MESSED UP PEOPLE MAKE THE BEST ART.

Adrian Daniel is from Brooklyn NEW YORK, a singer, songwriter. An artist that's telling stories of his life through music, his hopes being that his fans and new listeners are able to understand his message and his overall goal in this music industry while being as cool as possible.

As a kid how much of an impact did the street of Brooklyn have on you, that now translates into your adult life and your music?

AD: I grew up in East Flatbush, Brownsville. I wasn't around art, I wasn't about what you would call the ideal situation on being an artist, it was a lot of violence and just about survival. And for me art, dance and music was my escape to not have to deal with those things. But I was still very much involved in everything that you would be doing as a teenager, out on the street running wild being reckless. And one day my mom told me that she was going to put me in dance class. So I was the kid that was in dance class but still in the streets.

Being a R&B singer from your sides, growing up the way you did. Friends made fun of your talents?

AD: Yeah, all the time. There is this stereotype also about being a singer.

Tell us about your new album. What inspired it?

AD: New album is called FLAWD. It was inspired by me growing up and accepting that being flawed, and not being perfect is part of being human. A lot of it is me talking to myself, and people in my life that have seen themselves as problems, or that something is wrong with them. And because something is wrong with them that no one can accept them and no one can appreciate them. This record is a lot about me helping and coaching them through that and saying it's okay, not because you've messed up you're not worthy. I feel like messed up people make the best art.

What would you say is the key message, you want your listeners to get from FLAWD?

AD: Just accept your flaws. Accept that you're going to meet people that don't know how to love you back, that don't know how to treat your right. That don't know how to be a good friend. That don't know they should be in your life. Because some people just never learn these things, they never got it, they never seen it. But that doesn't mean they don't want it, and you can't give it to them. But you have to be willing to work through it. Be okay working on it, be okay with accepting these things, because sometimes people just need help.

Your favorite track from the album?

AD: All of them!

Give us one track that represents love.

AD: ‘This city’ - to me that's what love looks like, being from New York, it’s dark and not how it should be. It's like a two-sided coin, one min it's all great then the next you're fighting about putting the toilet sit down.

“This record is a lot about me helping and coaching them through that and saying it’s okay, not because you’ve messed up you’re not worthy. I feel like messed up people make the best art. ”

— Adrian Daniel

If you can, explain what your signature style is when it comes to music.

AD: That's a hard one, a lot of times I don't even know. People like when I make sad songs, but I don't like to make sad songs though, they just end up being sad. I just feel like I make music to help people cope.

After people listen to this album. You're going on tour to promote, so this album seems huge to you. You will be influenced by a lot of people as you will be influencing them. What do you want your fans to remember from this experience?

AD: I want people to say that Adrianne tries to bring you the dopest stuff from Brooklyn. Being that R&B isn't the hottest sound coming from Brooklyn, the new and old fans from across the world would be able to say that this sound is coming from the east coast, making people know that Brooklyn got it.

What are you looking forward to while touring the U.K?

AD: Just seeing people, and hearing them sing at my shows. I get so surprised when people sing along to my songs because I usually think people don't care. When I'm making songs, I don't make it in the sense that I have to make this song to be famous, I'm only just venting and dealing with frustrations or dealing with happiness. So I'm looking forward to experiencing that with people.

What's your environment like when creating music?

AD: To be honest with you, I never create music in the studio. I create music in my head. I'll be at home and write a whole record, I'll have the melodies and know what I want the drums to sound like. I know what want the overall song to sound like. I'll sit with my homies at their cribs in their laptops and just make everything from scratch and then I'll go into the studio and record everything,

So what’s home like during the process?

AD: Quiet, it has to be very quiet for me. Sometimes it's hard to find that, my dog is always barking at everyone that passes by or the ice cream truck passing by its just always something.

Are you nervous to go on tour?

AD: No, I'm never nervous to perform. The thing that makes me nervous the most, is having to face things again every time I perform and being vulnerable. Being vulnerable is not a thing that you want to do, or let people see, especially being from Brooklyn. I still have to get used to people wanting that from me and getting that.

Do you have any features on your album? If so who?

AD: Yes, one. My producer Rudy, he's called Rude.

Is there anyone you would like to remix any of your songs? Do you even care at all to remix songs with bigger artists or producers?

AD: I like remixes, I always have. I like remixes that surprise me as well, a lot of people remix my songs and I'm not looking forward to it but then I listen to it and I'm like that's tight. I don't want it to be like this person has to do a remix on my song, I like it just catching me off guard.

I have this mission statement about myself. That I want people to know me for who I am first before I work with anyone that's popular or being streamed a lot. Would I want people to listen to my record because they actually like it, or because they like the person that's on it because they're dope? I don't ever want people to listen to my music because they feel forced because elf who's on it. It's a lot of people I have collaborated with on their records, you'll hear it soon. I can't talk about it but yeah, you'll hear it soon.

Let's talk fashion. What draws you to a piece of clothing?

AD: A lot of 50 cent, Micheal Jackson. The thing about being from Brooklyn you get to see a lot of different styles and all those things tend to rub off on you. I grew up right where they would have the West Indian day parade so all those colors and different types of vibes that they bring, I'm looking at that for years, so I think how can incorporate that into what I'm doing. My style is never thought out, I'll see something that catches my eye, I'll get it and hold on to it and see how I can pair it with other things in my closet.

What's your closet like for your tour?

AD: it's always minimalistic. Micheal Jackson is like my favorite person to look at when it comes to performing and catching people's attention, so I've always been about the minimalistic thing because I never want to distract you from what I'm saying. I view my songs like it's a book so I wouldn't want to take away from anything you would experience by listening and seeing me perform. But I still want you to know that I'm fly as F@%k.

What's your favorite staple piece for F/W?

AD: I always wanted to snowboard, so I got these snowboard pants and they're just really comfy.

Adrian After his recent performance with Jidenna at the Heineken Green Room NYC, singer/songwriter Adrian Daniel wants to lighten things up with a gritty R&B track on dating a special kind of girl. Like Ne-Yo’s Ms. Independent, 90’s Girls is the Millennial’s version of independent women, an Ode to girls born in the 90’s and girls from his East Flatbush neighborhood aka “The 90’s" . The song is set to release JULY 25th!

Follow Adrian for more on his musical journey.

Nº21 : CONVERSATIONS WITH ADRIAN DANIEL

MESSED UP PEOPLE MAKE THE BEST ART.