There are a million dance music artists in the world, and the majority of them do little but churn out faceless dance floor “hits” before fading into obscurity and a life of compilation CDs and anonymity. Danielle Bollinger is not one of them.
First of all, it’s hard not to notice the Michigan native. She’s hot, and on her debut CD, When the Broken Hearted Love Again, you can find a picture of her nearly naked. “It was risqué,” Danielle admits, laughing. “But I’m comfortable being with the curvy, sporty girl. I LIKE my body.”
And then, more importantly, there’s the music. When the Broken Hearted Love Again is a diverse, yet personal, musical tour de force. The title track, a soulful club anthem, has already spent 17 weeks near the top of the Billboard Club Play Charts and 12 weeks on the Billboard Radio Play Charts (and hit #1 on XM’s dance station).
“I didn’t know it was going to be a hit! I’m a realist – you never know,” says Danielle. “I think it’s really moving – I even cried once, after this woman in her 40s called in to a radio station and said the song touched her heart.”
But listen to the next single, “Kiss the Sky,” and you’ll hear an artist stretching the boundaries of what it is to be a “dance” artist: the song has overtones of classic Madonna, touching on the Spanish rhythms of “La Isla Bonita.” (And, interestingly, the remix of the track is more akin to The Killers).
“That song does have a Madonna vibe, and I love her,” says Danielle. “For this album, I really wanted to explore everything I loved. Fortunately, I can perform just about any genre. I’ve been in bands, I’ve done country songs, jazz, rock, you name it. But I wanted to dance, too, and still put myself in the songs.”
Prior to her debut album, Danielle had already turned some heads with her strong voice. After singing the national anthems for Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings games, she was able to land some singing roles in commercials (both on-screen and off). And during her first visit to Nashville, Danielle found herself working alongside country superstar Faith Hill. “I was dating her keyboard player at the time, and things just kind of fell into place,” she says. “I actually ended up doing some sound checks for her. It was a really good experience for me and a great intro to the business.”
More recently, Danielle found herself competing on the most recent edition of Star Search, hosted by Arsenio Hall. “My friend in the band Twin Towers asked me if I wanted to audition – of course I did!” she remembers. “There were 200-300 people competing in Detroit alone, and they only gave you 20 seconds to try out! I did it for fun, and thought nothing of it … until I got a call three nights later at midnight, where the producers asked me to fly out to L.A.” The process was bittersweet, however, as Danielle ending up losing in a tie-breaker by 2/10 of a point. “In the end, it was fun,” she sighs, then laughs.
Eventually, Danielle returned to Nashville to work on new music and make her music aspirations come true. “I left my job, my home and my family and basically lived off of savings,” she says. “I was the definition of a starving artist!” Her best friend’s boss, Mark Cardalucci of REO World, helped the aspiring singer finance a demo deal, with Danielle’s old friend Andy Gurley producing. Thanks to the help of Mark, Andy and Andy’s wife, Danielle was able to record a powerful set of new tunes and send out her demo to hundreds of different outlets.
For most people, the story would end there. But unlike 99% of the artists who try the same tactic, Danielle with an enthusiastic response. “I had two or three labels interested,” she says, somewhat surprised. “But I really got to like the guys at EsNtion.”
With an April release of her album closing in, Danielle plans to head out on a brief promotional tour, film a few videos and live it up .“After that, I’m gonna grab some dancers, a band, everything,” she says, laughing. “I want to have the works.”
Fun facts about Danielle: • Roomed with one of the members of Stryper a few years ago • Claims Madonna, Whitney Houston, Kid Rock and Journey as major influences • Recently shot two videos in Chicago at former Bulls star Scottie Pippen’s house
