Dani Offline
Oakland musician Dani Offline could adorn herself with five titles, if she chose to: songwriter, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, performer. Jewels on a necklace. Instead, she swathes herself with the fruits of her craft. Each song is an invitation to tumble into a dreamscape: diaphanous, evocative, and realer than the waking world. Her lyrical flow, elastic voice, and lush production intertwine into sonic experiences as natural as spring water: mesmerizing to behold, sweet to drink from.
Can you start off by telling us about yourself? Where you're from, what you love about music, and why?
Sure. Yeah! I'm Dani Offline. I'm a musician from Birmingham, Alabama. I'm based in Oakland, California, and I love it here.
Music is the best way that I can express myself. I've been making music since I was a little kid. It feels natural to me. It's really cool that I can participate in something that's bigger than myself. Especially in a place like Oakland, where there is such an incredible community of artists, I love that I can use music to be vulnerable in a way that I don't feel like I can be in my personal life. And in addition to that personal aspect, [to] be able to collaborate with other people and be part of a community of artists.
You wrote, produced, and recorded “Lust for Life” all on your own. Is doing all three indicative of your normal process?
Yes, it is. My normal process is making music out of my bedroom. It's a laptop, a couple of keyboards, a guitar…I record my vocals in my closet. Making music is such a personal experience to me that I really enjoy making it on my own. I feel more connected to the song that way. I can't imagine, honestly, doing it any other way.
I love that you have full autonomy over everything. That's so great!
Thank you! It's such a catch 22 though, because part of it is out of necessity; that's the case for a lot of women producers. It's really hard to get your foot in the door in terms of knowing audio engineers and other producers because it's such a male dominated field. It's getting easier with the internet, but there's still some things that you really just need to be there [in the studio] to learn. It's hard for women to be not just invited in those spaces, but taken seriously.
What – if anything – have you learned from being a producer in such a male-dominated field?
It’s a lot of knowing when to say yes, and knowing when to say no. Knowing when to put your foot down, and when it's time to listen and learn from somebody else.
You once said, “You got to be immune to embarrassment if you want to be a musician, because literally everything about being a musician is embarrassing.” Can you elaborate on that statement?
What feels embarrassing are the steps that you have to take to get people to listen to your music. Also, part of being a musician is making mistakes. When you’re making so much music, the percentage of music that you make that is trash is so much higher. You have to get your bad ideas out so that you can get to a better place.
In “Intro” y'all say “Ariel is Blaaaaaaack!” That song came out in 2019. How do you reflect on that line nearly four years later, amidst all the backlash for Halle Bailey playing Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid?
That intro is [a recording of] me and my friend. We were literally in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It was such a like wonderful moment.
Why people even have a problem with [Ariel being Black] is ridiculous, boring, and absurd. My mom’s family is Caribbean and [my friend’s] family is Nigerian. These are two Black cultures that are extremely connected to water. Like, if anybody is going to be a mermaid, it's going to be someone in the Caribbean.
Long story short, I just think that anybody can be a mermaid.
You released three singles this year. “I Believe You”, “Lust for Life”, and “Be My Baby”. What is your relationship with each of these songs?
I created them all with a season in mind. “I Believe You” feels like winter turning into spring, “Lust for Life” feels like summer turning to fall, and “Be My Baby” feels like fall turning to winter.
I'm into transition. That is a thread that links all three of these songs. And also, dual perception. Seeing [my]self through someone's eyes.
You sell “Lust For Life” on cassette. Where did the idea come from to sell it that way?
I created the cassette in collaboration with an incredible artist and good friend Bhavani Srinivas. She came up with everything that is inside the cassette, except for the music, basically. Analog media is so dope. I'm really into it as an archive. I like the idea of creating something limited and personal that I could give to people to hold in [their] hand.
The visualizer for “I Believe You” is gorgeous! Can you elaborate on the imagery in the video as well as the content of the song?
I created the visualizer with another friend. Her name is Janette Lu, and she killed it! We were really inspired by the myth of Echo and Narcissus. Our visualizer draws from that concept, but instead of using a pond, we use a mirror. I put myself in the place of Narcissus.
I think in all relationships, part of love is falling in love with yourself. That's one of the most beautiful things about any relationship, that you can feel something bigger than yourself, and see yourself through someone's eyes. A mirror is a really powerful place to play with that.
How was your show at The Chapel?
It felt really good, honestly. I love performing with a band. It was so fun to try out new arrangements and work with incredibly talented musicians who are down for anything I throw at them.
It also was such an honor to open for Jada Imani. When she reached out to me to open for her, I was like, “Oh my god, you know who I am? That's crazy!” It was her first time headlining; a pretty meaningful moment for her and everybody involved.
What do you want listeners to experience when they hear your music?
I would love for people to feel seen, to enjoy my music and groove to it. I love when people tell me “Oh, I listen to this in the car.” That's a huge compliment to me. It's like we're spending time together.
What’s next for you?
I have an EP coming out in the spring. It'll be nice to have a project out, to have a record of this last period of time in my life. I think I've changed a lot since my last EP. That's pretty much it. Just more music!