Dubbed a modern-day Ella Fitzgerald, we caught up with LA songstress Dana Williams.
Nidhi Mohan: What is your earliest memory of music and singing?
Dana Williams: One of my earliest memories of singing is when I was probably around 4 I would dress up in my Princess Jasmine costume and perform a whole new world for my family. My earliest memory of music is probably going to a concert to see my dad perform, I think it was a Michael Jackson concert. I remember being very fascinated by the audience and how intensely the music affected them.
NM: You have been compared to Ella Fitzgerald who also happens to be your main inspiration. Who else influenced your taste in music growing up?
DW: Yes, I discovered Ella Fitzgerald in elementary school during a Black History Month project. I wrote a biography on her. My mom took me to the record store and bought me a bunch of her albums and I haven’t stopped listening to her. I have also been influenced by Billie Holiday, Carole King, Patsy Cline, Amy Winehouse, Sam Cooke and my father who really inspired me to be a musician. I was also really influenced by my grandma, she was a jazz singer and when we visited her she would sing me to sleep at night. She usually sang ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.
NM: Who would you love to collaborate with?
DW: I would love to collaborate with Leon Bridges. I think it would be so much fun to do a duet with him.
NM: Where in the world would you love to perform the most?
DW: I’d like to perform at the Greek Theatre. I think the stage is so beautiful. I like that it’s outdoors and enveloped by huge trees.
I’d like to perform at the Greek Theatre. I think the stage is so beautiful. I like that it’s outdoors and enveloped by huge trees.
NM: Tell us a little about “Let’s Fall”. What was the inspiration behind the EP?
DW: Let’s Fall is very melancholy, but still optimistic and romantic. I think that’s why I chose the title track to be “Let’s Fall,”. I wanted this next EP to be warmer and more inviting. My first EP entitled ‘The Lonely One’ is very isolated and comes from a time of loss and so ‘Lets Fall’ is sort of a response to that. The inspiration behind this EP mostly comes from daily life. Things that I’m going through or have been on my mind.
NM: What’s next for you?
DW: I am continuing to put out videos which I am very excited about and working on some new collaborations!
Editorial Credits:
Photographer: Ezekiel Williams
Artist: Dana Williams
Stylist: Sonia Young
MUA: Brandy Allen
Hair: Tiffany Daugherty
Photo Assistant: Shannon Segura
Stylist Assistant: Derek Shaw
Listen now on Spotify –
Purchase on iTunes –
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-lonely-one-ep/id840994470
Pre-Order ‘Let’s Fall’ on iTunes now –
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1044822691?ls=1&app=itunes
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