Daniel in Stereo is the Indie pop project of Daniel Chimusoro. His energy is contagious, both on stage and off. While Daniel is no novice to playing music festivals, this will be his first time to play MidPoint Music Festival.
We asked our friend, Daniel to chat with us about playing MPMF, his gorgeous smile and positivity, and his new single, “Fool Me Once” being released TOMORROW!
Congratulations on your debut year of MPMF! What does it mean to be selected to play such a coveted festival?
Hi Courtney, first off thanks for having me as one of your featured artists for MPMF it means a lot to me. To answer your question, this is such a huge honor for me as I have always wanted to play MPMF because of the role it plays in building a base in Cincy, I love the rich history of artists that have played MPMF and gone on to do amazing things, it feels like I am making a step in the right direction, been trying to get to a place where I could play it for the last 3 or 4 years so to be able to get to perform this year on the same day as Walk the Moon and a bunch of my friends in other local bands is huge for me.
Who are you looking forward to seeing/playing alongside/networking with at MPMF?
I am definitely looking forward to seeing Walk the Moon, hoping that they play the new jams that they have been writing, BADBADNOTGOOD, NONAME (I am a big Chicago hip hop fan so yeah that's gonna be rad) my buds in Coastal Club, Current Events, Harbour (whose new album has been on repeat). Looking to network with Jeremy Pinnell. While his stuff is more on the country blues side, it's very unique and something I enjoy listening to because of how he blends those worlds (we have a couple mutual friends but haven't met oddly enough lol). Definitely can't afford to miss Ledges, Young Heirlooms, Edward Jane & Moonbeau. So, as we can see I want to watch everyone on Sunday! I am going to have fun figuring out who all I will actually catch after we are done with our set.
Your smile lights up rooms. Give us some tips on how you stay so positive…
Thanks! I try to live by two mottos.
- Don't sweat the small stuff, everything is small stuff.
- Memento Mori which translates to remember one day we all must die, which serves as a reminder to try and make every moment count.
I would like to say I try not to sweat the small stuff as much, but that's more or less attributed to having a best friend (Will Moses) and a few other friends who keep you in check when they notice that you are starting to sweat the small stuff. Will is really good at reminding me that everything is small stuff it just seems larger than life when you face at first, but you have to break it down. (Thanks, Will)
Memento Mori- remember we all must die,
It sounds kinda morbid but my old songwriting teacher taught me to view it as a reminder of how fragile life is and not to take for granted the time we have. So, I try to remember that and I try to keep my energy in that light so that when that time comes for me, I lived the best I could most of the time, since as humans we do human things and aren't perfect. I try keep my suck percentage at 15/85. 15 percent suck and 85 percent not suck, lol.
Lastly, I try to put more of what I would like to see in the world. I know how much it brightens my day when people are kind towards me so I try to greet people with the same energy because I don't know what fights they are fighting at any given moment.
You put so much of yourself in your song lyrics. Is this therapeutic, draining...a bit of each?
Writing is more therapeutic for me, it fuels me to be more self-aware. It’s what I love and hate about it, lol! It's like staring in mirror and no matter how many times I might try to lie to myself whether out self-preservation or whatever notion, my reflection is staring back at me like BRUHHHHHH quit playing and fix what you need to fix. The writing itself (lyrics/story wise) isn't draining it's more or less the bridging of the gap of where I would like to be in terms of musical proficiency wise. That gets draining but that's part of the journey I am learning to embrace. The gap will always be there, it just changes with the grow I make or it will stay at the same spot if I choose not to grow.
What is next for Daniel In Stereo?
I am putting out a new song called, "Fool Me Once" tomorrow.
I just entered into the battle of the bands at The Underground, so I am going to be pushing to do the best I can there. Going to visually document the process of where I am as an artist and trying to make it more about the awesome people that are a part of this journey and that keep surprising me in ways I didn't think where possible. I am always working on new songs. Hoping if I win the battle, I will have enough to record a few more songs to put out a full-length album as opposed to an EP. I am just excited to keep going and figuring out new ways to reach people and play shows with other bands I respect in the city, and try my hand at touring again.
