Danny Aridi/ “We’re more alike than we are different”

The singer and songwriter released a new music video on Valentines Day and we are in love with it

"Growing up I listened to a lot of Fairouz in the house. Especially in the morning, I remember waking up to hear the beautiful orchestral instrumentals and her calm and captivating voice," Danny Aridi. Photo: Supplied

by Lara Baker

Entertainment 17 February 2019

Fool For You by Danny Aridi, which was fittingly released on Valentines Day last week, is an upbeat song that’s cool, modern and fun. And yeah, we have it on repeat.

The Lebanese/Canadian songwriter and singer wrote and composed Fool For You himself – a talent that we find unique in today’s musical landscape. It’s also a craft that Danny takes seriously and we find refreshing along with his incredible work ethic.

Danny started out his music career wining a bunch of talent competitions when he first started out including Virgin Megastore’s Best Artist, which had more than 160 artists across the Mena region competing. He also won the Emerging Talent competition in Abu Dhabi, UAE was eventually signed with Universal Music MENA and has since built a loyal fan base on social media.

“When it comes to music, I learned everything by ear and online,” Danny told The Arab Edition when we asked him if he was ever formally trained, “if I like a song, it’s easy to find and learn the notes nowadays. Practice makes perfect, although I’m far from that. When it comes to music, you just never stop learning!”

Danny plays the guitar, piano, and harmonica all of which in way or another have added to his sound, which he describes as “pop music with a raw, folk, soft rock, and acoustic influence.”

From singing covers and letting us in on his live performances, some of which have included opening for pop superstars such as Pink, Katy Perry and Fifth Harmony, Danny has been open about what it takes to create and preform music.

Song writing, Arab influences, Arab identity and the concept behind his latest music video, Danny spoke to The Arab Edition about all the elements that we think makes him a relevant artist that you should be listening to.

Danny Aridi’s cover of Peggy Lee’s Fever


View this post on Instagram

 

You give me fever..🌡 What did you think of this cover? 😀Tag a friend who would like this song!

A post shared by DANNY ARIDI (@dannyaridi) on

Where are you from and where did you grow up?
I’m Lebanese/Canadian and I grew up living in Dubai and Montreal. I feel like these cities have played a big role in the person I am today. I’ve learned a lot from both cultures!

How did you first get into music? Is your family musical?
Music was – and still is an escape for me. I feel like everybody needs a positive hobby to stimulate the right brain and get the creative juices flowing. It really is therapeutic. Music also helped shape my personality, making me more expressive and confident. Although no one in my family is musical, we always had music on the stereo in the house and I was lucky to have listened to a variety of genres growing up. One day my mom bought me a guitar and then my journey began.

What is your song writing method?
It’s very organic and inspiration can come at anytime. I try to write and record my ideas as soon as they pop up whether it’s on my phone or on paper. The writing process is an interesting topic. You can try to analyze and logically breakdown a song to create a formula that you think is perfect based on all the factors and it can just crash. Meanwhile, the next day you’ll write something in 15 minutes and it can become your biggest hit.

We’re all humans. Everyone has a unique story to tell,” Danny Aridi

Who were your Arab musical influences growing up?
Growing up I listened to a lot of Fairouz in the house. Especially in the morning, I remember waking up to hear the beautiful orchestral instrumentals and her calm and captivating voice. I think the impact she has had on music in the Arab world is incredible.

What is it like to navigate a career in the music industry as an Arab who performs in English?
When it comes to the music industry, this is the best time to be alive, music and art is so easily accessible worldwide and its much easier to reach markets like the US and UK than it may have been in the past.

What stereotypes would you like to dispel about Arab musicians?
We’re all humans. Everyone has a unique story to tell. We’re more alike than we are different.

Danny’s message to The Arab Edition community

Tell us about your new single Fool for You? What is the song about?
This song describes the feeling of being swept off your feet, being silly and madly in love with someone. I wrote and composed this song with the aim of telling the story on how someone can have an effect on our actions and behaviour – hence the name, Fool for You.

Take us through the music video’s concept and the process of filming it in London.
As soon as the song was recorded, I immediately saw visuals of the lively streets of London. I decided that I just have to film the music video there and we managed to create an edgy music video that resembles the vintage Super 8 look and feel and perfectly captures the songs story.

Where can people hear you play online?
You can find me on all music streaming platforms like Spotify and Anghami.
If you would like to keep up with my performances and new releases, they can follow me on instagram @dannyaridi. Thank you for supporting a local artist.

Check out Danny Aridi’s new single Fool For You

Hello and Hala . . .
The Arab Edition is a space that belongs to all of us who want to own and change the narrative. It’s where bridges are built through stories and shared experiences. Do you want to be a bridge builder? Do you want to join in the conversation? Do have something to say? A story to share? We bet that you do.
If you’re a content maker of any kind (writer, artist, photographer, film maker, YouTuber, blogger) or simply someone with something to say, an opinion worth sharing or have a story you want to tell one of our editors or writers then we want to hear from you. Head over to About Us and find out what we are looking for then fill out the form in Contact Us.
Now is the time to celebrate and share our stories, history, traditions, successes and opinions no matter where we are from. The Arab Edition is waiting for you to help us build that bridge of stories.
Comment Policy:
The Arab Edition encourages discourse and discussions on all our articles. This is a space where you should feel free to express your thoughts and opinions in order to continue the conversation. However, discussions can get heated. While passion is great we encourage you to be kind to one another and be thoughtful of the words and terms you use when addressing each other.
Show Buttons
Hide Buttons