Story and Photos By Hilary Nichols
Last summer, as she has every summer since 2018, Dani Darling performed at the Ann Arbor Summer Fest. This time she took to the main stage with her identical triplet sisters as guests to drop into an electrifying harmony like it was their first language—maybe because it was.
“We have been singing harmonies since before I can remember,” shared Darling. “It was the first thing we could do. Even before we could talk.” The Davis triplets were called up every Sunday at church. Identical triplets are one in a million, or three in a million, actually. Illuminated in the evening twilight in front of a glowing Rackham Hall, Darling commanded the stage with her whole heart. “To play the Summer Fest stage, it’s my biggest show of the year. It means the most to me,” she shared. “It is so good to see former teachers, classmates, and friends in the audience. I am truly a product of the Ann Arbor education system.” Darling was a star student in orchestra, show-choirs, and more. “It really makes me so proud to be from Ann Arbor.”
After college, “I wanted to establish my own thing,” Darling said. She dabbled singing backup with reggae acts and jazz bands and then joined the Black Opera in 2017. “I learned so much about the music business.” The Black Opera is a musical cooperative out of Detroit. “I gained the skills to do my own studio work, record myself, and craft my own projects.” It was at that point that she started her solo work, ready to be her own artist. “That’s when I became Dani Darling, just me.”
It was at one of her solo shows that a bass player came up and offered to accompany her. That is how she met her best friend, Noor. “Then we were a band of two.” At the next show a guitar player joined them, and the following show, a drummer offered to join. “It was like the yellow brick road,” noted Darling. As a band leader of four, Darling loved writing and arranging the songs. “I am always trying to push the sound forward.”
Whether as a solo artist or with her groups, her writing process starts with making a lot of notes. Darling records melodies or tidbits into her voice memos to collect all the ideas as they arise. “My favorite way is to just play some of my favorite chords on my guitar until I hear a melodic line and then fit some poignant lyric that goes with it.” She continued, “If it sounds like a poem, it will be a good song.” Darling was a poet in high school and still writes in poetic form. “I take pride in crafting words and meaning that people will remember.”
“My favorite song on my new project is called ‘Same.’” Emblematic of her poetic process, she burst into song. “I love you and I want to say, where there is a will, there is a way. I say a prayer and it is your name. I will never ever be the same.” “Same” was written after she moved an hour away from her best friend Noor, and they don’t see each other as often. If this best friend love song seems uncommon, that is right in-line with Darling’s work. Her sound is crafted from a great variety of influences. She describes her work as retro soul heavily inspired by the 1970s. “That music was so positive and sunny,” she shared. “When it was just my daughter and I stuck at home, this was the music that we wanted to hear.” She began posting covers on her social media accounts during the pandemic. “It was the music that would lift us up.” Her audience agreed and grew. A fan base lined up quickly and inquired right away, “Are you coming back tomorrow?” She was happy to respond. “There was a need, so I rose to the occasion.”
Whether posting covers or releasing originals, Darling’s sound is sun flare sweet, bright, and alive with lush layers. Her pieces share a brave creativity, like a collage of sound, that is honest and engaging, as she speaks straight through to her audience. This is not 70’s simple anymore. Her influences pull from world music, disco, and psychedelic certainly, but also theatrical effects, vintage elements, and experimental recording devices along with the cosmos woven throughout. In fact, she often looks to the sky for her inspiration. “I spend a lot of time talking about the cosmos.” Many of her songs are otherworldly though rooted in Americana.
“I can take anything that is happening and zoom out to experience the loftiness of whatever situation I am in. I have a lot of themes that are cosmic.” Darling is a certified astrologer and posts her Hellenistic Astrological readings on one of her many social media pages. Her online presence continues to grow. “I keep up on it because people were asking me for it.” Her most popular song on Spotify has over 55,000 streams.
Singer, band leader, astrologer, and recently Darling has added professor to her online identities. As a passion project, she is teaching a theology course at HillmanTok University which is an online class through HBCU (Historically Black College & Universities) created by black educators to offer course work on TikTok. “I did an intro video and was blown away by how many people replied, ‘I will come to your class.’ It was like a runaway train.” Darling’s courses have gone viral garnering over 2000 followers and likes.
Tiktok provides a lot of traction to funnel her audience toward the other platforms as well. “It seems I can maintain a good spot when I am consistent. Though it can become a lot.” Darling recognizes the dichotomy of being a content creator. In her most popular song to date ‘S + M’ she sings of the sadomasochism of social media: “Tell me how to get off. I just want to get off… I can’t go outside, I am going live…I am aware all these likes are not cares… I feel like all these names are eyes. Why you like to watch me cry?” Darling preaches moderation of on-line life.
Though online is where she attracts her real-life bookings and opportunities as well. She was offered the Amplify fellowship sponsored by LEON Speakers and Grove Street studios. Detroit Metro Times put her on the cover and Current Magazine awarded her Best Jazz/Blues vocalist of 2024.
Her music career is her muse, but Dani Darling shares her passions through her role at the Neutral Zone in Ann Arbor. “Helping teens to find their purpose is definitely my calling. It is righteous work to motivate and orient these young people at a time like this.” Darling is Program Coordinator and Curator of the Artist in Residence program at the Neutral Zone as well as an MYDA Educator (a nation-wide coalition of community-based organizations that use music as a youth-development tool). For two years Darling has coordinated programs like Beats, Songwriting, Jam Sessions, Poetry, and Women of Color. She also runs Neutral Zones podcast division.
It is a full life, even before being a mother. Darling’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Eden, is hearing impaired. “I have been fortunate to be able to provide her with solutions here so close to the U of M facilities.” Darling expressed about her daughter’s cochlear implant surgeries: “To be able to take a child that is profoundly deaf and turn on her hearing. It feels so amazing that I was able to tap into the resources to get her that care. It is one of the things that I am most proud of,” she shared. “My daughter is a fan of mine, but it was one of the most exciting days when I heard her singing along to Whitney Houston. That’s my girl!” Darling beamed.
Darling found herself thankful for U of M’s medical care when she had difficulty speaking while on stage. Aphasia, a disorder to one’s ability to communicate, led to her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. With chemotherapy treatment twice a year she now has minimal symptoms other than having to manage her fatigue. “I do spend time addressing grief at having a chronic illness and how my life has changed because of it,” she shared. Her current project is a lot more personal in response. “So, I talk about my health. I want to be a resource to help anyone navigate any limitations.” Her upcoming project is a testament and a tribute to those with such concerns. If her earlier work is any indication, this release will be honest, innovative, beautiful, and so worthy of our attention.
Explore her cosmos by visiting Dani Darling through her social media outlets. Visit her online at: danidarling.org. On Instagram@danidarling and @danidarlingastro. You can listen to Darling on Spotify at open.spotify.com/artist/6OSNbDPLGoQgobWLtV566h?si=59p9iUH9RQKYRRxiyNqJgQ.
Related Article:
“Operate from a position of generosity and humanity. Watch how it benefits your business.” This simple statement is key to the working philosophy of Phillis Engelbert, owner of the Detroit Street Filling Station, North Star Lounge, and The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe in Ann Arbor. The concepts of generosity and humanity might not be the most common buzz words in today’s business culture, and her central tenet doesn’t come without a cost—but that is not what concerns Engelbert. She recommends it for reasons that transcend the financials.