The song is about the perils of making your life an open book:
Every stranger in a bar knows how to break my heart
’Cause I talk about my dreams and insecurities
Not only can daena rock with the best of them, but her song “Close Isn’t Enough” is an R&B gem that Prince or Luther Vandross would have been proud to write. For good reason, that song is now approaching 800,000 streams on Spotify alone.
We’ve heard many songs about embracing queer identity in recent years, but none is lovelier than daena’s “Bright Enough” from 2020 – a ballad that will bring you to tears.
In short, daena can do it all – and you’ll soon be oversharing all her songs with everybody you know.
You have compared “Oversharing” to Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” — and it also reminds me of Liz Phair’s best work. What other bands have influenced your music?
What a compliment!! Liz Phair was definitely an early influence for this upcoming project. In general, songwriting-wise I look to some of the greats like Carole King and Joni Mitchell, and in my early days of writing, Sara Bareilles for sure. These days, newer acts like MUNA, beabadoobee, Soccer Mommy, Haim, etc. that are pushing boundaries both musically and artistically really inspire me as I navigate what it means to be a queer woman in the indie music realm. For “Oversharing,” that blend of ’90s pop/rock and newer alt-pop like Olivia Rodrigo became a sweet spot!
You live in Nashville now, but where did you grow up – and how did that shape your musical journey?
I grew up in Old Bridge, NJ, where I lived for my whole life until I moved to Nashville at 18 for college. In addition to inheriting a love for Bruce Springsteen from my parents, I think growing up in Jersey has shaped me both as an artist and as a music fan too! Summers were spent down the shore doing open mics in Asbury Park (where I also interned at Springsteen’s stomping ground The Stone Pony), or waiting in line for hours on end to get a front row spot seeing my favorite bands.
“Bright Enough” is such a tender song with a captivating melody. It’s one of the best “pride” songs I’ve ever heard. What’s the story behind that song?
I’m honored! “Bright Enough” is kind of a love letter to myself and to anyone on a journey towards pride and self-discovery. I had no idea I was queer until I was 19 and met my now girlfriend. For a long time, I felt like I was the only one who’d had this experience, and because of that felt so isolated from the rest of the queer community. There were so many rules and labels, and I felt like I wasn’t queer enough, or that I just didn’t fit in. I’ve come a long way since then. I’m so proud to be a queer woman and want the next generation of LGBTQIA+ youth, or anyone struggling with self-acceptance, to know that they are valid and loved – in or out of the closet and no matter how they identify!
Your song “Close Isn’t Enough” is (in my opinion) the best R&B song since Prince departed the planet. I could hear many R&B artists covering that song. If you could pick any artist in the world to cover it, who would that be?
Wow, I am HONORED! Oh, man!! That’s a hard one, but I have to say that if Harry Styles covered that song I think I could die happy. I’d also kill to hear Emily King do a rendition.
You write really great bridges in a lot of your songs. The bridge in “Oversharing” is captivating, and the one in “Heart Heat” is so great that I didn’t want it to stop for 15 minutes. Do you have a special approach to writing bridges?
It’s funny you mention this because I feel like bridges either write themselves in about 30 seconds, or they’re the bane of my existence. For instance, when my co-writers Nell and Jamison and I finished “Heart Heat,” we didn’t really have a bridge at all. I think we literally wrote “heart heat, heart heat, ooh ahhh” on the official lyric sheet. It stayed that way until we were recording the final vocal, and my producer Griggs and I spent about an hour using that original idea to craft the hookiest few lines we could. The bridge in “Oversharing” has also gone through multiple revisions since my co-writer Êmia and I first wrote it, but deciding on the half-time feel totally unlocked it! I do feel like bridges can be one of my favorite moments songwriting-wise. To me, in the right song, it’s a chance to flip the script or add a turn of phrase that changes everything.
