December 5, 2022 • 40 mins
In this episode we talk to Performer/ Sound Designer Daniela Fernandez about representing yourself through music, raves and designing spaces using the inspirations of our past.
In Process is available to listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Podbean and many other streaming platforms.
Captioned Version of In Process available on the Azimuth Theatre YouTube channel!
Guest: Daniela Fernandez
IG: @danizzle_
Hosted by Andrés Moreno
IG: @Andres._.FM
Theme by Just Moe
IG: @iamjustmoe
https://m.soundcloud.com/moewaves
Sound Technician : Selina Painchaud
IG: @fancifultechnician
Editing: Andrés Moreno
Cover by: Andrés Moreno
Special thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts, Fringe Theatre, ATB Arts Barns, Azimuth Theatre and our community.
Learn more about Azimuth Theatre
www.azimuththeatre.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
THEME: (00:02):
Oh, I'm gonna trust the whole damn process for the record
till we are breaking records!
Reminiscing about the past days now werise and fly journeys to the sky, Azimuth
inside my grip, always know the way now!
Beauty fill my days now, takeit day by day sound couldn't be
prouder cuz you know we alive.
(00:22):
Uhuh.
Hey.
ANDRÉS: (00:24):
Hi everyone.
Welcome to the In Process podcast.
I'm your host Andrés Moreno,and I'm joined today by a very
special guest, Daniela Fernandez.
Hi, Daniela.
Oh, sorry, (They Laugh) Hi, Daniela.
DANIELA: (00:41):
Hi, Andrés!
So, yeah, my name is Daniela,but lots of people trip on that
because most people call me Dani.
I just go by Danielaprofessionally, usually if you
like me, you'll call me Dani.
If you don't call me Dani then I question.
If you like me,
ANDRÉS: (00:59):
(Laughs) this whole podcast is gonna be a great dynamic . thank
you so much for joining me.
I'm wondering if you wanna share alittle bit about your story, both in how
like just kind of just your background,whatever you wanna share, but also like
how that's led you to where you arenow as an artist and as an established
professional artist here in town.
DANIELA: (01:18):
Yeah.
So when I was little I, I alwayslike to say that I've spent my life.
Like gathering inspiration.
Like there's been a lot of phasesin my life where I've, where
I've been obsessed with differentthings, but usually music related.
So when I was really, really young,like, I still remember the first time
(01:42):
I heard, "I Will Always Love You byWhitney Houston" , and how much that
impacted me and how much I was like,Oh, I wish I could sing like that.
Like just the passion and,and like I could just feel it.
And I, I, I never forget like that,that day it was like a Saturday
afternoon and I went outside and I waslike singing in the backyard and um.
(02:07):
Yeah.
I just remember always beingreally affected by music.
My mom really liked likeclassic rock like eighties rock.
My dad really liked like disco, so likeBarry White and Abba and also Soft Rock.
And then my brothers, my olderbrothers, you know, they're about
(02:30):
5, 10, 12 years older than me.
I have three older brothers and they allliked like hip hop and like electronic
music, like techno and trance . So Iwas like always listening to a lot of
different types of music and I liked allof the music that I was listening to.
But I definitely remember timeswhere like, I didn't feel like.
(02:55):
The kids around me because I wasnot listening to the music that
they were listening to really.
I mean, I also listened to like, thestuff of my generation obviously, like
it was really into like Hillary Duff andAvril Lavigne and I also had like a phase
where I looked like where I really likedGood Charlotte and Blink 182 and like all
(03:16):
that like punk rock stuff from that era.
Green Day.
And like high school musical, butlike, I just remember my iPod was like
filled with like all this music thatkids in my grade were not listening to.
And I always rememberfeeling like such a weirdo.
Cause I remember like in grade six,like at recess, like wrapping Tupac
(03:37):
with one of my friends and and likeyeah, just like always listening to
just music that that, that like my olderbrothers were listening to and stuff.
And . But when I was younger, Idefinitely always felt like an outsider.
I always thought I was weird.
Mm-hmm.
and I, sometimes kids called me weirdas well, and that really affected me.
(04:00):
I think part of the reason was like,I didn't feel like other kids, Like
I grew up in a Spanish speaking homewith immigrant parents and I grew up
I went to French immersion, so therewas like this conflicting like thing
of like, I speak English socially.
I speak French at school.
I speak Spanish at home.
(04:22):
I'm Canadian, but I'm adaughter of immigrants.
Like, I just never reallyfelt like I fit in anywhere.
ANDRÉS: (04:29):
Mm-hmm.
. DANIELA:: And also my oldest brother is disabled . And so there was
like, and that, that experienceforced me to grow up really fast.
and like learn a lot about kind oflike the harsh realities of the world.
Like even just like seeing people likemake fun of my brother growing up.
Like it really like taught me to justlike accept people for who they were
(04:52):
at a really young age, but at thesame time, kids can be quite cruel.
Yeah.
DANIELA: (04:57):
So I grew up a lot feeling like I couldn't share my life with
people cuz I felt like they weregonna judge me, or like, yeah.
I just felt like I couldn'tshare myself with people.
So I, yeah, I just really, Iturned to art a lot of the time.
Like I turned to music and every day afterschool I would come home and I would eat a
(05:18):
snack and I would like turn on much musicor much more music and I would just like
watch like the countdown music videos andjust like memorize all the music videos.
And then when YouTube came around, Iwould just like watch all of, like, I
would like go into one video and thenI'd go down the rabbit hole and then it
(05:39):
would lead me to all these other videos.
And that's how I kind of likeeducated myself on music.
So I was always listening to a newartist, finding a new artist and just
like, and a lot of old stuff too.
Yeah, I just went through lots ofdifferent phases and like growing
up like, and I remember when Idiscovered like indie music, like
(06:00):
indie rock and like synth pop.
And that was when I like reallygot influenced in like a type of
way where I was like, Oh, I wouldwanna make this type of music.
And I was always really drawn to likethe electronic music scene as well.
From a young age.
I just really loved.
How electronic music made me feelspecifically like techno music.
(06:24):
Which is funny cuz like a lot ofpeople think techno's like really
repetitive or just kind of like, Idon't know, just that weird club music.
But I couldn't wait to turn 18
ANDRÉS: (06:36):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (06:36):
and go to my first rave.
So after graduating high school, I gotinto like, , the underground scene and
like the house music scene and the technoscene and started going to music festivals
and seeing like what that scene was about.
Like the techno scene waslike a little more grittier.
And you know, parties wereusually at like where like random
(06:58):
warehouses around the city,
. ANDRÉS:: (Laughs) Right.
And I don't know, I just loved to just like dance till 6:00 AM and just
like, that's, for me, that was a way toexpress myself a lot in my early twenties.
And then the house scene was like moreclubby, but it was like usually a lot of
like 30 year olds and like 40 year olds. So I like, I don't know, like I just, but
(07:22):
for me it was all about the experience,you know, like I, I've never liked the
type of stuff that people my age like,
and when I was getting into that,those scenes, I started taking
music production classes at amusic school here in Edmonton.
ANDRÉS: (07:39):
Oh, cool.
DANIELA: (07:40):
Yeah.
And so I took a couple levels ofthat, and that's where I kind of
started to get into producing.
But you know, I was in theater schoolat the time, so I didn't have time
to focus on it, so I kind of justlike let it be for a little bit.
But if I were to relate all ofthat to like, theater , because
(08:01):
that's all like music related
ANDRÉS: (08:03):
mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (08:04):
And, you know, also, like growing up, I, I did a lot of like
singing classes, so I would alwayslike be performing at like fundraisers
or just like random gigs like that.
, but there was alwayssomething missing for me.
Like there was always like adisconnect in my performance.
It's like I loved music, I lovedsinging, but I never felt connected
(08:24):
to the stuff that I was singing.
And so, cuz I think a lot of people,especially like my instructors and
like my parents thought, well youhave a very like RnB voice, so you
should be singing like Celine Dionand Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston.
And I'm like, yeah,those are great artists.
But as much as like my voice fits thattype of music, I'm not sure if that's
(08:45):
the type of music I wanna be singing.
Like I wanna explore other stuff.
And then, yeah, in junior highI started to get into theater
just like by proxy at school.
I just, I auditioned for theschool play and I got in and then
I started doing it every year.
The school musical, the play, I joinedthe Glee club, the improv club took
(09:09):
dance classes the drama club andlike, I was just like, everything
I did at school was arts related.
Like I did the bare minimum interms of like sciences and math.
Like, I was like, give me allthe arts classes, Like whatever
I need to pass, I'll do it.
But like, I want all my classes to bearts related . So like, I was always
(09:31):
just like that person who was justreally involved in the arts stuff.
And we had a really nice arts community atmy school, my junior high and high school.
But I was never a theater kid, soas much as I loved doing theater, I
didn't know Theatre stuff, you know,like I loved doing it, but I didn't
(09:54):
know, like who, what musicals were out.
I didn't know like any Broadwaystars, like, none of that.
Like I was not educated in that way.
And part of that was because I justdidn't have like, the accessibility to it.
You know?
Like my parents couldn't afford toput me in anything outside of school.
(10:14):
Like, I did take some singinglessons, but even that was
like hard for them to support.
And so everything I learned waslike, at school or like on YouTube,
you know, and I didn't have anyoneartistic in my family either.
Like I was the only person whowas into that kind of stuff.
(10:35):
So I never really had anyone guidingme or like any mentors of any sort.
I learned everything on my own.
And taught myself on my own and like,Even when I was like growing up,
something I used to do was I used tolike imitate different artists and
that's how I would teach myself to sing.
And then after I graduated high school,I didn't really know what I wanted to do.
(10:57):
Like, I was like, probably somethingrelated to music, but I don't know.
And because I didn't have the guidance,I didn't feel like I had options.
So I ended up going to Concordia orI took a year off, and then I ended
up going to Concordia Universityfor a year here in Edmonton.
(11:19):
So I went there and I was like, I'll takemy Bachelor of Arts and then I'll go take
my, like after at like U of A . And it wasso quick in my first year that I realized
like, no, I do not want to do this.
I wanna go into somethingthat where I can perform.
And that was when I kind of clickedin and kind of thought, Okay, like I
(11:43):
always felt like something was missingin terms of my performance style.
I know that I can do all these things,but I don't feel like I can do them
like really well, or I, I alwaysfelt, I always felt awkward on stage.
I never felt like comfortable on stage.
So I was like, you know what?
I'm gonna apply to the MacEwanand Theater Arts program.
And my intention going into the programwas just to become a better performer.
(12:09):
Mm-hmm.
, like, I did not think I was gonnado theater after that program.
Right.
And I didn't audition reallyfor any other schools.
I think I only auditioned for theNational Theater School because I
liked the idea of going to Montreal.
(Laughs)
ANDRÉS: (12:25):
Yeah.
DANIELA: (12:26):
But I didn't, I didn't audition for any other schools.
I didn't think I was capable of it.
I really didn't, and I was like,Okay, like I'll, I'll go somewhere
local and I'll, I'll try it out.
. So I got accepted and I rememberit was such a culture shock for me
the first like couple of months oftheater school because I was in a
(12:48):
room with 20, like theater kids.
And I was like, what have I gottenmyself into ? Cause like at the time I
was dating someone in the music programand so, and even my locker was like
down there with all the music kids.
And I remember just thinking like, Ishould just be in the music program.
Like, like I feel like conversation wiseI can carry a conversation more with a
(13:12):
music student than with a theater student.
I'd rather be doing that.
But there was something that Ireally enjoyed about theater.
So there was like a little whilewhere I think people really questioned
why I was even in the program.
And I don't think peoplereally thought that I was.
that I had the potential.
(13:32):
And I think one day I justrealized, I was like, you know what?
If I'm in this program, I'm just gonnaknock it out of the park and work
really, really hard and like prove tomyself and others that I CAN do this.
and at the end of the day, Ireally enjoy theater, you know?
ANDRÉS: (13:48):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (13:48):
It's not that I was just there just to be there.
Like I, I really enjoy theater andI wanted to learn more about it.
So it was through MacEwan that like, Ireally fell in love with theater, like,
and I learned all these new things andmade some connections and yeah, it was
like, I, I learned, I was introduced tothe world of theater for the first time,
(14:11):
truly in theater school, and um, realizedthat there's also like things in musical
theater that I love about music, you know,like Steven Sondheim He is a beautiful
composer and lyricist like, I love StevenSondheim and I love, like, older musicals.
(14:36):
.ANDRÉS:: Yeah.
Classic me.
I love, like all the older stuff.
I'm not too much of a fan of like,newer musicals, but I love anything
like pre 2005 and yeah, like I just,I, I really struggled in theater school.
Like I struggled with my self worth and Istruggled with my identity and I struggled
with even feeling like I could pursuetheater because I always felt like, well,
(15:02):
, I always felt like theater was morefor white people, so I always thought,
I'm not gonna ever succeed as an actor.
Like nobody would wanna see a Latin actor.
I've never seen a Latin actorin any stage in Edmonton, so
why would I be the first one?
Right.
You know what I mean?
Like, I didn't, I didn'tthink that I could do it.
(15:22):
And I remember even at the end ofthe program, I was like, "No, I'm
not gonna do theater for a while.
I think I'll just go back toproducing and like do music again."
And I remember even one of myteachers said, "You know, I know
you like to act, but you shouldreally consider the music program."
ANDRÉS: (15:41):
Hmm.
DANIELA: (15:42):
And so, yeah, I just, I didn't feel supported that way either.
Like, I felt like even some otherstudents would, would always tell
me like, "Oh, you're gonna gointo the music program after this.
Right."
So kind of just felt like,No, this isn't for me.
Yeah.
And I just felt lucky that I,I landed my first professional
gig, like right outta school.
. With Gina Puntil the tour that we went on,
ANDRÉS: (16:04):
The "Working It Out!"
fun tour!,
DANIELA: (16:05):
Yeah baby.
That's how we met.
I learned a lot on that gig aswell, you know, because as much as I
learned in theater school, there wasa lot that I didn't know etiquette
wise about the theater world.
And it was, it was in that gig that Ilearned so much about what it's like to
work professionally and I guess if I wereto connect it now, how I got into sound
(16:30):
design during my second year at McEwen.
We did "Love andInformation" with Dave Horak.
He directed it and it was a verycollaborative process, like he directed
us, but he really wanted us to offerthings and like, yeah, he just wanted
all of us to create the show together.
(16:52):
And usually most of the ideas I broughtforward were sound and music related,
So I was constantly sending himlike emails or like ambushing
him in the hall being like, "Hey,like, I found this song, I think we
should really play it in this part.
Or like, we should like, you know,do these sound effects or whatever."
And after the show finished, he.
(17:14):
Jokingly said to me like, One day maybeI'll hire you as my sound designer.
Hmm.
And I actually questioned him about itlately and he said, That wasn't a joke.
I was serious.
And I was like, Oh, okay.
But like that, that commentwas like all I needed.
Like when he said that, I was like,Oh my gosh, that makes so much sense.
(17:36):
Why wouldn't I go into sound design?
Like I've always thought of mypassion for music and my passion
for theater as two separate things.
ANDRÉS: (17:45):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (17:45):
and two separate worlds.
And all of a sudden when he said that,I was like, of course, that I could
combine both of those worlds that way.
So I started to just thinkabout it and think about it.
And then I got into the Citadelyoung production company.
With the intention oflearning some sound design.
(18:07):
But unfortunately the program wasjust not like, built for that.
Mm-hmm.
, it was more so like stagemanager kind of oriented.
So that was kind of amissed opportunity for me.
So I kind of let go ofthe idea for a while.
And then it was about a year anda half later that the Citadel
(18:29):
came out with the RBC Horizons uh,the mentorship I did at Citadel.
. ANDRÉS:: Yeah.
(laughs)
and I was like, this would be the perfect opportunity because
it's anything you want, basically.
And you get to build your mentorship.
So whatever my needsare, I can ask for that.
ANDRÉS: (18:49):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (18:50):
And so I was so lucky that I was granted the opportunity specifically
my mentor Matt Skopyk like he has givenme so much time and so much support and
has taught me so much in the short yearthat I've been doing this less than a year
(19:10):
actually, and it seriously blows my mindhow much my life has changed in last year.
There have been so many peoplein this community who have been
supportive and who have genuinelywanted to see me succeed and people
giving me opportunities and, and.
(19:31):
Opening doors for me and givingme mentorship opportunities.
Like, it's, it doesn't stop.
And I'm just so grateful because, youknow, three years ago I didn't think
that, I thought my only option into sounddesign was to actually go to school.
And I didn't want to do that.
And it's not often that you getan opportunity to learn a skill
(19:54):
like this by not going to school.
ANDRÉS: (19:56):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (19:56):
So I feel really, really lucky that I was given that gateway.
And yeah.
No, I just like in awe of justhow much I've discovered through
doing sound design as well.
I've realized that sound was always thelanguage that made the most sense to me.
ANDRÉS: (20:15):
Yeah.
DANIELA: (20:16):
Like it's, it's my biggest passion in the world and it, you know, I
may not be the most technical person andI have a long ways to go in terms of that.
Like, I know there's a lot thatI have to learn technically.
ANDRÉS: (20:29):
Yeah-
DANIELA: (20:29):
but artistically, creatively, I really trust my instincts.
Yeah.
You know, like I've surrounded myselfaround so much music and sound in
my life that I know what soundsgood and I know what to bring to the
table regardless of the genre or youknow, what type of production it is.
(20:54):
And so in that way, youknow, it, it's very daunting.
Sound design is very difficult.
Yeah.
Like very difficult.
It's, it's very detailed.
But I trust myself and I, and I knowthat if I keep going at it, I feel
like it could be something I couldbe really good at in the future.
ANDRÉS: (21:14):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (21:15):
Yeah.
I've just, I've just discovered that it's,I feel like I am putting myself, my voice.
into sound design more than I ever have.
as an actor.
Because not always as an actor, do youhave the freedom to do what you want.
um, I don't always feel like I'mrepresenting myself on stage, whereas
(21:37):
all of a sudden in sound I feellike I'm really putting my style
and my influence into what I do.
So that's really exciting for me.
ANDRÉS: (21:46):
Have you found that like they've both kind of bled into each other?
Like the lessons you're learning insound design are moving into your
acting world and kind of vice versa?
DANIELA: (21:54):
Definitely.
And same thing with like all of it, likeall of what I've kind of talked about.
Because initially, like I said,when I went into theater school, I
wanted to become a better performer.
ANDRÉS: (22:06):
Yeah.
DANIELA: (22:06):
And the lessons that I learned through acting like instincts
and discoveries like that has bledinto like what kind of music I wanna
make and like what that will inspire.
Like all of it's kind oflike becoming one now.
Mm-hmm.
. And that's really, really excitingto me because there was a while
(22:26):
there where I was like, I kind offeel like I know what I wanna do,
but I'm not a hundred percent sure.
I don't know if I have all the skills.
Whereas now I feel like I have abase everywhere and now everything
kind of inspires each other.
So that's really exciting.
ANDRÉS: (22:42):
Yeah, totally.
Where do you usuallydraw inspiration from?
And maybe we'll talk about like,when you're creating music.
Cause I know we've talked aboutuh, you're a producer and you're
working on your own music asyou've mentioned, once or twice.
DANIELA: (22:56):
Honestly, cuz I started songwriting when I was like 13, I think.
ANDRÉS: (23:01):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (23:02):
I would just like write songs on my piano.
But I've also like, not tobrag , but I, not to brag, but
everything I make is by ear.
Like, I know basic music theory andlike notes on a piano and all that.
But like, I don't write things by beinglike, I'm gonna play a yada yada chord.
(23:22):
You know, Like I just, playwhat sounds good to my ear.
So I kind of always write music first.
I just start playing around.
And then if I find a couple chordsthat I like, I'll start making things
and then I always write lyrics second.
ANDRÉS: (23:38):
And now when you're thinking about acting, where do you
usually, like, draw an inspirationto enter like a character from?
DANIELA: (23:43):
I think it's maybe like the little gifts you get in the text.
I don't know.
I really like the discovery processwhen you, like, when you get a script.
I don't think it, for me at least,it doesn't come to me right away.
Like maybe the voice, youknow, maybe is the first thing.
But I think it's like the getting onyour feet and like doing it different
(24:04):
times where you're, that's whereyou start to discover the character.
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
ANDRÉS: (24:12):
No, that's fair.
DANIELA: (24:13):
Yeah.
AD: (24:20):
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It's our aim to continue to introduceand deepen the relationship between our
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ANDRÉS: (24:58):
Is there something right now that's exciting you
in your life, just in general?
DANIELA: (25:03):
I think just the opportunities I've been getting,
I feel really, really lucky.
This is not an easy timefor a lot of artists.
The pandemic reallyrocked everyone's world.
And I am shocked at the really awesomeopportunities that I didn't picture
myself getting this early in my career.
(25:24):
and I'm just trying to make themost out of all of it, you know,
like, be grateful, enjoy the moment.
I'm trying to be givingin every room that I'm in.
ANDRÉS: (25:34):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (25:34):
offer things, uh, one thing that I actually noted yesterday was that
something that's really exciting as a,as a sound designer, as any designer
or as anyone that's behind the table ina room it's really exciting as someone
who's also an actor to watch actors work.
(25:55):
When I'm not in that process.
ANDRÉS: (25:58):
Yeah,
DANIELA: (25:59):
it's been really interesting.
I'm like, okay.
Like, I don't know, it's just,it's really fun to watch actors
discover things and work throughthings and work with each other.
And then, yeah, just watching that andthen what can I do as a sound designer
to offer and to help that world?
(26:19):
So that's been really exciting.
ANDRÉS: (26:21):
I agree with you.
That's one of my favorite thingswhenever I get the chance to like
direct, is to watch the actors work.
Yeah.
And to watch how other peoplehave a process that's so different
from what yours would be.
Right?
DANIELA: (26:33):
Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (26:33):
Is there a process you've been in that has taught you something
that you've carried with you intoalmost every project you go into?
DANIELA: (26:40):
I think there's always like certain things from every
process that I carry forward.
But I think overall, like even just bywatching others work and also I'm gonna
say, you know, this might be controversialto say, but you know, me, I find,
especially as a young artist, sometimesyou enter spaces where you encounter
(27:06):
like jaded performers who complain alot and aren't as grateful for the work.
And I've just kind of learned like,I don't want to be that, and I don't,
and if I do get to that point, I don'twant to affect younger performers
in my lifetime to think, Oh, like ifyou keep going at this for another 20
(27:30):
years, you're gonna be as jaded as me.
And it's just not fun either toenter a space where, where there's
negativity and, and that kind ofenergy, because nobody needs that.
You know, you're all collaborating,you're all working together.
You know, if you're not happy to bethere, then don't take the gig . But
I think that's a big lesson I'velearned is, you know, just appreciate
the work and be happy to be there.
ANDRÉS: (27:50):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Now you've been working a lot andpart of what I've been exploring as an
artist and as a person in this careeris that the idea of balance, right?
DANIELA: (28:00):
Mm-hmm.
ANDRÉS: (28:00):
And so is there something that you have that's like a go-to
that you can trust when you need tode-stress or when you need to just
like find some joy in your day?
DANIELA: (28:09):
Yeah.
RuPaul always.
Yeah.
That always makes me feel good.
Something I do that'skind of embarrassing.
(Laughs)
ANDRÉS: (28:17):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (28:17):
I've always done this.
Okay.
Like ever since I was like a childand I still do it to this day.
Late at night, if I need to like getrid of energy, I will turn on music
in my headphones and I'll put ondifferent outfits and I'll just dance.
ANDRÉS: (28:36):
All right.
DANIELA: (28:37):
For like an hour.
ANDRÉS: (28:38):
Yeah.
Do you ever put on like, likea runway or is it mostly dance?
DANIELA: (28:42):
I don't do runways.
No.
But I'll like, yeah.
Put on different, like fun outfits andI'll just like dance in front of the
mirror and like pretend I'm a superstar.
ANDRÉS: (28:52):
What about like food?
Do you have any food that's like comfortfood or that like brings you joy?
DANIELA: (28:57):
McDonny Dons!!.
ANDRÉS: (28:58):
Yeah?
DANIELA: (28:59):
Baby.
ANDRÉS: (29:00):
What's your like, go-to order?
DANIELA: (29:01):
It used to be Big Mac.
I used to be obsessed with BigMacs, but like, sorry, Their
quality is really gone down.
Their Big Macs aren't as good as theyused to be, so I usually just get junior
chickens or cheeseburgers and like fries.
Yeah.
I think I got McDonald'slike twice the other day.
. Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (29:21):
You,
DANIELA: (29:23):
Yeah.
It's my favorite.
It's always been my favorite.
ANDRÉS: (29:26):
Yeah.
Now going back to the art, what's, what's,like art that's always inspired you?
Like what's the kind of art that you'relike, I want to go see this kind of art.
DANIELA: (29:35):
Mm.
I like the weird stuff.
ANDRÉS: (29:37):
Yeah?
DANIELA: (29:38):
I really like weird stuff.
I like, I like intense.
Okay.
It's hard because I've alwaysliked really dark, heavy movies.
like, all of my favorite moviesare like movies where it's like
adolescents dealing with like drugaddictions or like, stuff like that.
(30:00):
Like, I don't know why, why I'mso drawn to just like, Dark stuff.
Usually like, I like stuff that peoplelike to look away from in society.
Because I think it's educationaland it's also like this is
the reality of, of our lives.
Like, you know mm-hmm.
, like we're not perfect.
Yeah.
(30:20):
You know, we don't lead perfect lives.
We all struggle with something.
Mm-hmm.
at some point or another in our lives.
So like, I just really like towatch people struggle on screen.
(Laughs) It's inspiring.
I don't know.
. But some, someone who I must mention who has always inspired
me as you know, is Lady Gaga.
(30:42):
Just because she's so multifaceted andshe can do so much and I like everything
about her has always inspired me.
Like from from the beginning.
I've just been obsessed with her andI continue to be obsessed with her.
Like everything she does, she justalways steps it up and brings it further.
(31:03):
And it's not just like, she doesn'tjust do things just to do them.
Like everything has a reason behind it.
ANDRÉS: (31:11):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (31:11):
And that's really inspiring and I think it's important as artists
to always have something to say and sheuses that privilege and I think the world
is finally realizing like how talentedshe actually is, because for a while
people just thought she was a freak.
ANDRÉS: (31:28):
Right.
DANIELA: (31:28):
You know, because people hadn't really, not that people
haven't seen people like her before,but nowadays it's not as common.
You know, like in the seventies,like David Bowie, like totally like
this androgynous person who like, Idon't know, like if, if he had come
(31:49):
out at the same time as Lady Gaga,people would also think he was weird.
But back then that was like, I don'tknow, it was like totally accepted.
You know, Same thing with likeElton John and like Madonna.
Madonna was controversial too,but you know, they're just icons.
ANDRÉS: (32:05):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (32:06):
And I feel like Lady Gaga is in that same realm where it's
like, people didn't realize she wasan icon when she first came out.
They were just like, this person is weird.
Like, why are they wearing a meat dress?
Why are they, you know, gettingnaked on stage or like, you know,
her VMA performance, her 2009 VMAperformance where she performed
Paparazzi is like everything to me,
ANDRÉS: (32:30):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (32:30):
like that performance inspired me so much.
Oh my gosh.
ANDRÉS: (32:35):
Would you say that's like the number one thing when you're
like, I need some Gaga inspiration?
DANIELA: (32:39):
There's a couple though.
There's a couple, like sometimes I'lljust, like, if I like, wanna cry, like
I'll just watch a bunch of her oldperformances and I'll just, yeah.
I just love her
And like, also she introduced me toa lot of stuff too, you know, like
she introduced me to like performanceart and she, she made me realize that
(33:01):
it's okay to be an artist who wantsto do a lot of different things.
Yeah.
You know, because shealways has different phases.
She's always going todifferent genres of music.
And I'm like, Yeah, why not?
Like, that's the point of being an artist.
Why would you stick toone thing your whole life
ANDRÉS: (33:17):
mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (33:17):
you know, like, why not explore?
Exactly.
So I love that about her.
Yeah.
And then I'm also reallyinspired by Radiohead.
They're my favorite band in the world.
Yeah.
They're just like, I love Tom Yorke.
Their music is just uh, also,like their music's quite sad.
, like you, you, I can't listen toRadiohead all the time, but their
(33:40):
music really inspired me growing up.
Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (33:42):
Speaking of like, if you're an artist, why would you stick to the
same thing if you weren't doing music or
DANIELA: (33:48):
mm-hmm.
ANDRÉS: (33:48):
acting.
Is there another artisticoutlet you would follow?
DANIELA: (33:52):
I think I'd wanna design clothes.
ANDRÉS: (33:54):
Yeah!
DANIELA: (33:55):
Yeah.
Cuz I love fashion.
ANDRÉS: (33:56):
Cool.
DANIELA: (33:57):
I love, love, love fashion.
I love expressing myselfthrough clothes and mm-hmm.
. Yeah, I would probably, and Iwas also thinking recently, I
kind of wanna get into hair.
Like if I, if there's like a periodof time in the next five years or so
where like I'm not working as much.
I think I'll go to hair school.
I've got backup plans baby.
ANDRÉS: (34:18):
We got backups on backups on backups.
DANIELA: (34:20):
Backups on
ANDRÉS: (34:23):
backups.
(Laughs) Oh my gosh.
So, With all of this being said andall your, you know, your inspirations
and stuff, do you have a dreamproject that like, you know, it's like
the one thing you've always wantedthat's like on the horizon and you're
like, one day I'm gonna get there.
DANIELA: (34:40):
I can't think of something specific where like,
this would be a dream project.
But I am dreaming up a project that Iwanna create in the next little while.
But I'm not gonna share it too much.
ANDRÉS: (34:52):
All good.
DANIELA: (34:52):
It's secret.
ANDRÉS: (34:54):
Stay tuned for part two of the interview.
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (34:58):
But it would, it, like, if I, if I, what I can say about it is that I do.
Now that I'm getting into sound, I wantto create a piece that is fully sound led.
Hmm.
Piece that is fully sound led.
Yeah,
ANDRÉS: (35:14):
Um, I'm gonna end it with this really just like chill, fun question.
Uh, but is there a song rightnow that's inspiring you?
That maybe is new or maybeyou've recently discovered?
DANIELA: (35:26):
(Laughs) let me just open up my Spotify.
Well, why don't you ask me this end ofthis, like, honestly, I could go down
like a full 30 minute conversationabout different songs, you know.
I think the song that I playedthe most this weekend specifically
was "Stay" by Lisa Lobe, I thinkis how you say your last name.
(35:46):
It's like this 90's song.
Okay.
It's like this, just this acoustic song.
And I used it in mypre-show music for the show.
I just designed and I just love it.
It's so simple.
It's just like I love.
I love nineties music.
ANDRÉS: (36:01):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (36:01):
it's, it's such an, it was such an honest time for songwriters
and you know, it was like everyonewould just sing a song with their
guitars and it's such a lovely song.
I love it.
And yeah.
Yeah.
That's the song Ilistened to this weekend.
ANDRÉS: (36:14):
Yeah, I know you could talk about music for hours,
so that's why I said one song.
I know.
It's not fair.
DANIELA: (36:20):
It's not fair.
I mean, it's funny.
Cold play, Ack- \you know . Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (36:25):
Hear she goes!
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (36:26):
Cold play.
I just heard this new song byColdplay with Selena Gomez.
And you know me, I donot like Selena Gomez.
Sorry.
But this song is great.
It's, it's so awesome.
Yeah.
Reminds me like-
ANDRÉS: (36:38):
Even Selena's part?
DANIELA: (36:39):
Meh-
ANDRÉS: (36:40):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (36:42):
fits the song . Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (36:46):
Well thank you so much for joining me.
This has been such a lovely timeand such a gift for me to be able to
hear about your process and the waythat like your artistic brain works.
Yeah.
I just wanna thank you really.
It's, it's been an honorand and thank you so much.
DANIELA: (36:59):
Thanks for having me, buddy.
ANDRÉS: (37:01):
Mm-hmm.
, anytime.
Please come back anytimeif we keep doing this.
.DANIELA:: Yeah.
Part two, part three,part four, part five.
It's a whole saga.
It's all about me, me, me, me, me.
(Laughs)
Oh my gosh.
Oh, thanks Pal
DANIELA: (37:17):
thank you.
AD: (37:19):
Hey, pal, enjoying the conversation.
Traversing the Azimuth is a brandnew branch of Azimuth Theater
aimed at connecting artists with awider community, deepening mutual
understanding, and getting to shareeach artist's process and journey.
If you would like to continue hearingthese amazing stories, you can help out
by going to Azimuththeater.com/sponsorshipand sponsor Traversing the Azimuth.
(37:42):
Your sponsorship will go straightinto paying more artists to
"come and share what it means forthem to be "proudly in process."
We would also like to take thismoment to thank Canada Council
for the Arts, for their supportand the pilot of this project.
For more information onTraversing, the Azimuth go to
AzimuthTheatre.com/traversing.
(38:02):
Woohoo!
Oh, I'm gonna trust the whole damn process for the record
till we are breaking records!
Reminiscing about the past days now werise and fly journeys to the sky, Azimuth
inside my grip, always know the way now!
Beauty fill my days now, takeit day by day sound couldn't be
prouder cuz you know we alive.
(00:22):
Uhuh.
Hey.
ANDRÉS: (00:24):
Hi everyone.
Welcome to the In Process podcast.
I'm your host Andrés Moreno,and I'm joined today by a very
special guest, Daniela Fernandez.
Hi, Daniela.
Oh, sorry, (They Laugh) Hi, Daniela.
DANIELA: (00:41):
Hi, Andrés!
So, yeah, my name is Daniela,but lots of people trip on that
because most people call me Dani.
I just go by Danielaprofessionally, usually if you
like me, you'll call me Dani.
If you don't call me Dani then I question.
If you like me,
ANDRÉS: (00:59):
(Laughs) this whole podcast is gonna be a great dynamic . thank
you so much for joining me.
I'm wondering if you wanna share alittle bit about your story, both in how
like just kind of just your background,whatever you wanna share, but also like
how that's led you to where you arenow as an artist and as an established
professional artist here in town.
DANIELA: (01:18):
Yeah.
So when I was little I, I alwayslike to say that I've spent my life.
Like gathering inspiration.
Like there's been a lot of phasesin my life where I've, where
I've been obsessed with differentthings, but usually music related.
So when I was really, really young,like, I still remember the first time
(01:42):
I heard, "I Will Always Love You byWhitney Houston" , and how much that
impacted me and how much I was like,Oh, I wish I could sing like that.
Like just the passion and,and like I could just feel it.
And I, I, I never forget like that,that day it was like a Saturday
afternoon and I went outside and I waslike singing in the backyard and um.
(02:07):
Yeah.
I just remember always beingreally affected by music.
My mom really liked likeclassic rock like eighties rock.
My dad really liked like disco, so likeBarry White and Abba and also Soft Rock.
And then my brothers, my olderbrothers, you know, they're about
(02:30):
5, 10, 12 years older than me.
I have three older brothers and they allliked like hip hop and like electronic
music, like techno and trance . So Iwas like always listening to a lot of
different types of music and I liked allof the music that I was listening to.
But I definitely remember timeswhere like, I didn't feel like.
(02:55):
The kids around me because I wasnot listening to the music that
they were listening to really.
I mean, I also listened to like, thestuff of my generation obviously, like
it was really into like Hillary Duff andAvril Lavigne and I also had like a phase
where I looked like where I really likedGood Charlotte and Blink 182 and like all
(03:16):
that like punk rock stuff from that era.
Green Day.
And like high school musical, butlike, I just remember my iPod was like
filled with like all this music thatkids in my grade were not listening to.
And I always rememberfeeling like such a weirdo.
Cause I remember like in grade six,like at recess, like wrapping Tupac
(03:37):
with one of my friends and and likeyeah, just like always listening to
just music that that, that like my olderbrothers were listening to and stuff.
And . But when I was younger, Idefinitely always felt like an outsider.
I always thought I was weird.
Mm-hmm.
and I, sometimes kids called me weirdas well, and that really affected me.
(04:00):
I think part of the reason was like,I didn't feel like other kids, Like
I grew up in a Spanish speaking homewith immigrant parents and I grew up
I went to French immersion, so therewas like this conflicting like thing
of like, I speak English socially.
I speak French at school.
I speak Spanish at home.
(04:22):
I'm Canadian, but I'm adaughter of immigrants.
Like, I just never reallyfelt like I fit in anywhere.
ANDRÉS: (04:29):
Mm-hmm.
. DANIELA:: And also my oldest brother is disabled . And so there was
like, and that, that experienceforced me to grow up really fast.
and like learn a lot about kind oflike the harsh realities of the world.
Like even just like seeing people likemake fun of my brother growing up.
Like it really like taught me to justlike accept people for who they were
(04:52):
at a really young age, but at thesame time, kids can be quite cruel.
Yeah.
DANIELA: (04:57):
So I grew up a lot feeling like I couldn't share my life with
people cuz I felt like they weregonna judge me, or like, yeah.
I just felt like I couldn'tshare myself with people.
So I, yeah, I just really, Iturned to art a lot of the time.
Like I turned to music and every day afterschool I would come home and I would eat a
(05:18):
snack and I would like turn on much musicor much more music and I would just like
watch like the countdown music videos andjust like memorize all the music videos.
And then when YouTube came around, Iwould just like watch all of, like, I
would like go into one video and thenI'd go down the rabbit hole and then it
(05:39):
would lead me to all these other videos.
And that's how I kind of likeeducated myself on music.
So I was always listening to a newartist, finding a new artist and just
like, and a lot of old stuff too.
Yeah, I just went through lots ofdifferent phases and like growing
up like, and I remember when Idiscovered like indie music, like
(06:00):
indie rock and like synth pop.
And that was when I like reallygot influenced in like a type of
way where I was like, Oh, I wouldwanna make this type of music.
And I was always really drawn to likethe electronic music scene as well.
From a young age.
I just really loved.
How electronic music made me feelspecifically like techno music.
(06:24):
Which is funny cuz like a lot ofpeople think techno's like really
repetitive or just kind of like, Idon't know, just that weird club music.
But I couldn't wait to turn 18
ANDRÉS: (06:36):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (06:36):
and go to my first rave.
So after graduating high school, I gotinto like, , the underground scene and
like the house music scene and the technoscene and started going to music festivals
and seeing like what that scene was about.
Like the techno scene waslike a little more grittier.
And you know, parties wereusually at like where like random
(06:58):
warehouses around the city,
. ANDRÉS:: (Laughs) Right.
And I don't know, I just loved to just like dance till 6:00 AM and just
like, that's, for me, that was a way toexpress myself a lot in my early twenties.
And then the house scene was like moreclubby, but it was like usually a lot of
like 30 year olds and like 40 year olds. So I like, I don't know, like I just, but
(07:22):
for me it was all about the experience,you know, like I, I've never liked the
type of stuff that people my age like,
and when I was getting into that,those scenes, I started taking
music production classes at amusic school here in Edmonton.
ANDRÉS: (07:39):
Oh, cool.
DANIELA: (07:40):
Yeah.
And so I took a couple levels ofthat, and that's where I kind of
started to get into producing.
But you know, I was in theater schoolat the time, so I didn't have time
to focus on it, so I kind of justlike let it be for a little bit.
But if I were to relate all ofthat to like, theater , because
(08:01):
that's all like music related
ANDRÉS: (08:03):
mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (08:04):
And, you know, also, like growing up, I, I did a lot of like
singing classes, so I would alwayslike be performing at like fundraisers
or just like random gigs like that.
, but there was alwayssomething missing for me.
Like there was always like adisconnect in my performance.
It's like I loved music, I lovedsinging, but I never felt connected
(08:24):
to the stuff that I was singing.
And so, cuz I think a lot of people,especially like my instructors and
like my parents thought, well youhave a very like RnB voice, so you
should be singing like Celine Dionand Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston.
And I'm like, yeah,those are great artists.
But as much as like my voice fits thattype of music, I'm not sure if that's
(08:45):
the type of music I wanna be singing.
Like I wanna explore other stuff.
And then, yeah, in junior highI started to get into theater
just like by proxy at school.
I just, I auditioned for theschool play and I got in and then
I started doing it every year.
The school musical, the play, I joinedthe Glee club, the improv club took
(09:09):
dance classes the drama club andlike, I was just like, everything
I did at school was arts related.
Like I did the bare minimum interms of like sciences and math.
Like, I was like, give me allthe arts classes, Like whatever
I need to pass, I'll do it.
But like, I want all my classes to bearts related . So like, I was always
(09:31):
just like that person who was justreally involved in the arts stuff.
And we had a really nice arts community atmy school, my junior high and high school.
But I was never a theater kid, soas much as I loved doing theater, I
didn't know Theatre stuff, you know,like I loved doing it, but I didn't
(09:54):
know, like who, what musicals were out.
I didn't know like any Broadwaystars, like, none of that.
Like I was not educated in that way.
And part of that was because I justdidn't have like, the accessibility to it.
You know?
Like my parents couldn't afford toput me in anything outside of school.
(10:14):
Like, I did take some singinglessons, but even that was
like hard for them to support.
And so everything I learned waslike, at school or like on YouTube,
you know, and I didn't have anyoneartistic in my family either.
Like I was the only person whowas into that kind of stuff.
(10:35):
So I never really had anyone guidingme or like any mentors of any sort.
I learned everything on my own.
And taught myself on my own and like,Even when I was like growing up,
something I used to do was I used tolike imitate different artists and
that's how I would teach myself to sing.
And then after I graduated high school,I didn't really know what I wanted to do.
(10:57):
Like, I was like, probably somethingrelated to music, but I don't know.
And because I didn't have the guidance,I didn't feel like I had options.
So I ended up going to Concordia orI took a year off, and then I ended
up going to Concordia Universityfor a year here in Edmonton.
(11:19):
So I went there and I was like, I'll takemy Bachelor of Arts and then I'll go take
my, like after at like U of A . And it wasso quick in my first year that I realized
like, no, I do not want to do this.
I wanna go into somethingthat where I can perform.
And that was when I kind of clickedin and kind of thought, Okay, like I
(11:43):
always felt like something was missingin terms of my performance style.
I know that I can do all these things,but I don't feel like I can do them
like really well, or I, I alwaysfelt, I always felt awkward on stage.
I never felt like comfortable on stage.
So I was like, you know what?
I'm gonna apply to the MacEwanand Theater Arts program.
And my intention going into the programwas just to become a better performer.
(12:09):
Mm-hmm.
, like, I did not think I was gonnado theater after that program.
Right.
And I didn't audition reallyfor any other schools.
I think I only auditioned for theNational Theater School because I
liked the idea of going to Montreal.
(Laughs)
ANDRÉS: (12:25):
Yeah.
DANIELA: (12:26):
But I didn't, I didn't audition for any other schools.
I didn't think I was capable of it.
I really didn't, and I was like,Okay, like I'll, I'll go somewhere
local and I'll, I'll try it out.
. So I got accepted and I rememberit was such a culture shock for me
the first like couple of months oftheater school because I was in a
(12:48):
room with 20, like theater kids.
And I was like, what have I gottenmyself into ? Cause like at the time I
was dating someone in the music programand so, and even my locker was like
down there with all the music kids.
And I remember just thinking like, Ishould just be in the music program.
Like, like I feel like conversation wiseI can carry a conversation more with a
(13:12):
music student than with a theater student.
I'd rather be doing that.
But there was something that Ireally enjoyed about theater.
So there was like a little whilewhere I think people really questioned
why I was even in the program.
And I don't think peoplereally thought that I was.
that I had the potential.
(13:32):
And I think one day I justrealized, I was like, you know what?
If I'm in this program, I'm just gonnaknock it out of the park and work
really, really hard and like prove tomyself and others that I CAN do this.
and at the end of the day, Ireally enjoy theater, you know?
ANDRÉS: (13:48):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (13:48):
It's not that I was just there just to be there.
Like I, I really enjoy theater andI wanted to learn more about it.
So it was through MacEwan that like, Ireally fell in love with theater, like,
and I learned all these new things andmade some connections and yeah, it was
like, I, I learned, I was introduced tothe world of theater for the first time,
(14:11):
truly in theater school, and um, realizedthat there's also like things in musical
theater that I love about music, you know,like Steven Sondheim He is a beautiful
composer and lyricist like, I love StevenSondheim and I love, like, older musicals.
(14:36):
.ANDRÉS:: Yeah.
Classic me.
I love, like all the older stuff.
I'm not too much of a fan of like,newer musicals, but I love anything
like pre 2005 and yeah, like I just,I, I really struggled in theater school.
Like I struggled with my self worth and Istruggled with my identity and I struggled
with even feeling like I could pursuetheater because I always felt like, well,
(15:02):
, I always felt like theater was morefor white people, so I always thought,
I'm not gonna ever succeed as an actor.
Like nobody would wanna see a Latin actor.
I've never seen a Latin actorin any stage in Edmonton, so
why would I be the first one?
Right.
You know what I mean?
Like, I didn't, I didn'tthink that I could do it.
(15:22):
And I remember even at the end ofthe program, I was like, "No, I'm
not gonna do theater for a while.
I think I'll just go back toproducing and like do music again."
And I remember even one of myteachers said, "You know, I know
you like to act, but you shouldreally consider the music program."
ANDRÉS: (15:41):
Hmm.
DANIELA: (15:42):
And so, yeah, I just, I didn't feel supported that way either.
Like, I felt like even some otherstudents would, would always tell
me like, "Oh, you're gonna gointo the music program after this.
Right."
So kind of just felt like,No, this isn't for me.
Yeah.
And I just felt lucky that I,I landed my first professional
gig, like right outta school.
. With Gina Puntil the tour that we went on,
ANDRÉS: (16:04):
The "Working It Out!"
fun tour!,
DANIELA: (16:05):
Yeah baby.
That's how we met.
I learned a lot on that gig aswell, you know, because as much as I
learned in theater school, there wasa lot that I didn't know etiquette
wise about the theater world.
And it was, it was in that gig that Ilearned so much about what it's like to
work professionally and I guess if I wereto connect it now, how I got into sound
(16:30):
design during my second year at McEwen.
We did "Love andInformation" with Dave Horak.
He directed it and it was a verycollaborative process, like he directed
us, but he really wanted us to offerthings and like, yeah, he just wanted
all of us to create the show together.
(16:52):
And usually most of the ideas I broughtforward were sound and music related,
So I was constantly sending himlike emails or like ambushing
him in the hall being like, "Hey,like, I found this song, I think we
should really play it in this part.
Or like, we should like, you know,do these sound effects or whatever."
And after the show finished, he.
(17:14):
Jokingly said to me like, One day maybeI'll hire you as my sound designer.
Hmm.
And I actually questioned him about itlately and he said, That wasn't a joke.
I was serious.
And I was like, Oh, okay.
But like that, that commentwas like all I needed.
Like when he said that, I was like,Oh my gosh, that makes so much sense.
(17:36):
Why wouldn't I go into sound design?
Like I've always thought of mypassion for music and my passion
for theater as two separate things.
ANDRÉS: (17:45):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (17:45):
and two separate worlds.
And all of a sudden when he said that,I was like, of course, that I could
combine both of those worlds that way.
So I started to just thinkabout it and think about it.
And then I got into the Citadelyoung production company.
With the intention oflearning some sound design.
(18:07):
But unfortunately the program wasjust not like, built for that.
Mm-hmm.
, it was more so like stagemanager kind of oriented.
So that was kind of amissed opportunity for me.
So I kind of let go ofthe idea for a while.
And then it was about a year anda half later that the Citadel
(18:29):
came out with the RBC Horizons uh,the mentorship I did at Citadel.
. ANDRÉS:: Yeah.
(laughs)
and I was like, this would be the perfect opportunity because
it's anything you want, basically.
And you get to build your mentorship.
So whatever my needsare, I can ask for that.
ANDRÉS: (18:49):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (18:50):
And so I was so lucky that I was granted the opportunity specifically
my mentor Matt Skopyk like he has givenme so much time and so much support and
has taught me so much in the short yearthat I've been doing this less than a year
(19:10):
actually, and it seriously blows my mindhow much my life has changed in last year.
There have been so many peoplein this community who have been
supportive and who have genuinelywanted to see me succeed and people
giving me opportunities and, and.
(19:31):
Opening doors for me and givingme mentorship opportunities.
Like, it's, it doesn't stop.
And I'm just so grateful because, youknow, three years ago I didn't think
that, I thought my only option into sounddesign was to actually go to school.
And I didn't want to do that.
And it's not often that you getan opportunity to learn a skill
(19:54):
like this by not going to school.
ANDRÉS: (19:56):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (19:56):
So I feel really, really lucky that I was given that gateway.
And yeah.
No, I just like in awe of justhow much I've discovered through
doing sound design as well.
I've realized that sound was always thelanguage that made the most sense to me.
ANDRÉS: (20:15):
Yeah.
DANIELA: (20:16):
Like it's, it's my biggest passion in the world and it, you know, I
may not be the most technical person andI have a long ways to go in terms of that.
Like, I know there's a lot thatI have to learn technically.
ANDRÉS: (20:29):
Yeah-
DANIELA: (20:29):
but artistically, creatively, I really trust my instincts.
Yeah.
You know, like I've surrounded myselfaround so much music and sound in
my life that I know what soundsgood and I know what to bring to the
table regardless of the genre or youknow, what type of production it is.
(20:54):
And so in that way, youknow, it, it's very daunting.
Sound design is very difficult.
Yeah.
Like very difficult.
It's, it's very detailed.
But I trust myself and I, and I knowthat if I keep going at it, I feel
like it could be something I couldbe really good at in the future.
ANDRÉS: (21:14):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (21:15):
Yeah.
I've just, I've just discovered that it's,I feel like I am putting myself, my voice.
into sound design more than I ever have.
as an actor.
Because not always as an actor, do youhave the freedom to do what you want.
um, I don't always feel like I'mrepresenting myself on stage, whereas
(21:37):
all of a sudden in sound I feellike I'm really putting my style
and my influence into what I do.
So that's really exciting for me.
ANDRÉS: (21:46):
Have you found that like they've both kind of bled into each other?
Like the lessons you're learning insound design are moving into your
acting world and kind of vice versa?
DANIELA: (21:54):
Definitely.
And same thing with like all of it, likeall of what I've kind of talked about.
Because initially, like I said,when I went into theater school, I
wanted to become a better performer.
ANDRÉS: (22:06):
Yeah.
DANIELA: (22:06):
And the lessons that I learned through acting like instincts
and discoveries like that has bledinto like what kind of music I wanna
make and like what that will inspire.
Like all of it's kind oflike becoming one now.
Mm-hmm.
. And that's really, really excitingto me because there was a while
(22:26):
there where I was like, I kind offeel like I know what I wanna do,
but I'm not a hundred percent sure.
I don't know if I have all the skills.
Whereas now I feel like I have abase everywhere and now everything
kind of inspires each other.
So that's really exciting.
ANDRÉS: (22:42):
Yeah, totally.
Where do you usuallydraw inspiration from?
And maybe we'll talk about like,when you're creating music.
Cause I know we've talked aboutuh, you're a producer and you're
working on your own music asyou've mentioned, once or twice.
DANIELA: (22:56):
Honestly, cuz I started songwriting when I was like 13, I think.
ANDRÉS: (23:01):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (23:02):
I would just like write songs on my piano.
But I've also like, not tobrag , but I, not to brag, but
everything I make is by ear.
Like, I know basic music theory andlike notes on a piano and all that.
But like, I don't write things by beinglike, I'm gonna play a yada yada chord.
(23:22):
You know, Like I just, playwhat sounds good to my ear.
So I kind of always write music first.
I just start playing around.
And then if I find a couple chordsthat I like, I'll start making things
and then I always write lyrics second.
ANDRÉS: (23:38):
And now when you're thinking about acting, where do you
usually, like, draw an inspirationto enter like a character from?
DANIELA: (23:43):
I think it's maybe like the little gifts you get in the text.
I don't know.
I really like the discovery processwhen you, like, when you get a script.
I don't think it, for me at least,it doesn't come to me right away.
Like maybe the voice, youknow, maybe is the first thing.
But I think it's like the getting onyour feet and like doing it different
(24:04):
times where you're, that's whereyou start to discover the character.
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
ANDRÉS: (24:12):
No, that's fair.
DANIELA: (24:13):
Yeah.
AD: (24:20):
The "In Process" podcast is brought to you by the Canada Council
for the Arts and Azimuth Theatre'sTraversing The Azimuth multimedia branch.
It's our aim to continue to introduceand deepen the relationship between our
community and the artists within it.
If you would like to donate to the causeto keep this podcast going, you can
go to www.azimuththeatre.com/donate tohelp the continuation of this podcast.
ANDRÉS: (24:58):
Is there something right now that's exciting you
in your life, just in general?
DANIELA: (25:03):
I think just the opportunities I've been getting,
I feel really, really lucky.
This is not an easy timefor a lot of artists.
The pandemic reallyrocked everyone's world.
And I am shocked at the really awesomeopportunities that I didn't picture
myself getting this early in my career.
(25:24):
and I'm just trying to make themost out of all of it, you know,
like, be grateful, enjoy the moment.
I'm trying to be givingin every room that I'm in.
ANDRÉS: (25:34):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (25:34):
offer things, uh, one thing that I actually noted yesterday was that
something that's really exciting as a,as a sound designer, as any designer
or as anyone that's behind the table ina room it's really exciting as someone
who's also an actor to watch actors work.
(25:55):
When I'm not in that process.
ANDRÉS: (25:58):
Yeah,
DANIELA: (25:59):
it's been really interesting.
I'm like, okay.
Like, I don't know, it's just,it's really fun to watch actors
discover things and work throughthings and work with each other.
And then, yeah, just watching that andthen what can I do as a sound designer
to offer and to help that world?
(26:19):
So that's been really exciting.
ANDRÉS: (26:21):
I agree with you.
That's one of my favorite thingswhenever I get the chance to like
direct, is to watch the actors work.
Yeah.
And to watch how other peoplehave a process that's so different
from what yours would be.
Right?
DANIELA: (26:33):
Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (26:33):
Is there a process you've been in that has taught you something
that you've carried with you intoalmost every project you go into?
DANIELA: (26:40):
I think there's always like certain things from every
process that I carry forward.
But I think overall, like even just bywatching others work and also I'm gonna
say, you know, this might be controversialto say, but you know, me, I find,
especially as a young artist, sometimesyou enter spaces where you encounter
(27:06):
like jaded performers who complain alot and aren't as grateful for the work.
And I've just kind of learned like,I don't want to be that, and I don't,
and if I do get to that point, I don'twant to affect younger performers
in my lifetime to think, Oh, like ifyou keep going at this for another 20
(27:30):
years, you're gonna be as jaded as me.
And it's just not fun either toenter a space where, where there's
negativity and, and that kind ofenergy, because nobody needs that.
You know, you're all collaborating,you're all working together.
You know, if you're not happy to bethere, then don't take the gig . But
I think that's a big lesson I'velearned is, you know, just appreciate
the work and be happy to be there.
ANDRÉS: (27:50):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Now you've been working a lot andpart of what I've been exploring as an
artist and as a person in this careeris that the idea of balance, right?
DANIELA: (28:00):
Mm-hmm.
ANDRÉS: (28:00):
And so is there something that you have that's like a go-to
that you can trust when you need tode-stress or when you need to just
like find some joy in your day?
DANIELA: (28:09):
Yeah.
RuPaul always.
Yeah.
That always makes me feel good.
Something I do that'skind of embarrassing.
(Laughs)
ANDRÉS: (28:17):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (28:17):
I've always done this.
Okay.
Like ever since I was like a childand I still do it to this day.
Late at night, if I need to like getrid of energy, I will turn on music
in my headphones and I'll put ondifferent outfits and I'll just dance.
ANDRÉS: (28:36):
All right.
DANIELA: (28:37):
For like an hour.
ANDRÉS: (28:38):
Yeah.
Do you ever put on like, likea runway or is it mostly dance?
DANIELA: (28:42):
I don't do runways.
No.
But I'll like, yeah.
Put on different, like fun outfits andI'll just like dance in front of the
mirror and like pretend I'm a superstar.
ANDRÉS: (28:52):
What about like food?
Do you have any food that's like comfortfood or that like brings you joy?
DANIELA: (28:57):
McDonny Dons!!.
ANDRÉS: (28:58):
Yeah?
DANIELA: (28:59):
Baby.
ANDRÉS: (29:00):
What's your like, go-to order?
DANIELA: (29:01):
It used to be Big Mac.
I used to be obsessed with BigMacs, but like, sorry, Their
quality is really gone down.
Their Big Macs aren't as good as theyused to be, so I usually just get junior
chickens or cheeseburgers and like fries.
Yeah.
I think I got McDonald'slike twice the other day.
. Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (29:21):
You,
DANIELA: (29:23):
Yeah.
It's my favorite.
It's always been my favorite.
ANDRÉS: (29:26):
Yeah.
Now going back to the art, what's, what's,like art that's always inspired you?
Like what's the kind of art that you'relike, I want to go see this kind of art.
DANIELA: (29:35):
Mm.
I like the weird stuff.
ANDRÉS: (29:37):
Yeah?
DANIELA: (29:38):
I really like weird stuff.
I like, I like intense.
Okay.
It's hard because I've alwaysliked really dark, heavy movies.
like, all of my favorite moviesare like movies where it's like
adolescents dealing with like drugaddictions or like, stuff like that.
(30:00):
Like, I don't know why, why I'mso drawn to just like, Dark stuff.
Usually like, I like stuff that peoplelike to look away from in society.
Because I think it's educationaland it's also like this is
the reality of, of our lives.
Like, you know mm-hmm.
, like we're not perfect.
Yeah.
(30:20):
You know, we don't lead perfect lives.
We all struggle with something.
Mm-hmm.
at some point or another in our lives.
So like, I just really like towatch people struggle on screen.
(Laughs) It's inspiring.
I don't know.
. But some, someone who I must mention who has always inspired
me as you know, is Lady Gaga.
(30:42):
Just because she's so multifaceted andshe can do so much and I like everything
about her has always inspired me.
Like from from the beginning.
I've just been obsessed with her andI continue to be obsessed with her.
Like everything she does, she justalways steps it up and brings it further.
(31:03):
And it's not just like, she doesn'tjust do things just to do them.
Like everything has a reason behind it.
ANDRÉS: (31:11):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (31:11):
And that's really inspiring and I think it's important as artists
to always have something to say and sheuses that privilege and I think the world
is finally realizing like how talentedshe actually is, because for a while
people just thought she was a freak.
ANDRÉS: (31:28):
Right.
DANIELA: (31:28):
You know, because people hadn't really, not that people
haven't seen people like her before,but nowadays it's not as common.
You know, like in the seventies,like David Bowie, like totally like
this androgynous person who like, Idon't know, like if, if he had come
(31:49):
out at the same time as Lady Gaga,people would also think he was weird.
But back then that was like, I don'tknow, it was like totally accepted.
You know, Same thing with likeElton John and like Madonna.
Madonna was controversial too,but you know, they're just icons.
ANDRÉS: (32:05):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (32:06):
And I feel like Lady Gaga is in that same realm where it's
like, people didn't realize she wasan icon when she first came out.
They were just like, this person is weird.
Like, why are they wearing a meat dress?
Why are they, you know, gettingnaked on stage or like, you know,
her VMA performance, her 2009 VMAperformance where she performed
Paparazzi is like everything to me,
ANDRÉS: (32:30):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (32:30):
like that performance inspired me so much.
Oh my gosh.
ANDRÉS: (32:35):
Would you say that's like the number one thing when you're
like, I need some Gaga inspiration?
DANIELA: (32:39):
There's a couple though.
There's a couple, like sometimes I'lljust, like, if I like, wanna cry, like
I'll just watch a bunch of her oldperformances and I'll just, yeah.
I just love her
And like, also she introduced me toa lot of stuff too, you know, like
she introduced me to like performanceart and she, she made me realize that
(33:01):
it's okay to be an artist who wantsto do a lot of different things.
Yeah.
You know, because shealways has different phases.
She's always going todifferent genres of music.
And I'm like, Yeah, why not?
Like, that's the point of being an artist.
Why would you stick toone thing your whole life
ANDRÉS: (33:17):
mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (33:17):
you know, like, why not explore?
Exactly.
So I love that about her.
Yeah.
And then I'm also reallyinspired by Radiohead.
They're my favorite band in the world.
Yeah.
They're just like, I love Tom Yorke.
Their music is just uh, also,like their music's quite sad.
, like you, you, I can't listen toRadiohead all the time, but their
(33:40):
music really inspired me growing up.
Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (33:42):
Speaking of like, if you're an artist, why would you stick to the
same thing if you weren't doing music or
DANIELA: (33:48):
mm-hmm.
ANDRÉS: (33:48):
acting.
Is there another artisticoutlet you would follow?
DANIELA: (33:52):
I think I'd wanna design clothes.
ANDRÉS: (33:54):
Yeah!
DANIELA: (33:55):
Yeah.
Cuz I love fashion.
ANDRÉS: (33:56):
Cool.
DANIELA: (33:57):
I love, love, love fashion.
I love expressing myselfthrough clothes and mm-hmm.
. Yeah, I would probably, and Iwas also thinking recently, I
kind of wanna get into hair.
Like if I, if there's like a periodof time in the next five years or so
where like I'm not working as much.
I think I'll go to hair school.
I've got backup plans baby.
ANDRÉS: (34:18):
We got backups on backups on backups.
DANIELA: (34:20):
Backups on
ANDRÉS: (34:23):
backups.
(Laughs) Oh my gosh.
So, With all of this being said andall your, you know, your inspirations
and stuff, do you have a dreamproject that like, you know, it's like
the one thing you've always wantedthat's like on the horizon and you're
like, one day I'm gonna get there.
DANIELA: (34:40):
I can't think of something specific where like,
this would be a dream project.
But I am dreaming up a project that Iwanna create in the next little while.
But I'm not gonna share it too much.
ANDRÉS: (34:52):
All good.
DANIELA: (34:52):
It's secret.
ANDRÉS: (34:54):
Stay tuned for part two of the interview.
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (34:58):
But it would, it, like, if I, if I, what I can say about it is that I do.
Now that I'm getting into sound, I wantto create a piece that is fully sound led.
Hmm.
Piece that is fully sound led.
Yeah,
ANDRÉS: (35:14):
Um, I'm gonna end it with this really just like chill, fun question.
Uh, but is there a song rightnow that's inspiring you?
That maybe is new or maybeyou've recently discovered?
DANIELA: (35:26):
(Laughs) let me just open up my Spotify.
Well, why don't you ask me this end ofthis, like, honestly, I could go down
like a full 30 minute conversationabout different songs, you know.
I think the song that I playedthe most this weekend specifically
was "Stay" by Lisa Lobe, I thinkis how you say your last name.
(35:46):
It's like this 90's song.
Okay.
It's like this, just this acoustic song.
And I used it in mypre-show music for the show.
I just designed and I just love it.
It's so simple.
It's just like I love.
I love nineties music.
ANDRÉS: (36:01):
Mm-hmm.
DANIELA: (36:01):
it's, it's such an, it was such an honest time for songwriters
and you know, it was like everyonewould just sing a song with their
guitars and it's such a lovely song.
I love it.
And yeah.
Yeah.
That's the song Ilistened to this weekend.
ANDRÉS: (36:14):
Yeah, I know you could talk about music for hours,
so that's why I said one song.
I know.
It's not fair.
DANIELA: (36:20):
It's not fair.
I mean, it's funny.
Cold play, Ack- \you know . Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (36:25):
Hear she goes!
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (36:26):
Cold play.
I just heard this new song byColdplay with Selena Gomez.
And you know me, I donot like Selena Gomez.
Sorry.
But this song is great.
It's, it's so awesome.
Yeah.
Reminds me like-
ANDRÉS: (36:38):
Even Selena's part?
DANIELA: (36:39):
Meh-
ANDRÉS: (36:40):
(Laughs)
DANIELA: (36:42):
fits the song . Yeah.
ANDRÉS: (36:46):
Well thank you so much for joining me.
This has been such a lovely timeand such a gift for me to be able to
hear about your process and the waythat like your artistic brain works.
Yeah.
I just wanna thank you really.
It's, it's been an honorand and thank you so much.
DANIELA: (36:59):
Thanks for having me, buddy.
ANDRÉS: (37:01):
Mm-hmm.
, anytime.
Please come back anytimeif we keep doing this.
.DANIELA:: Yeah.
Part two, part three,part four, part five.
It's a whole saga.
It's all about me, me, me, me, me.
(Laughs)
Oh my gosh.
Oh, thanks Pal
DANIELA: (37:17):
thank you.
AD: (37:19):
Hey, pal, enjoying the conversation.
Traversing the Azimuth is a brandnew branch of Azimuth Theater
aimed at connecting artists with awider community, deepening mutual
understanding, and getting to shareeach artist's process and journey.
If you would like to continue hearingthese amazing stories, you can help out
by going to Azimuththeater.com/sponsorshipand sponsor Traversing the Azimuth.
(37:42):
Your sponsorship will go straightinto paying more artists to
"come and share what it means forthem to be "proudly in process."
We would also like to take thismoment to thank Canada Council
for the Arts, for their supportand the pilot of this project.
For more information onTraversing, the Azimuth go to
AzimuthTheatre.com/traversing.
(38:02):
Woohoo!
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